Al -Abyad faces Oman and Qatar in the World Cup supplement

The draw for the Asian attaché qualified for the 2026 World Cup finals held yesterday at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, the UAE team in the first group alongside Qatar and Oman, while the second group included the teams of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Indonesia, and the first group matches will be held in Qatar, while the matches of the second group in Saudi Arabia are played.

Six teams had qualified for the attachment: the Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Indonesia, after it occupied the third and fourth places in each group within the third round of the qualifiers.

According to the match schedule, Al -Abyad begins his career by meeting the Oman national team on October 11, and then faces Qatar in its second match on the 14th of the same month.

The draw was attended by a member of the administrative apparatus of the national team, Ismail Rashid.

The championship system

The six teams were divided into two groups, each group includes three teams, and the matches of each group are held in the league system from one stage, with the assembly system, and the attachment matches are held during the period from the eighth to October 14.

The first -placed in each group qualifies directly to the 2026 World Cup, while the second -place owner is playing a separation of the home and away system on November 13 and 18, to determine the team that will represent Asia in the global attachment.

Historical opportunity

The UAE «Al -Abyad» is seeking to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in its history, and compensate for the golden opportunity that he lost in direct qualification, after occupying the third place in his group during the third round of the qualifiers.

Before the draw, the AFC has classified the Qatar and Saudi Arabia teams at the first level, the UAE and Iraq at the second level, Oman and Indonesia at the third level, based on the classification of the International Football Association (FIFA) issued on June 13.

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Al Hammadi: The technical levels between the three teams are close

The international lecturer in the Emirates Football Association, Omar Al Hammadi, said that the first group matches, which include the Emirates, Qatar and Oman, will be held with a clear Gulf flavor, indicating the rapprochement of technical levels between the three teams, with a relative advantage for Qatar being the host.

Al -Hammadi added to «Emirates Today»: “This is a historical opportunity against (Al -Abyad) to qualify for the World Cup, and the team has an artistic advantage, and its players are among the best in the group.”

Al -Hammadi stressed the importance of good preparation, calling for a strong preparation program that includes running matches with the same level teams, such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, given the convergence of their level with Qatar and Oman.

Al -Hammadi indicated that the three teams in the first group made changes to their technical devices, recently, the UAE team appointed the Romanian coach, Orario Cosmin, last April, while the Spaniard Julien Lopetegui took over Qatar in May, and the Portuguese Carlos Kirosh was appointed as a coach of Oman in July.

He continued: «These changes may be in the interest of the UAE national team, given the experience of Cosmin in the region and the Gulf leagues, unlike Lopetegui, who is still new to the Asian airspace, and Kirosh, who has not yet recognized the capabilities of Oman players.

Al -Hammadi concluded by saying: “If the team is prepared appropriately, with strong friendly matches, and choosing the most appropriate squad, then (Al -Abyad) is able to qualify and climb to the World Cup.”

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