Soccer-Queiroz leaves Qatar role one month before Asian Cup defence

Qatar won their first Asian Cup title under Sanchez in 2019 and the country is due to defend the trophy on home soil next month, when they have been drawn to face China, Tajikistan and Lebanon in the group phase. The Gulf nation is hosting the continental championship after original hosts China relinquished the rights due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Reuters | Updated: 06-12-2023 19:29 IST | Created: 06-12-2023 19:29 IST
Soccer-Queiroz leaves Qatar role one month before Asian Cup defence

Carlos Queiroz has parted company with Qatar's national team less than a year after signing a four-year contract to coach the Asian champions and with little more than a month until the nation hosts the next edition of the Asian Cup. The former Real Madrid and Portugal head coach took over as the long-term replacement for Felix Sanchez in February after the Qataris hosted last year's World Cup finals and was charged with qualifying the Gulf state for the 2026 tournament.

"The Qatar Football Association has announced that Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz's tenure as head coach of the Qatar national team has ended amicably by mutual agreement between the two parties," the QFA said in a statement. "The QFA expresses its sincere gratitude to coach Queiroz for his unwavering dedication, leadership, and contributions during his tenure as the head coach of the national team. We wish him success in his future endeavours."

Queiroz oversaw wins over Afghanistan and India in November in the second round of Asia's preliminaries for the next World Cup, with the Qataris chasing one of eight berths available for teams from the continent at the expanded 48-team finals. Qatar won their first Asian Cup title under Sanchez in 2019 and the country is due to defend the trophy on home soil next month, when they have been drawn to face China, Tajikistan and Lebanon in the group phase.

The Gulf nation is hosting the continental championship after original hosts China relinquished the rights due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Give Feedback