The national team is knocking on the door of the World Cup… and the first mission is “Omani”

At 21:15 pm today, the national football team will enter a strong confrontation against its Omani counterpart at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, within the second round of the decisive stage of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, in a match that carries special importance for Al-Abyad, which seeks to enhance its chances of reaching the finals for the second time in its history.

“Al-Abyad” goes into the match in high spirits after benefiting from a scoreless draw between Qatar and Oman, which left the door open for it to advance in the standings if it wins today.

The national team did not know the taste of loss under Romanian coach Elario Cosmin, after he led it in six official and friendly matches, winning four matches and drawing two, scoring 10 goals, conceding only four goals, and coming out with clean sheets in two matches.

Cosmin took over the leadership of the Whites last April, as he is considered the 35th coach to lead the national team throughout its history, and the first Romanian coach to take over the task, and he has a record of achievements in Emirati and Arab football, the most recent of which is winning the “AFC Champions League 2” title with the Sharjah team for the first time in the club’s history.

There appear to be multiple options for Cosmin to choose the lineup with which he will play the match against Oman, in light of the presence of a large number of players in all positions, which put the coach in great confusion about deciding on the elements with which he will start the match. However, Cosmin is counting on the offensive capabilities of players such as Sultan Adel and Kayo Lucas, to exploit the spaces behind the Omani defense, in addition to the support coming from the parties through Yahya. Al-Ghassani and Lima, who constitute a constant pressure on the opponent, and Jimenez is expected to continue leading the midfield with his strong presence in stealing balls and organizing the game.

Veteran goalkeeper Khaled Issa remains one of the main sources of strength in the national team squad, as he defended the Whites’ den in 83 international matches, and is considered the most participating player in the last stage of the World Cup qualifiers.

This match is the first occasion that brings together the Emirati and Omani teams in the World Cup qualifiers, as they have never met before in their journey to reach the World Cup.

The Omani team will enter today’s match under pressure, after being content with one point against Qatar, which means that its loss will remove it from the nomination race, in which the qualification ticket will remain stuck between Al-Abyad and Qatar, while a draw will leave it at the mercy of the result of the last match between the Emirati and its Qatari counterpart.

Oman has no choice but to win, while its loss means it is officially out of the race to run directly for the World Cup.