DOHA, March 20: Kuwait will face Qatar as guests at 9:00 pm at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Sadd Club. This encounter marks the third round of the initial group stage of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico, as well as the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in 2027. Concurrently, Afghanistan meets the India team in the same group at 10:00 at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium (Al Mahalla) in Abha Governorate.

Currently, Al-Azraq holds the second spot in Group A with 3 points. They secured victory against Afghanistan with a score of 4-0 but suffered defeat against India with a narrow margin of 1-0, held in Kuwait. On the other hand, Qatar leads the group standings with 6 points, having triumphed over India 3-0 and Afghanistan 8-1.

Preparations for tonight's match commenced last week for Al-Azraq, including a brief camp in Abu Dhabi, followed by their arrival in Doha two days ago. The team is set to return to Kuwait tomorrow to gear up for their upcoming match against the Qatari team at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium on March 26.

Tonight's game marks the 44th encounter between the two teams across various tournaments and qualifiers. Kuwait has emerged victorious in 21 matches, while Qatar has won 13, with 9 matches ending in a draw.

Under the guidance of Portuguese coach Rui Pinto and his assistant Ahmed Abdel Karim, rigorous training sessions were conducted morning and evening to ensure the readiness of each player. The selected squad of 24 players includes Ibrahim Kamil, Sami Al-Sanea, Muhammad Dahham, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Reda Hani, Mishari Ghannam, Mohsen Falah, Faisal Zayed, Saud Al-Hoshan, Youssef Nasser, Mubarak Al-Fanini, Khaled Ibrahim, Eid Al-Rashidi, Youssef Al-Haqqan, Hassan Hamdan, Bandar Al-Salama, Suleiman Abdel Ghafour, Muhammad Al-Huwaidi, Mahdi Dashti, Athbi Shehab, Hamad Harbi, Abdullah Al-Fahd, Salman Buramia, and Abdul Rahman Al-Majdali.

Following necessary assessments, it was determined that Sami Al-Sanea, Mahdi Dashti, and Bandar Al-Salama had incurred injuries. Consequently, Rashid Al-Dosari, Abdul-Mohsen Al-Ajmi, and Badr Tariq were chosen as their replacements.

Al-Azraq is determined to secure a favorable outcome to bolster their chances of advancing to the next round and to showcase a compelling performance to overshadow their earlier match against India. Meanwhile, the Qatari team aims to secure their third consecutive victory to solidify their lead in the group standings.

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff