2026 World Cup: Qatar heading home after loss in Seattle

24 Jun 2026, 16:34 by Jayda Evans · The Seattle Times

Once the final whistle sounded, Qatari players dropped to the grass and seemingly didn’t want to rise again.

Their second FIFA Men’s World Cup appearance ended in a 3-1 group-stage loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina on a sizzling Wednesday afternoon at Seattle Stadium. The Maroons finished fourth in Group B and won’t advance to the knockout rounds.

The solace is the advancement Qatar has made. The reigning two-time Asian champions earned their first point after a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in their group-stage opener. But the side ceded a combined nine goals in losses to co-host Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“We’re devastated,” Qatar midfielder Abdulaziz Hatem said, as translated from Arabic.

Qatar (1-1-1) needed an outright win to strengthen its chance to reach the round of 32 for the first time. And it started the match with the urgency needed to win.

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Bosnia-Herzegovina attempted two shots from outside the box within the opening minutes that Qatar keeper Mahmoud Abunada impressed the sold-out crowd in batting away from goal. Another from 30 yards went over the crossbar in the 17^th minute.

Teenaged forward Kerim Alajbegović had the right angle and power for Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 29^th minute. He received a pass from Ivan Bašić and wove along the top of the box to find space to uncork a right-footed shot that Abunada couldn’t stop.

The one shot that came from inside the box was an own goal by Abunada in the 34^th minute.

Bosnia-Herzegovina (1-1-1) had holes in its defense in the 42^nd minute when the Maroons became threatening deep in the box. Qatar forward Edmilson Junior’s cross was redirected across the line by forward Hassan Al-Haydos for a 2-1 scoreline.

Qatari defender Pedro Miguel nearly leveled the match in stoppage time, but his shot pinged off the post. The Maroons had three big chances at goal in the opening half.

“We didn’t give up,” Hatem said. “We continued and continued, sticking to the plan. We had the chance after the score was 2-1, many chances. If we had better decisions, maybe we would’ve been back in the game.”

The Maroons weren’t as dangerous after the break. Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui made multiple lineup changes and wildly directed his team from the sideline, but the Dragons tightened their defending to not allow a single shot on goal.

Bosnia-Herzegovina ended Qatar’s dreams in the 80^th minute with a scramble in the box. Young attacking midfielder Ermin Mahmić pounced on the ball to send a right-foot shot at goal that Abunada couldn’t corral.

Mahmić ripped off his shirt and ran around celebrating with the bulk of the 66,925 in attendance, confident he put the match out of reach. The Dragons will have to wait until the end of the group-stage matches to see if they will be one of the third-place teams to advance to the knockout rounds.

Slowly, after the final whistle, the Qatari players did peel themselves from the grass and lined up in front of their supporters. Many of the men in the stands wore traditional thawbs (long white shirts) and ghutras (headscarf) and waved the nation’s maroon and white flag.

The tournament run tugged at many emotions from grabbing the first World Cup point to losing 6-0 to Canada and having two players sent off.

During Wednesday’s match, FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo will be suspended five matches for his tackle that broke Canada’s Ismaël Koné leg. Madibo was shown a direct red card for the play from behind and Lopetegui said he remained in Vancouver, B.C. to offer condolences to Koné.

“We felt we could do it,” Qatar midfielder Karim Boudiaf said of winning Wednesday. “It’s the first time for Qatar to get one point, it’s amazing for us. And also the qualification, it’s the first in the history of Qatar that we qualified (automatic berth as hosts in 2022). We have a lot of young players and we will come back stronger.”