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Qatar qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates thanks to second-half headers from Boualem Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel.
It marks the first time that Qatar, which lost all three group-stage games when it hosted the 2022 tournament, has advanced through qualification.
The victory put Qatar atop Group A in the fourth round of Asian qualification, ahead of second-place UAE, which now moves on to the fifth round and playoffs. Oman was eliminated after finishing third in the group.
Qatar’s best first-half chance came in the 30th minute, when Mohammed Al-Mannai’s header bounced just wide of the UAE goal.
Two minutes into the second half, Khoukhi opened the scoring by heading in a free kick from Akram Afif past goalkeeper Khalid Essa. With 17 minutes remaining, Afif provided another assist, crossing from the left for Pedro Miguel to head home at the far post.
Qatar was reduced to 10 men when Tarek Salman was shown a straight red card in the 87th minute. After eight of the 15 minutes added on, UAE pulled a goal back through Sultan Adil’s shot from inside the area to ensure a tense finish. UAE would have advanced with a draw.
Japan and South Korea, which have already secured a spot at next year’s World Cup, both won friendlies against South American teams Tuesday.
Japan beat Brazil for the first time, fighting from two goals down to win 3-2 in Tokyo. Ayase Ueda grabbed the winning goal with a header in the 71st minute.
South Korea beat Paraguay 2-0 in Seoul.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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