How did Qatar and Saudi Arabia get an advantage at home and more rest than competitors in the World Cup qualifications? | Qualifying the 2026 World Cup

Over the next eight days, six Asian nations will fight for two 2026 World Cup places and it seems that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are already a little closer to North America.

The two countries have received an advantage at home for the matches of the two mini-groups by the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) with the winners of each qualification. The decision, announced in June without revealing any selection criteria, left their opponents naturally upset. Indonesia, Iraq, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (water) have expressed their interest in increasing or asking for neutral places and also called for transparency and equity in the decision -making process but in vain.

In addition, the two home teams have six days between their games while the opponents must play within 72 hours of their first match.

Oman, foreigners of group A, never arrived at the World Cup and in July hired Carlos Queiroz, a man who definitively did it. The 72 -year -old man qualified twice with South Africa, Portugal and Iran, but that with Oman would be his greatest success to date. “It would be a miracle in this complicated situation,” said Queiroz to the Guardian and continues to question the decision to give a home advantage to Qatar in the group. “Are there not stadiums in Japan or Kuwait where we could play?” Maybe the people who organized this have a different vision of football. ”

There had been rumors that Saudi Arabia and Qatar were going to be chosen before the AFC was announced in June. Talk to the officials of Asia and there is a general disbelief that the Saudis were not invited to play Qatar and vice versa. The Guardian approached the AFC to comment but they did not respond.

“I knew the situation when I took the job,” said a phlegmatic Queiroz. “What can we say? We have to play at the home of one of the participating teams. They put the Saudis in Saudi and Qatar in Qatar. If they can’t see that something is wrong with that, then who are the players and the coaches to make comments? ”

The calendar is another point of discord. Oman must play Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, while the hosts have almost a week to prepare for their second match. The situation, remarkably, is reflected in Saudi Arabia where the hosts have six days between their two games.

“We play Qatar and we play again three days later, Qatar plays six days later, and they already know the result and what they have to do,” explains Queiroz. “It has never happened before. People who did the settlement did not think about it and did not pay attention.

“When there is a World Cup, there is always a host and we can understand: they pay it, build the stadiums and everything else. But to do it in the midst of competition, it is strange that those responsible do not feel uncomfortable.”

Oman, on the other hand, has another disadvantage with five players based abroad. “We have players in Bangkok who play on Sunday, but the days of FIFA do not start until Monday, so they travel then on Tuesday and play on Wednesday,” said Queiroz. “I asked the chiefs here how to make an omelet without eggs.”

Geopolitics also plays a role. Indonesia wrote to FIFA and AFC after learning that their game against Saudi Arabia will be officiated by a Kuwaiti. “We want a truly neutral referee, perhaps in Europe or elsewhere, someone who has no participation in the region,” said the national team leader, Kombes Sumardji, to journalists. In addition, Indonesia was to play Kuwait in a friendly match on September 5, but it is – for example Indonesian officials – canceled for no reason.

Queiroz will come up against another former director of Real Madrid in Julen Lopetegui, who took care of Qatar in May. The coaches are an eclectic mixture with Hervé Renard in charge of Saudi Arabia, Patrick Kluivert leading Indonesia and Graham Arnold, who began the previous qualification series in charge of Australia, now with Iraq.

Six teams have already qualified as Asia – Japan, Iran, South Korea and Australia as well as the two beginners, Uzbekistan and Jordan. The probability is that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are about to join them.