Heavy Defeat for Qatar Against Russia Ahead of World Cup Qualifier Playoffs

Asian Cup champions Qatar suffered a heavy 4–1 defeat to visiting Russia in their final friendly before resuming their Asian playoff campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

It was Qatar’s second consecutive loss after falling 1–0 to Lebanon two weeks ago in a non-FIFA date match at Khalifa International Stadium. Head coach Julen Lopetegui fielded a mix of young prospects, reserves, and a few regular starters, most of whom had been absent against Russia. The visitors struck through Aleksandr Golovin (33’), Matvey Kesilyak (35’), Ivan Sergeyev (45’), and Aleksei Miranchuk (69’), while Qatar’s lone goal came from star forward Akram Afif in the 62nd minute.

Qatar had also failed to win earlier in this international window, drawing 2–2 with Bahrain last Wednesday. Russia, meanwhile, came into the game after a goalless draw with Jordan. 

The results will only intensify pressure on Lopetegui, as the reigning Asian champions of 2019 and 2023 have now conceded nine goals in their last four matches, exposing major defensive vulnerabilities.

Match Highlights

From the outset, it was clear that Russia held the upper hand, dominating the first half. AS Monaco midfielder Golovin opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with a backheel finish from an Aleksei Petrov cross. 

Just two minutes later, Kesilyak doubled the lead with a header off Daniil Krugov’s delivery.

On the stroke of halftime, Sergeyev made it 3–0, pouncing on Petrov’s rebound parried by goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham (45’). 

The hosts improved after the break, pulling one back through Afif following a pass from Mohammed Muntari (62’), but Miranchuk restored Russia’s three-goal cushion with a precise finish in the 69th minute.

Qatar will return to competitive action on October 8 when they host Oman in Doha. The playoff draw placed “Al Annabi” in Group A alongside the UAE, while Group B features Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Indonesia.

Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia will host their respective groups in centralized single-round fixtures between October 8 and 14. Qatar aim for back-to-back World Cup appearances, while the “Green Falcons” target their seventh.

According to the playoff format, the winners of each group will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, joining Japan, South Korea, Iran, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Australia, who have already secured their spots from the third round. 

The runners-up of each group will face off in a two-legged playoff on November 13 and 18, 2025, with the winner advancing to the intercontinental playoff.