DOHA : Oman national football team will take on Qatar in a critical Asian playoff qualifying match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup tomorrow (Wednesday). The showdown will kick off at 7:00 pm (Oman time) at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Sadd Club.

This match carries significant weight for the Omani squad, who seek a vital victory to strengthen their qualification prospects ahead of their decisive encounter against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday, 11 October 2025 at 9:15 pm.

The team is banking on the extensive experience of Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, who has previously guided multiple national teams to World Cup qualification. The squad features seasoned players including Ali Al-Busaidi, Harib Al-Saadi, Jamil Al-Yahmadi, Muhsen Al-Ghassani, Salah Al-Yahyaei, and Issam Al-Subhi, complemented by emerging talents such as A’hed Al-Mashaikhi, Abdulrahman Al-Mushaifri, Ghanem Al-Habsi, and Musab Al-Shaqsi.

At the pre-match press conference, the Oman coach stated: “We face Qatar followed by the UAE, and we’re fully prepared with both the motivation and confidence to achieve positive results and qualify. The players are ready and committed to delivering their best performance. We’ll play with high spirit, strong competitiveness, and singular focus, regardless of whatever challenges we encounter.”

He added: “All teams have equal opportunity, and our players are stronger and more aware of this stage’s importance. We must perform at our highest level and secure positive results in both matches. We recognize each team has strengths and weaknesses, so we’re ensuring our players maintain complete focus and minimize errors.”

Veteran player Ali Al-Busaidi commented: “Qualification has been our objective since the qualifiers began, and we’re now at the crucial stage to achieve it. This match is extremely important, and we’ve prepared optimally. Pressure is normal in such circumstances, and we’re ready to handle it with full concentration and confidence.”

Qatar’s Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui noted: “We face an important match tomorrow against Oman. Our preparations are proceeding with high morale and enthusiasm as we work toward optimal physical and mental readiness. We understand the responsibility we carry.”

He continued: “We’re focused on tomorrow’s challenge against a strong opponent featuring distinguished players who defeated us in our previous encounter. Our concentration is on enhancing our collective strength and team performance. We must play distinctively and deal with every detail – our greatest challenge is to perform at our absolute best.”

The Omani national team will conduct its final training session at the match venue this afternoon at 5:30 pm, involving physical and tactical drills along with final technical preparations for the starting lineup.

This encounter marks the 36th fixture between the two sides. Of their previous 35 matches, Oman has secured 7 victories against Qatar’s 19 wins, with 7 matches drawn. Their most recent encounter in the 2024 Arabian Gulf Cup saw Oman triumph 2-1. The teams previously met in the 1990 and 2002 World Cup qualifiers, with Qatar winning both encounters 1-0 and 2-1 respectively.

The current playoff stage features a single-match format with six teams divided into two groups. Each group winner secures direct qualification to the 2026 World Cup, while each runner-up advances to a two-leg playoff. The playoff winner then progresses to the FIFA intercontinental playoff tournament featuring six teams from different confederations, where only two will ultimately qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals.