The Qatar Football Association (QFA) has finalized an agreement with Julen Lopetegui to take over as Qatar’s national team coach on a permanent basis, succeeding Marquez López.
López was dismissed from the Qatari national team last December due to poor results, and his assistant, Luis Fernández, took over on an interim basis. He participated in the 2025 Arabian Gulf Cup and the final two rounds of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Over the past few months, several names have been mentioned as possible successors to López, most notably former Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández, who has strong ties to Qatar, and current Al Duhail coach Christophe Galtier.
Lopetegui to Coach Qatar National Team Until 2027
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, negotiations between the QFA and Lopetegui began in recent weeks, with the two parties reaching an agreement on all the details on Wednesday evening.
Lopetegui is expected to sign his Qatar coaching contract in the coming days, remaining in charge of the Qatar national team until the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia.
A difficult task awaits Lopetegui in Qatar
Lopetegui’s journey with Qatar will begin with a very difficult one, as they face Iran in Doha and then travel to face Uzbekistan in the final two rounds of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The Qatari national team missed out on a place in the World Cup in the third round and is now playing to secure a place in the play-offs, which will begin next September.
The Qatari national team is fourth in its group with 10 points, four points behind fifth-placed Kyrgyzstan, and only three points behind third-placed UAE.
Lopetegui’s extensive experience with national teams
Lopetegui gained notoriety thanks to his various experiences with Spain’s youth and senior national teams, having led the U-19, U-20, and U-21 teams, before taking over as coach of La Roja.
The coach won the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship with the Spanish national team, and then the 2013 UEFA European Under-20 Championship with the Spanish national team.
Lopetegui then left to take over at Porto in Portugal. After just one year, he returned to Spain to succeed Vicente del Bosque as coach of the national team. He remained unbeaten under Lopetegui, winning 16 matches and drawing four, between friendlies and 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Days before the start of the World Cup, Lopetegui was dismissed after news leaked that he had signed a contract to coach Real Madrid starting next season.
Lopetegui’s tenure at Real Madrid lasted no more than three months, before he was dismissed due to poor results. He then took over at Sevilla, leading them to the Europa League title, and then saving Wolverhampton Wanderers from relegation in 2022. His most recent experience was with West Ham before being dismissed last January due to poor results.
