Qatar National Team World Cup Betting
History will be made at the 2022 World Cup as a Middle Eastern country will host the biggest sporting event in the world for the first time. Qatar won the bidding for the 2022 World Cup 12 years ago, and the country will become the first since the inaugural World Cup back in 1930 to host the World Cup before playing their way into the competition.
There were doubts that Qatar would host the World Cup for years due to the inhospitable summer climate and the investigation into FIFA corruption, but the first ever Winter World Cup was confirmed a couple years ago. Now, Qatar will look to shine with the whole world watching come November.
Manager: Félix Sánchez
Nickname: The Maroon
Confederation: AFC (Asia)
FIFA Ranking: 51 (March 2022)
Qatar World Cup Betting Odds
To Win Group A: +1450
To Win 2022 World Cup: +35000
*Odds as of May 4, 2022
Qatar Group Stage Schedule
Qatar vs. Ecuador, Monday, November 21, 2022, 11 a.m. ET, at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor (FOX)
Qatar vs. Senegal, Friday, November 25, 2022, 8 a.m. ET, at Al Thamuma Stadium in Doha (FS1)
Netherlands vs. Qatar, Tuesday, November 29, 2022, 10 a.m. ET, at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor (FOX)
History at the World Cup
Appearances: 1 (first in 2022)
Best Result: TBD
This will be the first time that Qatar has taken part in the World Cup. Qatar is a relatively new country as it only gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1971, and The Maroon needed some time to establish themselves on the international stage. They didn’t post a winning record in World Cup qualifying until 1994, and they made it to the final round of qualifying in Asia in each of the last three cycles. However, that’s where their World Cup hopes were dashed as Qatar never finished better than fourth place in their group.
The last few years have seen Qatar perform much better on the international stage though. At the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates, they were the most dominant team throughout the tournament. Qatar outscored their opponents 10-0 in the Group Stage to make the knockout rounds and shut out six straight teams. The Maroon held on for 1-0 wins over Iraq and South Korea before blasting hosts UAE in the semifinals. Japan was able to finally score on Qatar in the AFC Asian Cup Final, but it wasn’t enough as Qatar went on to win 3-1 and claimed its first major international title.
Qatar did not fair well at Copa America, exiting in the Group Stage, but we saw this country earn respectable finishes at the 2021 Arab Cup and the 2021 Gold Cup. Qatar hosted the Arab Cup as a tune-up for the World Cup and again finished atop its group. The Maroon thumped the UAE 5-0 in the quarterfinals but then were defeated 2-1 by eventual champions Algeria in the semifinals. The small Middle Eastern nation outperformed expectations at the Gold Cup too by topping its group and then beating El Salvador in the quarterfinals before losing to the United States in the semifinals.
What to Watch
Qatar is defined by solid back line play and timely scoring from the talented Almoez Ali. There is a lot of familiarity among the team too as everyone on the national team plays in the domestic league. A whopping 11 players play for Al-Sadd and seven players suit up for Al-Duhail, and that chemistry should be apparent on the pitch.
The two players to watch in the back line are Al-Sadd defenders Abdelkarim Hassan and Boualem Khoukhi. Hassan has 15 goals in 117 caps, while Khoukhi has 20 goals in 93 appearances for the national team.
Abdulaziz Hatem and Ali Assadalla are the primary scoring threats from the midfield, while Karim Boudiaf is a solid defensive midfielder. The main player to keep an eye on though is Almoez Ali. The 25-year-old could be a breakout star at the World Cup, as he has 39 goals in 72 matches for the national team. Ali had nine goals at the AFC Asian Cup, setting a new record in the competition on his way to being named the MVP of the tournament. He was the top goal scorer at the Gold Cup too, earning the Golden Boot.
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