The Qatar national team loses 0:1 to Ireland around two weeks before the start of the World Cup.
28.05.2026, 22:59
28.05.2026, 23:22
SDA
This was despite the fact that the Irish were outnumbered for around half an hour from the 45th minute following a red card, before a Qatari player was also sent off in the 78th minute. It was the first international match of the year for Switzerland's opponents in the preliminary round of the World Cup.
Murat Yakin, the Swiss national coach, had recently emphasized in an interview with Keystone-SDA that Qatar, the world number 55, was the "great unknown" of the group. This was because Qatar's last match was almost six months ago - a 3-0 defeat against Tunisia in the Arabia Cup at the beginning of December - and they had therefore not been able to observe the team recently.
The victory by Ireland, who did not qualify for the World Cup and are ranked 59th in the world, should put Switzerland in a positive mood. A win against Qatar should be a must in the World Cup opener on June 13.
