Kuwait continues preparations for 2026 World Cup qualifiers
DUBAI, March 11: Kuwait is continuing its daily training sessions in Dubai, UAE, as part of its preparation for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Iraq and Oman, scheduled for March 20 and 25, respectively.
The training, which began on Monday under the leadership of Argentine coach Juan Pizzi, will continue until the friendly match against China on Friday. The Kuwaiti delegation will then travel to Basra, Iraq, next Tuesday for the qualifiers.
Players from Al-Qadsiya are expected to join the camp today as they prepare for their Gulf Champions League semi-final match against Al-Nasr of the Emirates.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Olympic team has started its preparations for the West Asian Championship, which will take place in Muscat, Oman, beginning March 19. The Olympic Blue team will face Jordan in their first match, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals.
Dr. Ahmed Ajab, a board member of the Kuwait Football Federation, attended the training session to offer support to the players.
In another development, the Kuwaiti youth team announced its, which includes 28 players in preparation for upcoming events. Training for the youth team will begin today. The delegation will depart for Qatar on March 15 for an external camp, where it will play three friendly matches—two against Aspire Academy and one against the Thai national team.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
3 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Australia reach World Cup, Palestine's dreams end
JEDDAH: Australia qualified for next year's World Cup in North America while Oman ended Palestine's hopes of a first appearance at the finals with a last-gasp draw on Tuesday. Tony Popovic's Socceroos, who went into the third round's final match day heavy favourites to progress, defeated direct rivals Saudi Arabia 2-1 in Jeddah to seal the second automatic qualification spot in Group C. Saudi Arabia must instead make do with a place in the fourth round, alongside Indonesia. Japan had already secured top place in the group. 'We've built a good foundation now and we want to really get better, kick on and try and do something special at the World Cup,' said Popovic. Herve Renard's Saudi side went into the decider at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium knowing only a win by a five-goal margin would be enough to usurp Australia in second. The hosts were given the perfect start when Abdulrahman Al-Aboud opened the scoring 19 minutes in. The visitors pulled level just before half-time through Connor Metcalfe's left-footed strike. Australia were soon ahead, when three minutes into the second half Mitch Duke met Martin Boyle's cross to head home from close range. Goalkeeper Mathew Ryan then saved Salem Al-Dawsari's late penalty to earn Australia a memorable victory and secure the country's sixth successive appearance at a World Cup in style. 'To show that character, resilience and then quality to come back and actually take the lead and win the game, I'm delighted,' said Popovic. In Group B, Palestinian hearts were broken when they conceded a penalty deep into injury time to draw 1-1 with Oman in Amman. Palestine, playing their home fixtures at a neutral venue, took the lead on 49 minutes when Oday Kharoub headed Adam Kaied's corner into the top corner. Oman were reduced to 10 men in the 73rd minute after Harib Al-Saadi was shown a second yellow card. Yet the visitors rallied to snatch a precious point in the 97th minute, Issam Al-Sabhi converting a spot-kick following a foul on Muhsen Al-Ghassani. The result means Oman finish fourth in the group at Palestine's expense and therefore advance to the next phase of qualification. The top two teams in each of the three groups go straight to the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, while those in third and fourth move on to the fourth round. Taking place in October, and comprising two groups of three, there are two places at next summer's tournament up for grabs with Oman, UAE, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia all in the running. – AFP
Kuwait Times
3 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Brazil, Ecuador book World Cup berths, Uruguay on brink
Top six finishers in S America qualify automatically for the World Cup SAO PAULO: Brazil booked their place at the 2026 World Cup in North America on Tuesday with a lackluster 1-0 home victory over Paraguay, the first win of Carlo Ancelotti's reign. The five-time world champions punched their ticket to the finals in Canada, the United States and Mexico thanks to Vinicius Jr. The Real Madrid star poked in from close range in the 44th minute in Sao Paulo after a cross from new Manchester United signing Matheus Cunha. It was the perfect gift for the Italian Ancelotti on his 66th birthday, having seen his new side held 0-0 by Ecuador last week in his first game as coach. Former Real Madrid boss Ancelotti praised his team's 'commitment' and 'attitude'. 