CORNERFLICK
Qatar have sacked Spanish head coach Juan Lopetegui after a run of poor results, according to the Qatari newspaper Al-Sharq. The report came after Qatar lost 3-0 to Australia in a friendly on Friday night.
Why the federation moved now
Al-Sharq said two factors pushed the Qatar Football Association towards the decision. The first was the postponement of the 2027 Asian Cup, which had been due to take place in Saudi Arabia in January before being moved to the end of 2027.
The second was dissatisfaction with Qatar’s results under Lopetegui since he took charge in May 2025. Their only clear success in that spell was qualification for the 2026 World Cup via the Asian play-offs.
What came before
Qatar were also knocked out in the group stage of the 2025 Arab Cup and reached only the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup.
Lopetegui had been one of the leading candidates to coach Iran in 2019 after Carlos Queiroz left, according to the source material.