'Entered Through The Grand Gate': Julen Lopetegui Hails Qatari 'Dream That Came True'

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Last Updated:October 16, 2025, 09:48 IST

Lopetegui lauded his side's effort to achieve the historic landmark as the win marked the first time Qatar has qualified for the World Cup through the qualifiers.

Julen Lopetegui. (X)

Julen Lopetegui. (X)

Qatar secured their spot in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, to be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, with a 2-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

Boualem Khoukhi opened the scoring for the hosts in the second half, followed by Pedro Miguel who added an insurance goal for the previous edition’s hosts. Sultan Adill Alamiri scored a consolation goal for the UAE.

With this win, Qatar finished at the top of Group A in the fourth phase of Asia’s qualifiers, ahead of the UAE and Oman, securing their qualification.

Qatar head coach Julen Lopetegui lauded his side’s effort to achieve the historic landmark as the win marked the first time Qatar has qualified for the World Cup through the qualifiers, having previously qualified as hosts of the event.

“We made history and entered through the grand gate," Lopetegui said.

“The dream has come true," the former Sevilla gaffer, who led the Spanish outfit to the Europa League title continued.

“I’ve won many titles, but this experience with Qatar is truly special. We must enjoy what we’ve achieved," the 59-year-old said.

“Now we’ll celebrate and recover physically. We went through some tough days leading up to this match," Lopetegui revealed.

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“This means a lot to us," said Qatar midfielder Abdulaziz Hatem.

“It’s the first time Qatar qualifies for the World Cup through the qualifiers. It’s a reward for all of us," he added.

After a 0-0 draw with Oman, Lopetegui’s team secured first place in Group A of the fourth round of qualifiers by defeating the UAE.

In Group B, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia clinched the remaining spot for Asian qualifiers ahead of Iraq.

These teams will join Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Jordan, who had already secured their places in the draw for the finals in December during the previous phase of preliminaries.

First Published:

October 16, 2025, 09:48 IST

News sports 'Entered Through The Grand Gate': Julen Lopetegui Hails Qatari 'Dream That Came True'

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