national handball team, referring to the team's selection for the 2015 World Men's Handball Championship as an "absurdity". The following year, naturalized players formed the backbone of the team and were sufficiently integral that head coach Jorge Fossati threatened to resign if they were removed. The reliance on naturalised players has subsequently reduced, with only two members of the squad that beat Switzerland in a 2018 friendly being born outside Qatar. However, at the 2019 Asian Cup, amidst diplomatic tensions between the two countries, the United Arab Emirates Football Association lodged a formal complaint against Qatar, alleging that Almoez Ali and Bassam Al-Rawi were not eligible to play for them. These complaints were dismissed by the AFC. Of the 26 players called up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 10 players were born outside of Qatar. Player records Players in bold text are still active with Qatar. Competitive record Champion Runners-up Third place FIFA World Cup AFC Asian Cup FIFA Arab Cup Copa América Qatar was the second team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, and were invited for the first time in 2019. CONCACAF Gold Cup Qatar was the second team from Asia to participate in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and were invited for the first time in 2021. Gulf Cup The Gulf Cup has been played on a bi-annual basis since 1970. The tournament has changed since the first edition from a round-robin basis to a knockout tournament in the latter years. Notably, the 2000 edition was cancelled and the 2003 and 2010 were moved due to congested fixture lists with other tournaments, such as the Asian Cup. Pan Arab Games WAFF Championship Olympic Games Asian Games Head-to-head record Source: The following table shows Qatar's all-time international record, correct as of 24 February 2023. The last match was played against on 16 January 2023. Honours Major AFC Asian Cup Winners (1): 2019 Arabian Gulf Cup Winners (3): 1992, 2004, 2014 WAFF Championship Winners (1): 2014 Football at the Asian Games Winners (1): 2006 Minor International Friendship Championship Winners (1): 2018 See also Sport in Qatar Football in Qatar Women's football in Qatar Qatar Football Association Qatar national under-23 football team (aka Qatar Olympic team) Qatar national under-20 football team Qatar national under-17 football team Qatar women's national football team References External links Qatar Football Association (official website) Qatar – FIFA profile Qatar – NFT