Doha, September 14 (QNA) - Qatar's Olympic team will kick off its football campaign at the 2026 Asian Games against South Korea on Tuesday at Mizuho Park Stadium.
The fixture is part of Group D, which also includes Saudi Arabia.
The Games officially begin on September 19 and run until October 4.
The tournament kicks off tomorrow, ahead of the official opening ceremony, featuring 15 teams divided into four groups. Three groups consist of four teams each, while Group D comprises only three.
The group stage will be played in a single round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, with the tournament thereafter continuing on a knockout basis through the final and the third-place playoff.
Qatar's task will not be easy against South Korea, the record-holder with six Asian Games gold medals. South Korea will be aiming for a fourth consecutive title following their victories in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Qatar won the football gold medal in 2006.
Head coach of the Qatar Under-23 national team, Jose Angel Lacunza, selected a 23-player squad for the tournament. The squad comprises goalkeepers Abubakar Mohammed, Jalal Amir and Mohammed Fawzi, along with Mohammed Hani, Faisal Mohammed, Yaman Jarrar, Bassam Adel, Zaid Burhan, Ali Shehabi, Alwaleed Mohammed, Atef Magdy, Jassim Al Hamad, Mohammed Ali, Muath Ibrahim, Yousef Mohammed, Nawaf Al Yahri, Tamim Al Qadi, Ziad Fadi, Qais Al Rawi, Nasser Adel, Mohammed Khaled, Marwan Sherif and Ghanem Al Menhali.
The Qatar Olympic team's delegation departed Doha early Friday morning for Aichi-Nagoya to compete in the tournament, where the team has begun preparatory training for its opening match in Group D.
Qatar is participating in the 20th Asian Games with a delegation of 243 athletes, 184 men and 59 women, representing 18 sports federations.
At the 2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China, Qatar won 14 medals: five gold, six silver, and three bronze. (QNA)