'It was a good match with a very good first half, although obviously we suffered a bit because Paraguay are very solid opponents and we slowed down a bit in the second,' he said. Uruguay's 2-0 win over Venezuela in Montevideo had raised the prospect of qualification for both Brazil and Paraguay at Corinthians Arena. Paraguay needed only a point to qualify while Brazil knew they could advance with a win. In the event it was Brazil who seized the opportunity presented by Venezuela's loss with Vinicius scoring the only goal just before half-time. Brazil had struggled to create many chances up until that point, with Cunha squandering a golden chance in the 35th minute after heading wide from point-blank range. Cunha made up for it with a key part in the goal, capitalizing on good work from Raphinha to dart into the box and whip in a low cross for Vinicius, who stabbed home the finish. The win lifted Brazil into third place in the South American standings with 25 points from 16 games, guaranteeing them a top-six finish and an automatic qualifying berth. Looking ahead to next summer, Ancelotti said he had 'a very long list' of 70 players in mind, including Neymar, who was missing with injury. He added: 'I really liked those who were with me in this squad for their commitment, their attitude, and the atmosphere.' The defeat left Paraguay with 24 points, meaning they need one point to secure their first World Cup appearance since 2010. Ecuador book place Surprise package Ecuador joined Brazil by sealing qualification with a point following a 0-0 draw with Peru in Lima. In other games, Uruguay edged closer to qualification with their win over Venezuela while Chile were eliminated with defeat to Bolivia. Goals from Rodrigo Aguirre and Giorgian de Arrascaeta secured all three points for Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay to leave the two-time world champions firmly on course for a place in next year's finals. Like Paraguay, Uruguay need only a point from their final two games to qualify. Venezuela, who are bidding to reach the World Cup for the first time in the nation's history, are seventh with 18 points from 16 games. Argentina, who have already qualified, came from behind to frustrate Colombia with a 1-1 draw in Buenos Aires. Liverpool star Luis Diaz fired Colombia into the lead with a superb 24th minute goal, and the Colombians were given a further boost midway through the second half when the world champions were reduced to 10 men after Enzo Fernandez's dismissal. But Colombia's hopes of a vital win were dashed nine minutes from time when Thiago Almada weaved into the box and found the target to level. The top six finishers in South America qualify automatically for the World Cup, with the seventh-placed team advancing to an intercontinental playoff. Bolivia defeated Chile 2-0 to end the former South American champions' hopes of qualification. It is the third straight World Cup that Chile have missed out on. The loss continues a dramatic fall from grace for 'La Roja', who won back-to-back Copa Americas in 2015 and 2016. – AFP
Kuwait Times
3 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Pochettino problems mount as US routed 4-0 by Switzerland
LOS ANGELES: An experimental United States line-up crashed to a 4-0 friendly home defeat to Switzerland on Tuesday, deepening the gloom around Mauricio Pochettino's squad one year out from hosting the World Cup. A game intended as a morale-boosting send-off before the USA take part in the CONCACAF Gold Cup unraveled in a disastrous first half that saw Switzerland 4-0 up after 36 minutes in Nashville. Dan Ndoye, Michel Aebischer, Breel Embolo and Johan Manzambi scored for Switzerland to leave a disgruntled home crowd at Geodis Park in Nashville raining boos down from the stands. The defeat was the fourth straight loss suffered by Pochettino's side, the first time the US has lost four in a row since 2007. Pochettino is planning for the USA's Gold Cup campaign, which kicks off on Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago, without several key players who are unavailable. AC Milan star Christian Pulisic was excused duty from the tournament after requesting a rest while Juventus duo Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are unavailable due to the Italian side's participation in the FIFA Club World Cup. Those absences left former Chelsea and Tottenham coach Pochettino having to dig deep to gauge the depth of his resources as the US builds towards next year's World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. On Tuesday's evidence, the return of his European-based stars cannot come soon enough after Switzerland ran riot in a lopsided first half. Pochettino said he bore responsibility for picking the inexperienced line-up that were outclassed by the rampant Swiss. 'First of all it's my responsibility the choice of the starting 11. I wanted to give minutes to certain players, but we were never in the game,' the Argentine said. US defender Walker Zimmerman attempted to put a brave face on the mauling, insisting there was still plenty of time for the side to improve before next year's World Cup. 'It's easy to look at one half and think this is all going to pieces, that we can't come back from a result like this,' Zimmerman told TNT television. 'But look at the build-up to 2022 -- we took down Morocco 3-0 and they made the semi-final. Things change. That was six months apart. 'So it's not the end of the world. We accept that it's not good enough and we realize that. That's where the disappointment comes in, but we have to flip the script and we've gotta make sure we do not come out like that ever again.' – AFP
