Qatar to Join UEFA World Cup Qualifying Group to Play Friendlies, as Prep for 2022

Qatar will gain more match experience ahead of hosting the World Cup by effectively joining the qualifying group featuring European champion Portugal to play friendlies, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The arrangement provides Asian champion Qatar with 10 friendlies in Europe ahead of the 2022 World Cup, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.

Opponents in Group A, drawn Monday, include Serbia, Ireland, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan. Qatar is joining the only five-team qualifying group not featuring the UEFA Nations League finalists, while the other groups in Europe contain six sides.

Qatar is set to play all the matches in Europe. Because it receives an automatic berth as host, it sought matches to ensure it is competitive at its first World Cup.

The Qataris are also set to play in both regional tournaments covering the Americas next year.

They will first contest the Copa América from June 11-July 10 as part of a group with co-host Colombia as well as Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

Then a Qatari team will be in the United States for the July 10-Aug. 1 Concacaf Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Qatar won its first Asian Cup title in 2019 by beating Japan is the final and is No. 59 in the FIFA world rankings.