São Paulo – The Qatari men’s national soccer team is playing Paraguay for its CONMEBOL America Cup debut match Sunday (16) in Rio de Janeiro. Set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar is the reigning AFC Asian Cup champion, and has joined the CONMEBOL as a guest team.
Qatar is in Group B alongside Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay. The Qatar vs. Paraguay game kicks off at 4 pm. Next Wednesday (19), Qatar is playing Colombia 6:30 pm at Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo. Sunday (23) will see Qatar play Argentina 4 pm at Arena do Grêmio in Porto Alegre.
In the lead-up to the America Cup, Qatar played a friendly match against Brazil (pictured) on June 5 at Brasília’s Mané Garrincha Stadium. Brazil won 2 x 0 with goals by Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus. The Qatari team arrived in Brazil three weeks prior to the CONMEBOL, and are staying in a resort in Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, where it played local team Madureira. Qatar won 2 x 1.
Additions are being made to the Qatari team to get ready for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It hired coach Félix Sánchez Bas, who had been coaching FC Barcelona’s youth team. Winning the Asian Cup was an unheard-of feat for Qatar, which played Japan in the final. The team won nine out of its ten latest matches. The last time it played Paraguay, in 2009, it won 2 x 0.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
