Cheima Moufdil
Iran secured a dominant 4-1 victory over Qatar on Tuesday in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Sardar Azmoun and Mohammad Mohebi each scored twice, leading Iran to a resilient comeback at Rashid Stadium in the UAE.
Qatar, two-time Asian champions, struck first with a 17th-minute goal from Almoez Ali, who found the back of the net following a clever assist from Lucas Mendes. However, Iran's resilience shone through as Azmoun equalized in the 42nd minute. Just three minutes into the second half, Iran took the lead, with Mohebi scoring to make it 2-1.
Iran maintained their dominance throughout the second half. Mohebi added his second goal in the 65th minute, and Azmoun capped off the night with a late goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time (90+8'), sealing a 4-1 win and propelling Iran to the top of Group A with 10 points, ahead of Uzbekistan on goal difference.
Qatar, coached by Marquez Lopez, now faces a challenging path to qualification, sitting in fourth place with four points, behind the UAE on goal difference. Despite the setback, Lopez remains hopeful about Qatar’s chances. "Iran played better than us today, and I congratulate them. However, our goal of World Cup qualification hasn’t changed. We still have strong teams like Iran and Uzbekistan to contend with, but there are points to be won, and we’ll fight until the end."
The match saw Iran’s supporters erupt in celebration as their team demonstrated superior tactics, particularly in the second half under coach Amir Ghalenoei. Mohebi set the tone early with a powerful shot just after kickoff, though it was Qatar who capitalized first through Ali's goal.
Iran kept pressing, with Azmoun and Milad Mohammadi threatening before Azmoun eventually headed in Noorafkan’s cross to equalize. Qatar almost regained the lead, but Boualem Khoukhi’s header struck the bar, and the first half ended dramatically, at both teams' levels.
After the break, Iran wasted no time. Azmoun took advantage of a defensive error by Qatar’s goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham and Lucas Mendes to score his second. Mohebi later added another goal, as Iran controlled the game and outclassed Qatar. Azmoun's stoppage-time goal put the final stamp on Iran’s dominant display.
Qatar will look to bounce back in their upcoming fixtures, hosting Uzbekistan in Doha on November 14, followed by a critical away match against the UAE in Al Ain five days later.
Elsewhere in Group A, Kyrgyzstan earned their first win by defeating North Korea 1-0, pushing North Korea to the bottom of the standings with two points.