The World Cup Qualifier play-offs in Doha and Jeddah this week might be about to define the hopes of some nations – but they also feel a bit like a game of: "Where are they now?"
Cosmin Olaroiu is plotting the UAE’s return to the World Cup for the first time since 1990. In the opposite dugout in Doha will be two former Real Madrid coaches.
Julen Lopetegui, now with Qatar, and Carlos Queiroz, of Oman, each had brief and largely unsatisfactory spells at the Bernabeu.
Their increasingly itinerant coaching careers have brought them to the Gulf. How much it means to either of them is open to debate, but they will certainly bring happiness to the countries of their current employers if they can make a success of this week.
It is the final phase of an Asian qualifying process which started two years ago. Two three-team play-offs will take place, with the winner of each progressing to the 2026 World Cup.
Group A
Fixtures
Wednesday, October 8: Oman v Qatar
Saturday, October 11: UAE v Oman
Tuesday, October 14: Qatar v UAE
Qatar
Coach: Julen Lopetegui
Fifa ranking: 53
The hosts of the previous World Cup started the qualification process for this one among the best-regarded sides on the continent. Back-to-back champions of Asia, they seemed set to qualify for the first time by competitive merit, rather than as hosts.
Yet they stuttered. After the long and broadly successful spell of Felix Sanchez as coach, his successor Queiroz came and went, while Tintin Marquez hardly fared much better.
Now they are on to Lopetegui, the former Spain and Real Madrid manager, who has ended up in Doha after a poor spell at West Ham United in the Premier League.
They do have home advantage and will always have a chance of success while Akram Afif, their attacking talisman, is on the field, but their defence has been leaky.
Oman
Coach: Carlos Queiroz
Fifa ranking: 78
Beaten to an automatic qualifying place in the previous round by South Korea and Jordan. They only made it to this play-off via a last day draw with Palestine which required an equaliser in the seventh minute of injury time.
In a bid to drag themselves over the line in qualifying, they ditched coach Rashid Jaber, an Omani national who had been in charge since September 2024, and brought in Queiroz in June.
Now 72, Queiroz is in charge of the lowest-ranked side in Group A. He should have some intel on both sides: he managed Qatar at the start of this qualifying process.
He was also once in charge of the UAE, although the game has advanced apace in the Emirates since he was here in the late 1990s.
UAE
Coach: Cosmin Olaroiu
Fifa ranking: 67
Third behind Iran and Uzbekistan in the previous round of qualifying. The FA replaced Paulo Bento as coach with two matches still to play in that, and with automatic qualification still a possibility.
They brought in Cosmin Olaroiu from Sharjah to replace him. Unlike other celebrity coaches in this play-off, like Lopategui, Queiroz and Patrick Kluivert, Olaroiu has made his name via reams of success in this region.
There has been a groundswell of optimism since his promotion to the job, as well as via the FA’s “Dream of a Nation” campaign.
They were unhappy to have ceded hosting rights for the play-off to Qatar, but at least they have the memory of recent success against them, having beaten them 3-1 in Doha and 5-0 in Abu Dhabi.
Group B
Fixtures
Wednesday, October 8: Saudi Arabia v Indonesia
Saturday, October 11: Iraq v Indonesia
Tuesday, October 14: Saudi Arabia v Iraq
Saudi Arabia
Coach: Herve Renard
Fifa ranking: 59
Playing at “The Jewell” in Jeddah, with its 62,000 capacity, should be a significant advantage. But it also brings with it the weight of expectation, too.
Saudi Arabia’s fans might have thought they should be above all this. They have played at more World Cups (six) than all the other five participants in the play-off combined (four).
And they have a domestic league that offers the most lucrative contracts anywhere in the world, which attracts world-class players.
The national team faltered under the watch of Roberto Mancini, though, and the returning Renard has struggled to get them singing again, like they did in beating Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.
Indonesia
Coach: Patrick Kluivert
Fifa ranking: 119
The lowest-ranked of the six sides in the play-offs, but they are much transformed after drafting in players from Indonesia’s diaspora.
In particular, their squad is drawn largely from players in the Netherlands – and they have a figurehead coach to try to get the best out of them.
Jordi Cruyff is the technical advisor to Indonesia’s FA, who appointed his former Barcelona teammate Kluivert as coach in the second half of the previous round of qualifying.
It was not a universally popular appointment, but he could win over the football-mad public in the country of 300 million if they qualify from the play-off.
They should also benefit from support in Jeddah. There is a substantial Indonesian community in the city, as well as Makkah.
Iraq
Coach: Graham Arnold
Fifa ranking: 58
The left-field appointment of Australian coach Graham Arnold in May might prove to be a masterstroke.
Although his playing career took him to the Netherlands, Belgium and Japan, almost all of the 62-year-old’s coaching career was spent in Australia previous to this post.
He coached Australia at the last World Cup, but what could prove invaluable might be how he helped them get there. Australia navigated a similar week-long play-off in Doha, involving the UAE and Peru, to make it to the Qatar World Cup.
The threat of Aymen Hussein, the focal point of Iraq’s attack, means they are dangerous outsiders for qualification.
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
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- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The view from The National
Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
The biog
Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL
Al Nasr 2
(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)
Shabab Al Ahli 1
(Jaber 13)
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
