Qatar have qualified for football’s 2026 World Cup with a 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, thanks to second-half headers from Boualem Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel.

It marks the first time that Qatar, who lost all three group-stage games when it hosted the 2022 tournament, have advanced through qualification.

The victory put Qatar at the top of Group A in the fourth round of Asian qualification, ahead of the second-place UAE, who now advance to the fifth round and playoffs. Oman were eliminated after finishing third in the group.

Qatar’s best first-half chance came in the 30th minute, when Mohamed 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.

Fans celebrate Qatar’s victory at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium [Mohamed Farag/Getty Images]
Qatar were 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, who have already secured a spot at next year’s World Cup, won their friendlies against South American teams on 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.