Qatari players celebrate after winning the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifier against the UAE at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in this file photo.
Doha, Qatar: Qatari athletes endured mixed fortunes in the passing year, marked by historic achievements, extraordinary individual performances and moments of heartbreak.
Al Annabi experienced a roller-coaster 2025, but their first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup on merit saved the blushes in an otherwise challenging year.
Qatar also celebrated outstanding performances across sports, including from weightlifters, track and field stars, motorsport heroes and beach volleyball standouts, with rally legend Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah once again keeping the nation’s flag flying.
Football: Historic qualification amid inconsistency
After winning their second straight AFC Asian Cup crown in 2024, Qatar began the year in emphatic fashion, thrashing North Korea 5-1 in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the expanded 48-team World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
However, defeats to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan at the same stage despite a memorable victory over continental giants Iran saw Qatar slip into the fourth round of qualifiers.
The team underwent a change in management in May when Julen Lopetegui replaced Asian Cup-winning coach Marquez Lopez, taking charge of the World Cup qualification task for the first time.
Qatar had made their debut at the global showpiece in 2022, but only as hosts, having never previously qualified for the World Cup. Former Spain and Real Madrid coach Lopetegui introduced fresh blood while retaining a core group of senior players.
A training camp in Europe preceded the fourth round, which Qatar opened with a goalless draw against Oman, leaving them in a must-win situation against the United Arab Emirates.
The Asian champions rose to the occasion, securing a 2-1 victory through goals from Boualem Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel, igniting memorable scenes at Doha’s Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium as Qatar sealed their first-ever World Cup qualification on merit.
However, the year ended on a sour note as Qatar suffered an early exit at the FIFA Arab Cup at home. A winless group-stage campaign, defeats to Palestine and Tunisia along with a draw against Syria, brought a premature end to their title hopes.
Qatar had finished third in the 2021 edition of the Arab Cup, and the early exit raised alarm bells ahead of the June 11 to July 19 World Cup.
Qatar have been drawn in Group B alongside Switzerland, co-hosts Canada, and the winners of the UEFA Path A intercontinental play-off involving Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Lopetegui made several changes during the Arab Cup due to injuries to key players such as striker Almoez Ali. Nevertheless, Qatar will need a significant turnaround if they are to make a mark at the World Cup.
A sharp improvement is the need of the hour as Al Annabi head into a new year poised to make history at their first global showpiece earned on merit.
Track and field athletes excel on continental stage
Qatari athletes delivered strong performances across disciplines, led by an impressive continental showing in athletics. Qatar finished fourth overall at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, in May.
Team Qatar collected six medals – three gold, one silver and two bronze – marking one of the country’s strongest Asian track and field campaigns in recent years. Ammar Ibrahim claimed gold in the men’s 400m, while sprint sensation Abderrahman Samba dominated the 400m hurdles to secure the top spot. Samba then anchored Qatar’s 4x400m relay team to gold alongside Bassem Hemeida, Hatim Ait Oulghazi and Yahia Ibrahim.
Abderrahman Samba (right) extended his continental dominance with 400m gold at Asian Athletics Championships.
Hemeida added a silver medal in the 400m hurdles, while Abubaker Haydar Abdalla secured bronze in the 800m. Zakaria Al Ahlami rounded out the medal haul with bronze in the 3000m steeplechase, clocking a personal best.
Impressive show at Islamic Solidarity Games
Qatar’s multi-sport progress was further underlined at the sixth edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games, hosted by Saudi Arabia. The Qatari delegation returned home with 11 medals – three gold, three silver and five bronze – highlighting depth across disciplines and reinforcing the nation’s growing competitiveness on the regional Islamic sporting stage.
Fares Ahmed Jaber
Stars shine across multiple sports
Motorsport once again belonged to multi-talented star Al-Attiyah, who enjoyed another dominant year on the regional and international stages. Al-Attiyah captured a record 20th FIA Middle East Rally Championship title and delivered major victories across multiple categories.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (right) added more honours for Qatar in 2025.
He secured his fifth Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge title – his second in succession – to move into the lead of the World Rally-Raid Championship standings. Competing at home, Al Attiyah claimed a record-extending 18th Qatar International Rally victory, before adding a 17th career Jordan Rally win and closing the MERC season with a series of consistent podium finishes.
Weightlifting produced one of Qatar’s biggest medal hauls of the year, particularly toward the end of the season. Fares Ahmed Jaber amassed 15 medals across three major championships hosted in Doha. His haul included 12 gold and three silver medals in the 94kg+ and 110kg categories across the Arab, West Asian and Qatar Cup competitions.
Ouissal Ikhlef emerged as one of Qatar’s outstanding athletes, winning multiple medals across different events, including the Islamic Solidarity Games.
Ouissal Ikhlef also delivered a dominant showing in the women’s over-86kg division, completing a clean sweep with nine gold medals. She lifted a combined total of 277kg, setting a new personal best in the process.
On the sand, Qatar enjoyed a landmark year in beach volleyball. Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan were named the FIVB world’s best men’s team for 2025, a recognition of their consistency and excellence on the global stage. The duo secured four international gold medals on the Beach Pro Tour, triumphing in Xiamen, Gstaad, New York and Rio de Janeiro to cement their status among the sport’s elite.
Qatar's beach volleyball duo of Cherif Younousse (left) and Ahmed Tijan enjoyed another successful year on the global stage.
Qatar’s shooters also impressed on the continental and regional stages. At the Asian Shooting Championships in Kazakhstan in August, Qatari marksmen and women clinched six medals – one silver and five bronze – to finish eighth overall.
At the Arab Shooting Championships, Qatar secured a total of 12 medals across rifle, pistol and shotgun events, comprising two gold, three silver and seven bronze medals across senior, junior and women’s categories.
Golf further underlined Qatar’s growing presence on the international stage, with 14-year-old Daniil Sokolov emerging as one of the region’s standout amateurs. He claimed the Egyptian Amateur Open title at nine-under par in October, becoming the youngest champion in the tournament’s history.
Daniil Sokolov won several titles for Qatar on the course.
Sokolov also won the Jordan Amateur Open, the Pan Arab Junior Championship and the Arab Golf Championship, while playing a key role in Qatar’s team gold medal at the GCC Under-16 event earlier this month.
