2026 Asian World Cup Qualifiers: Qatar Lose 3-1 to UAE in Group A Opener

Doha: A first half opener from Ibrahim Al Hassan was not enough to secure Qatar a home victory as they lost 3-1 to the UAE in the 2026 Asian World Cup qualifiers on Thursday. The visitors made a surprise comeback in the last minutes of the game at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium when Harib Abdalla equalized in the 68th minute before Khaled Ibrahim made it 2-1 with only nine minutes remaining. In the 87th minute, Marquez Lopez' men were denied a precious opportunity to make the scoreline 2-2 when a penalty decision was overturned after consulting the VAR. They resumed their attacking flare for an equalizer, yet, against the run of play, Ali Saleh struck the third in the fourth minute of added time leveraging a defensive mistake. In their campaign to mark a second consecutive World Cup appearance in the US, Canada and Mexico, the AFC Asian Cup champions were drawn in Group A alongside the UAE, North Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran and Kyrgyzstan. Source: Qatar News Agency