Qatar’s head coach Julen Lopetegui says the Gulf nation’s qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a reward that he is grateful for.
Lopetegui got Qatar to next year’s World Cup after a 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates; this is Qatar’s first qualification to the world tournament after playing at the 2022 World Cup as host.
The Spanish coach, who served as West Ham manager briefly before taking over the Qatari head coaching job, was with the Spanish team that featured at the 1994 World Cup as the third choice goalkeeper and didn’t feature in any game.
As a coach, he led Spain to the 2018 World Cup but was fired just three days before the tournament after agreeing to join Real Madrid after the tournament but Lopetegui is set to be directly involved in the upcoming World Cup.
“It seems like life owed me a World Cup, and fortunately… I got it. It’s a reward that I’m grateful for. I’m very excited to be at a World Cup after what happened some years ago, and now it’s time to experience it with Qatar.”
“We’ve been working for this moment for months and everything has turned out well. It’s a historic moment for the country, something that’s never been achieved before. The atmosphere has been extraordinary. We’re very happy” Lopetegui said according to ESPN.
