Doha, November 20 (QNA) - Tariq Salman, defender of the Qatar national football team, affirmed that the goal during participation in the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 is to compete strongly, after securing the bronze medal in the previous Arab Cup in 2021.

In exclusive remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Salman said that the team looks forward to strong competition in a tournament expected to feature a wonderful atmosphere that brings together all Arab nations, noting that the level of competition among participating teams will be high and will attract significant attention.

The player, who will take part with Al Annabi in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, added that any tournament held on home soil motivates the team to delight the fans, achieve victories, and aim to reach the furthest stage possible.

He pointed out the great benefit gained from the friendly match played against Zimbabwe, which ended 2-1 in favor of the latter. He said that the coaching staff introduced many new players to evaluate their overall levels and test their capabilities.

Salman noted that choosing Zimbabwe as an opponent was due to its belonging to the African football style, especially since the Arab Cup draw placed Qatar in Group A alongside Tunisia, and potentially Libya or South Sudan, depending on their qualification playoff against Palestine or Syria.

The Al Sadd defender said that the coaching staff focused during the friendly on key points, identifying mistakes to learn from, and studying several aspects that could be useful before entering the Arab Cup competition.

He added that the national team’s participation in the Arab Cup while enjoying the momentum of qualifying for the World Cup is extremely positive, providing strong motivation and elevating ambitions to present a distinguished performance in front of Qatari fans.

Salman concluded his remarks to QNA by speaking about the 2026 World Cup draw to be held on December 5. He stated that all teams that qualified for the World Cup had strong performances during the qualifiers and earned their places after long phases of effort and work. For Qatar, he said the team is eagerly awaiting the draw, noting that it is difficult to predict which teams will join Qatar in the group, but that the goal is to enter the World Cup in the best possible form. (QNA)