Qatar confirm the appointment of Portugal veteran Carlos Queiroz as their new head coach, after leaving his role as Iran boss… as ex-Real Madrid manager signs deal until 2026 in hopes of securing fifth World Cup appearance
- Portuguese coach Carlos Querioz has been confirmed as the new Qatar manager
- The veteran was most recently the Iran manager throughout the World Cup
- The move means he may be managing at a fifth World Cup competition in 2026
Portuguese veteran Carlos Querioz has been confirmed as Qatar’s new manager after signing a contract until 2026.
The 69-year-old most recent role saw him took charge of Iran for their World Cup run in Qatar last month, where they suffered a group stage elimination.
Querioz – who is the longest serving manager in Iran’s history – left his role shortly after their elimination and has quickly found himself a new job as the Qatar coach.
The national team’s official Twitter account, on Tuesday, wrote: ‘Carlos Queiroz was appointed as the new Qatar national team head coach on Monday until 2026, following the signing of the contract at Al Bidaa Tower between him and Mansoor Al Ansari, General Secretary of the Qatar Football Association (QFA).
‘After the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Queiroz resigned as Iran’s manager where his team had put up an impressive performance despite a group-stage exit.
Veteran Portuguese boss Carlos Queiroz has been named as the new Qatar head coach
The news was confirmed via Qatar’s official Twitter account on Monday afternoon
‘Iran finished third in Group B behind England and the United States, whom Iran lost to, and above Wales, whom they beat convincingly 2-0.
‘Taking over now in Qatar, he replaces Felix Sanchez, who spent more than five years in charge and led the team to their first continental title at the AFC Asian Cup in 2019.
‘The first assignment that Queiroz will have is to take charge of Al Annabi when they compete in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June. This will be Qatar’s second appearance in the event, following their respectable semi-final finish in 2019.’
The Portuguese head coach has previously managed South Africa, Colombia, Egypt, Portugal, Real Madrid, Sporting Lisbon and had two spells as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant manager at Man United.
Quieroz has managed to guide a team to the World Cup on four occasions – with Portugal in 2010 and Iran in 2014, 2018, 2022 – and would hope to recreate the accomplishment with Qatar.
The ex-Madrid coach comes into the Qatar hotseat following the departure of Felix Sanchez, who left after their World Cup elimination.
The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The Portuguese coach will hope to reach the World Cup finals for the fifth time of his career