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Having qualified for the World Cup as hosts four years ago, this year marked the first time that Qatar qualified through the campaign. They actually finished fourth in their group, placing them in the fourth stage, but a win against the UAE and a point against Oman was enough to see them through to the finals. Qatar did not have the greatest of campaigns last time around - they lost all three games, scoring just one goal in the process, and collected a host of unwanted records in the process: the first hosts to lose their opening fixture, the first hosts to be eliminated after 2 games, and the first hosts to lose all of their matches at a tournament. Qatar are back to back winners of the AFC Asian Cup though, winning both in 2019 and 2023.
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Twenty nine year old Afif has had a terrific season - in qualifying he contributed four goals and eleven assists to help Qatar on their way to qualifying. For his Qatari club side Al Sadd, he has been in fine form, both in front of goal, where he is averaging 0.9 goals per game over the last three years, and on the assist front, where is assisting 0.55 goals per game. In the 2023 Asian Cup, he contributed eight goals in his seven games, and he is expected to lead the line alongside Almoez Ali. Can he use the experience gained from four years ago to steer Qatar out of the group stages of the tournament?
