QATAR

Returned from 469 days of international retirement in 2025 at the request of Julen Lopetegui and it came as no surprise. “He brings a presence to the team and is a real leader and that can sometimes make the difference,” said the coach. Then there is the experience too. Al-Haydos is Qatar’s most-capped player with more than 180 appearances for his country and over 40 goals. Played a pivotal role in Qatar’s 2019 and 2023 Asian Cup triumphs. A one-club man who has won over 30 trophies in his career; the first league title with Al-Sadd came back in 2007. He won the Asian Champions League four years later.

An old warrior who started out as a youth player at Algeria’s Cheraga. “He outclassed both opponents and teammates. He had a good understanding of the game, which allowed him to anticipate the opposing team's attacks,” says the coach Farid Zemiti. “He was just as good on the ball as he was covering.” After starting out as a winger, has since played well over 100 games in defence and midfield, and his 21st international goal came in the play-off win over the UAE in October that clinched a first-ever qualification. Strong in the shot and commanding in the air, a legend of Qatar whatever happens in the summer.

It’s hard to know what to make of Ali’s career. “He comes alive in the area but remains calm when there is a sight of goal and that is why he is a top-class striker,” said the then Qatar coach Félix Sánchez after the 2019 Asian Cup. That’s when Ali rose to fame with nine goals and has since become Qatar’s leading goalscorer. Had early spells in Austria and Spain but has now been with Al-Duhail since 2016. At one time, the Sudan-born striker, fast and able to find space, looked set to become Asia’s number one goalscorer – but it never quite happened. Still a threat.