KUWAIT CITY, March 18: The Kuwaiti national team is set to kick off its inaugural training session this evening, Tuesday, at the Qatari Aspire Academy, gearing up to face Qatar next Thursday in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup finals. This follows the conclusion of the Blue team's camp in Abu Dhabi.

Abdul Rahman Al-Mousa, the director of the national team, highlighted the meticulous preparation undertaken by the technical staff, under the guidance of Portuguese coach Rui Pinto, to ensure the team's readiness for the upcoming encounter with Qatar. Al-Mousa emphasized the focus of the camp on bolstering the players' mental fortitude and streamlining administrative and technical efforts to optimize performance against the Qatari side, commending the players' dedication to their daily training regimen.

The national team director outlined the itinerary, revealing that the Al-Azraq delegation will depart for Doha today, Tuesday, partaking in their first training session later in the evening at the Aspire Academy Stadium. Tomorrow, Wednesday, the team will engage in a full-fledged training session at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium at Al-Sadd Club, the venue for the showdown against Qatar. Al-Mousa expressed optimism that the Al-Azraq players would showcase their utmost capabilities against the reigning Asian champions, aiming for a favorable outcome in the qualifiers.

Following the match, the Al-Azraq delegation will return to Kuwait on Friday afternoon, initiating an internal camp on the same evening in preparation for their encounter with the Qatari national team on March 26 in the fourth round of the qualifiers.

Meanwhile, the Kuwait Olympic team, under the guidance of Director Jarrah Al-Ateeqi, continued its training in Abu Dhabi, marking the final preparations before competing in the AFC U-23 Cup finals scheduled to take place in Qatar from April 15 to May 3.

Al-Ateeqi lauded the players' adherence to the directives of the administrative and technical staff, noting their discipline in daily training sessions and their commitment to delivering their best performance. He expressed optimism about the team's prospects in the upcoming finals, hoping for a standout display from the Olympic squad.