Whether the rest of the world likes it or not, Qatar is set to serve as the host of the 2022 World Cup. The tournament is now less than three years away, with qualification already underway for the Asian and African federations.
To check out online sports betting for the World Cup or any other sporting event, check out All-Bets. After the Club World Cup in Qatar went off without a hitch in December, there is finally some optimism about the small Middle Eastern country hosting the world’s largest sporting event.
Of course, hosting duties at the World Cup come with the pressure to perform on the field. Hosts are expected to play well in front of their home fans and at least reach the Knockout Stage of the tournament.
Russia did just that in 2018, reaching the quarterfinals and nearly advancing further, rallying the entire country behind it along the way.
South Africa in 2010 was the only host nation to fail to make it out of the Group Stage at a World Cup. Reaching the round of 16 should be considered the bare minimum of what the Qatar national team will be expected to accomplish as hosts in 2022.
That’s a tough ask for a small nation with little football history of which to speak that will also be playing in the World Cup Finals for the first time. With a challenging schedule ahead in 2020, the performance and results of the Maroons will play a big role in the squad’s development ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
It will give the rest of the world a good indication of whether or not Qatar will belong on the field at the World Cup and whether it will have a legitimate chance to reach the Knockout Stage.
On the surface, Qatar still looks like the nail that sticks up in world football. Not only has it never been to a World Cup, but it finished at the bottom of its group in the final round of qualification for the 2018 World Cup.
Virtually all of its players play domestically, making them unknown entities to the rest of the world. Finally, Qatar was ranked No. 55 in the world in the FIFA world rankings in December 2019, making it the fifth-best team in Asia according to FIFA’s outdated algorithm for determining the rankings.
However, all of that must be put into context. At the end of 2018, Qatar was ranked 93rd in the FIFA world rankings, the 13th highest team in Asia. Over the course of a banner year, the Maroons climbed nearly 40 spots.
Major Step Forward
The past 12 months have provided the first evidence that Qatar is improving as a footballing nation, perhaps setting the stage for better things to come in 2020 and beyond.
It all started with an unprecedented win at the 2019 Asian Cup. The Maroons dominated the Group Stage, winning all three matches with 10 goals scored and none conceded. That included a 2-0 win in the highly-anticipated match with Saudi Arabia, who is not only a political rival but typically the best football team in the Middle East.
Qatar’s good fortune continued in the Knockout Stage with a shocking upset of South Korea in the quarterfinals, a dominating 4-0 win over the host UAE in the semifinals, and the memorable 3-1 win over Japan in the final.
It proved to be the best team in Asia by beating the teams that everyone believed were the best in Asia.
When all was said and done, Qatar had scored 19 goals and conceded just one while winning all seven of its games at the Asian Cup. Sudanese-born Almoez Ali emerged as the star of the tournament, scoring nine goals while no other player in the tournament scored more than four.
He has joined the likes of Akram Afif as captain to form one of the most dangerous attacking bands in Asian football.
On the heels of their triumph at the Asian Cup, the Maroons took a summer trip to South America after being invited to participate in the 2019 Copa America. While they were drummed out in the Group Stage, Qatar gave a strong account of itself.
It scored a draw with Paraguay in its opening match, pushed Colombia to the brink in a hard-fought 1-0 loss, and did the same in a 2-0 loss to Argentina.
While the results were disappointing, the Maroons displayed the speed and skill required to compete on the same field as some of the top South American teams.
In the fall, Qatar returned to Asian competition, scoring four wins and a draw in the first five games of World Cup qualifying that is also serving as qualifying for the next Asian Cup. Those results catapulted them to the top of their group.
Unfortunately for the Maroons, they failed to follow up their Asian Cup win earlier in the year at the Arabian Gulf Cup. As tournament hosts, Qatar lost to Iraq in the Group Stage and fell to Saudi Arabia in the semifinals, taking a clear step backward after such impressive results earlier in the year.
New Year
Now that 2020 has arrived, it’s time for Qatar to prove that last year’s Asian Cup title wasn’t a fluke and that its No. 55 FIFA ranking isn’t the best it can do. First on the agenda is securing the top spot in Group E of World Cup qualification, a feat that could hinge on a June trip to Oman, which sits one point behind the Qataris with three matches left to play.
After that is a return trip to South America for the 2020 Copa America this summer.
However, things will be different this time around. Rather than three group games, Qatar will play five matches during the Group Stage. Those five games will be played over just 18 days, a schedule that will test Qatar’s depth, endurance, toughness, and character in ways they’ve never been tested before.
Playing five South American teams in less than three weeks is nothing short of brutal, and further challenges await them if they finish among the top four spots in the six-team group.
During the Group Stage, Qatar will face world heavyweights Brazil and Colombia, as well as 2018 World Cup participant Peru. The Maroons will also have fixtures against Ecuador and Venezuela, two scrappy South American sides that will view Qatar as an opponent they should beat.
As usual, it will be up to Qatar to prove both critics and its opponents wrong. The Maroons were able to do so throughout 2019, but they will have to do it all over again in 2020.
After the 2020 Copa America, there is little on the horizon with regard to competitive games for Qatar until the 2022 World Cup. This is its last chance to challenge itself by playing top teams in competitive games.
It’s also its last chance to prove itself at an international tournament before it serves as host of the greatest sporting event in the world.
If Qatar wants to set itself up for success as World Cup host in 2022, it needs to prove in 2020 that it is a team that needs to be taken seriously on the field.