Julen Lopetegui will coach Qatar at the World Cup, returning to the tournament stage eight years after being sacked by Spain one day before the 2018 World Cup. For Lopetegui this is his third World Cup and his first appearance at the tournament as a head coach.
Julen Lopetegui's Arrival in Los Angeles
At 2.12pm on 30 May Qatar's national team flight from Dublin touched down in Los Angeles, bringing 26 players who are all heading to the World Cup for the first time. The delegation arrived in America for the tournament and Lopetegui used his first public moments with the squad to draw a line under past setbacks: "going to the World Cup just for the sake of going is stupid."
USA 94: Lopetegui's Goalkeeper Past
Lopetegui attended USA 94 as Spain's third-choice goalkeeper, a role he described as painful and largely observational. "I was back-up goalkeeper to Zubi [Andoni Zubizarreta], but I suffered a back injury a couple of weeks before," he said, adding "I had two herniated discs" and "I couldn’t enjoy it much because I was living with a lot of pain, but I did what I could, knowing I wasn’t going to play and supporting everyone, contributing my bit." He recalled Javier Clemente's reaction and the late reshuffle — "Bah, don’t be daft. Like an old man’s going to get flu on a Monday." and "Right, I’ll call that Santi kid from Celta" — then laughed, "And then" as he outlined how the selection played out around Andoni Zubizarreta's early substitution.
2018 Sacking, Stakes and Qatar's Preparation
Eight years after being dismissed by Spain one day before the 2018 World Cup — a removal that followed his agreement to coach Real Madrid once the tournament ended — Lopetegui arrives in a different role and with a different burden. He was at the World Cup in Russia in 2018 and is now one of three coaches at this World Cup who went to USA 94 as players; he is the only coach who used to be a goalkeeper. Qatar, described in reporting as potentially the weakest team at the tournament, has had preparations hit by bombings and a lack of competition, pressures Lopetegui must manage while insisting "Football didn’t owe me anything."
Qatar's squad profile amplifies the stakes: 26 players new to World Cup matchday environments, travelling to compete on a global stage where Lopetegui says mere attendance without a plan makes little sense. He framed the approach simply — attend to compete, not to collect experience.
How much Qatar's preparation was affected by the bombings and the lack of competition?
