DOHA: Qatar’s Under-23 national football team has departed for Japan to compete at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, scheduled from September 19 to October 4.
Spanish coach José Ángel Lacunza has named a 23-member squad for the tournament.
Qatar have been drawn in Group D alongside South Korea and Saudi Arabia. The group stage will be played in a single round-robin format, with the top two teams advancing to the Round of 16.
Qatar’s Asian Games Legacy
Qatar’s biggest achievement in the competition came at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, when Al Annabi won the gold medal, defeating Iraq 1-0 in the final at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Qatar also finished fourth at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games and reached the Round of 16 at Hangzhou 2022.
The U-23 side will now look to build on that history and challenge for a medal in Aichi-Nagoya 2026, after playing three preparatory matches against second-division clubs in the GETOUR League.
