Carlos Queiroz officially named as Qatar’s national team coach

Carlos Queiroz, who led the Iranian national team to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, was on Monday named as the new coach of Qatar national team.

“OFFICIAL: Carlos Queiroz is the new head coach of #AlAnnabi. We wish the Portuguese coach all the best with our national team,” Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced on Twitter.

The Peninsula had earlier reported on January 31 about the likelihood of the 69-year-old coach being named as the new coach of the Al Annabi after departure of Spaniard Felix Sanchez, the former coach.

Queroz is one of the seven Portuguese coaches handling foreign teams.

The list includes Fernando Santos (Poland), Rui Vitória (Egypt), Pedro Gonçalves (Angola), Paulo Duarte (Togo), Hélio Sousa (Bahrain), and José Peseiro (Nigeria).
The Portuguese coach began his managing career with the Portuguese Under 20 team, which went on to win the FIFA World Youth Championships in 1989 and 1991.

Quieroz served as the manager of renowned European teams like Real Madrid and as the assistant manager of Manchester United.

He also led various international football teams, including Portugal, South Africa, Colombia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

During his stint in Iran, Quieroz helped Team Melli qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, 2015 AFC Asian Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup as well as the most recent FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

With nearly eight years under his belt between 2011 and 2019, Queiroz was the Iran national team’s longest-tenured manager and the only coach in Iranian history to have guided the squad to three straight World Cups.

The Portuguese manager returned to Iran for a second time to lead the Persian Leopards less than three months prior to Qatar’s World Cup.

With Quieroz as head coach, Iran unravelled new levels in its footballing record, becoming the first ranked team in Asia before dropping down a position after this year’s FIFA World Cup.

He emerged as an unexpected unifying figure in Iran at a time of extreme conflict and turmoil. Among the Iranian players and journalists that cover the team, Queiroz had evoked a certain degree of devotion and adoration.