19 days to the World Cup: How Qatar earned its spot in the 2026 field

The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on! Each day ahead of the tournament’s return to North America, Yahoo Sports will highlight an insight or moment that showcases just how grand the world’s biggest sporting spectacle has become — even beyond the expanded field of this year’s global event.

Qatar will be at its second straight World Cup this summer — the first one where the country earned its place through qualification.

After hosting the tournament in 2022 and getting an automatic place in the competition, the Maroons went through the World Cup qualifying process this time around. After breezing through the second round in the Asian Football Confederation, they faced a battle in the third round.

Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament

In Group A, two automatic World Cup spots were up for grabs, plus two places in the fourth round. Following a tough start, Qatar rallied and advanced to the round, missing out on automatic qualifying by six points to Uzbekistan.

In a three-team group and one World Cup qualifying place on the line, Qatar drew with Oman in its first match and needed to beat United Arab Emirates to book a place in North America this summer.

Second-half goals from Pedro Miguel and Boualem Khoukhi were enough for a 2-1 win and a place in the 48-team field.

Led by former Spain, Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui, Qatar was drawn into Group B with co-hosts Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland. The Maroons will look to improve upon their debut showing in 2022 where they lost all three matches to Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador, while scoring only one goal and allowing seven.