The 26-man squad includes core of the Asian Cup winning squad coupled with stand-out performers from the U-23 squad and a few returning veterans.

The veteran midfield duo of Assim Madibo and Karim Boudiaf have been named in Qatar’s squad for the first two matches of the third round of the World Cup qualifiers.

Madibo last played for Qatar in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July 2023 and did not make it to ‘Tintin’, Marquez Lopez’s Asian Cup winning squad earlier this year.

The 27-year-old will be joined by Al Duhail’s Boudiaf and Al Ahli’s Abdelrahman Moustafa, both returning after a relatively long hiatus from the national camp.

Qatar is set to host UAE at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on September 5. It will then travel to Vietnam to face North Korea at the New Laos National Stadium five days after.

Qatar’s squad announced on Sunday brings together members of the youth side that reached the quarterfinals of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup at home with a core of experienced campaigners.

However, Marquez Lopez had rested senior players for games against Afghanistan and India in the last round, including Asian Cup’s top scorer and MVP Akram Afif.

Afif is likely to captain the side having already worn the armband in two matches against Kuwait after the announced retirement of two-time Asian Cup-winning captain Hassan Al Haydos from international football in March.

Qatar’s squad

Goalkeepers

Meshaal Barsham (Al Sadd), Mohammed Al Bakri (Al Wakrah), Saad Al Sheeb (Al Sadd), Salah Zakaria (Al Duhail).

Defenders

Bassam Al Rawi (Al Duhail), Lucas Mendez (Al Wakrah), Homam Ahmed (Al Duhail), Mohammed Aiash (Al Duhail), Pedro Miguel (Al Sadd), Tarek Salman (Al Sadd), Abdullah Al Yazidi (Al Sadd), Sultan Al Brake (Al Duhail).

Midfielders

Assim Madibo (Al Gharafa), Karim Boudiaf (Al Duhail), Mohammed Waad (Al Sadd), Abdelrahman Moustafa (Al Ahli), Abdulaziz Hatem (Al Rayyan), Ahmed Fathy (Al Arabi), Jassim Jaber (Al Arabi), Ibrahim Al Hassan (Calahorra).

Forwards

Akram Afif (Al Sadd), Almoez Ali (Al Duhail), Ismaeel Mohammed (Al Duhail), Ahmed Alaa (Al Arabi), Tamim Mansour (Al Rayyan), Yusuf Abdurisag (Al Sadd).