With Qatar's 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign set to roll on September 5 with a home game against Afghanistan, head coach Felix Sanchez believes his team is ready to take the big stage.
Qatar has made huge strides in football in the last few years. They won the 2019 AFC Asian Cup held in UAE against all odds and Sanchez feels it was a good first step to start their climb to the top.
"I think it was a great achievement, the biggest for football in our country. It was a very big step for us that we are able to compete at the highest level in Asia," said the coach, on the eve of their first qualifier against Afghanistan.
"It is a good first step to show that we are able to hopefully compete. This (Asian Cup win) happened six months ago, we have to work and have a long way to go to arrive in 2022 (World Cup). What we achieved in the Asian Cup was a very good example. We encourage them (the players) to make even bigger achievements."
The Maroons kick-start their campaign against Afghanistan before hosting India on September 10.
"I am very excited to start and looking forward to a good performance. We are happy to start at home. We will try to play with the right players to face the game in the right way for a good result. We hope the supporters are going to help us play a good game."