Qatar's Pedro Correia, right, and teammates celebrate victory over UAE to reach the World Cup. -AP
Qatar qualified for the 2026 World Cup with a 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates thanks to second-half headers from Boualem Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Tuesday's win marks the first time that Qatar, who lost all three group games when they hosted the 2022 tournament, have advanced through qualification.
The victory put Qatar top of Group A in the fourth round of Asian qualification, ahead of second-placed UAE.
Oman were eliminated after finishing third and UAE now move on to the fifth round and playoffs
Two minutes into the second half, Khoukhi opened the scoring by heading in a free kick from Akram Afif. With 17 minutes remaining, Afif provided another assist, crossing from the left for Pedro Miguel to head home at the far post.
Qatar were reduced to 10 men when Tarek Salman was shown a straight red card in the 87th minute.
UAE pulled a goal back through Sultan Adil's shot in added time, ensuring a tense finish. UAE would have advanced with a draw.
13°C