The Qatar Football Association announced the dismissal of coach Marquez Lopez from his position due to the decline in results and levels in the recent period.
Lopez took over the training of Qatar, succeeding Carlos Queiroz, days before the start of the 2023 Asian Cup, and succeeded in leading Al-Annabi to win their second consecutive title in the continental competition.
However, in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Qatar achieved negative results with Lopez, the last of which was a heavy defeat by the UAE 5-0.
Days before the start of the 2026 Gulf Cup, Qatar decided to dismiss Lopez, and announced the appointment of his assistant Luis Garcia as coach of the “Al-Adham”.
According to the announcement, Garcia will train the Qatari national team in the 26th Gulf Cup only, without revealing his fate after that.
The Spanish coach, who previously coached Espanyol, is most likely a temporary option, with another coach being contracted later to lead Qatar in the World Cup qualifiers, but Garcia succeeded in making a noticeable addition in the Gulf Cup.
It is worth noting that Qatari newspapers have previously confirmed that Al Duhail coach Christophe Galtier and former Al Sadd and Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez are the most prominent candidates to lead the national team in the future.
