Both sides won their respective groups in the second round to reach this far in the World Cup qualifiers. In the third round, the two teams are competing in Group A alongside, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea.
Qatar and United Arab Emirates will kick off their third-round bids in AFC World Cup 2026 Qualifying on Thursday, when they square off at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan. The two teams are competing in Group A alongside, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea.
Final preparations 🇶🇦💫 pic.twitter.com/t5JOCf1yFK
— Qatar Football (@QFA_EN)Qatar topped their second round group to reach this stage of the qualifiers. The reigning Asian champions recorded five wins and a draw from six outings to finish at the summit of Group A. Their last outing was against India in June, which ended in a 2-1 victory courtesy of Yousef Aymen's controversial equaliser in the 73rd-minute and Ahmed Al-Rawi's winner five minutes from time.
The result extended Qatar's unbeaten run to 11 games, including ten wins, in all competitions. Qatar, who competed in the 2022 World Cup group stage as hosts, failed to win a single match, conceding seven goals and scoring just one from three games. Nevertheless, Tintin Marquez will be hoping to guide the Maroons to a a top two finish in Group A, and thereby secure an automatic qualification for a second-successive World Cup.
UAE, on the other hand, had a disappointing AFC Asian Cup earlier this year, losing out to minnows Tajikistan in the round of 16 stage. However Paulo Bento's side recorded three wins and a draw from their final four second round World Cup qualifying games and thereby finished on top of Group H. Al-Abyad earned a 1-1 draw in their last outing against Bahrain back in June.
Probable Lineups
Qatar probable starting lineup: Barsham, Mohammed, Salman, Mendes, Ahmed, Abdulsallam, Fathy, Al-Ahrak, Afif,Ali, Mansour
UAE probable starting lineup: Eisa, Idrees, Abaelaziz, Al Attas, Ahmed, Faiz, Rashid, Lima, Alzaabi, Adil, Saleh
Qatar vs UAE Schedule and Fixture
The 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier between Qatar and UAE will take place at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium on Thursday at 9:30 PM IST.
Qatar vs UAE Live Streaming Details
The live streaming of the World Cup qualifiers will be available on Fancode in India. Meanwhile, football fans in Qatar can watch the match on beIN Sports network and Alkass live. Those in UAE can catch the live action via beIN Sports network, Dubai Sports Asia 1, Sharjah Sports and Abu Dhabi Sports Asia 1.
Also read: Iran vs Kyrgyzstan: FIFA World Cup Qualifier live stream, schedule, fixture and probable lineups