Julen Lopetegui was appointed Qatar coach in May, 2025, replacing Luis Garcia. | Photo Credit: AFP

Qatar will begin its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against Switzerland in a Group B match at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara on Saturday.

The Asian champion will be led by Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui, who took over the national team in 2025 and guided it to the World Cup through qualification, four years after Qatar made its tournament debut as host.

Julen Lopetegui’s record as coach:

• Matches: 431
• Wins: 242
• Draws: 95
• Losses: 94
• Win percentage: 56.1

Julen Lopetegui’s record as Qatar coach:

• Matches: 10
• Wins: 2
• Draws: 3
• Losses: 5
• Win percentage: 20.0
• Goals scored: 8
• Goals conceded: 17

What has Lopetegui said before Qatar vs Switzerland?

Ahead of the Switzerland match, Julen Lopetegui said Qatar was not expecting any gifts at the World Cup and wanted to be as competitive as possible.

He also said Switzerland was a very strong team and stressed that Qatar’s focus was on the present rather than on past disappointments.

What are Lopetegui’s major achievements as coach?

Julen Lopetegui won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship with Spain in 2012 and the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2013.

At club level, his biggest success came with Sevilla, which won the UEFA Europa League in the 2019-20 season under him. He also guided Sevilla to three consecutive Champions League qualifications.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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Published on Jun 13, 2026