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Doha: The Qatari national football team is searching for its second consecutive victory when it faces Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday in the 8th round of Group A matches for the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
Al Annabi kept their chances of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup alive when they defeated North Korea 5-1 during the seventh round at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha last Thursday.
Qatar secured 10 points in Group A, placing them fourth with only a goal difference putting them behind third-placed UAE.
Meanwhile, Iran ranks first with 19 points, 3 points ahead of second-placed Uzbekistan, while Kyrgyzstan is in fifth place with 3 points, 1 point ahead of last-placed North Korea.
Qatar will welcome back striker Almoez Ali, who missed the match against North Korea due to a suspension.
The return of the top scorer in World Cup qualifying with 12 goals will provide a significant boost to coach Luis Garcia's squad ahead of the crucial match against Kyrgyzstan, which is important as they need a win to maintain their pursuit of the second automatic World Cup qualifier spot, currently held by Uzbekistan.
The first leg between the two sides ended with a 3-1 victory for Qatar in Doha.
It was the first meeting between the two teams in World Cup qualifying history.
Tomorrow's match marks Kyrgyzstan's last chance to cling to any remaining hopes of competing for a place in the third or fourth place that would qualify for the fourth round of the qualifiers.
The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup finals, while the third and fourth-placed teams from each group will advance to the fourth round, which will see the teams divided into two groups of three.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the World Cup, while the second-placed teams will play a continental play-off to qualify for the global play-off.
