Qatar became the first World Cup host country to be knocked out after their first two matches after losing 3-1 to Senegal on Friday.
It is mathematically impossible for the 2022 World Cup hosts to be one of the top two teams in Group A and reach the next round, even though there is still one more group stage to go. The Netherlands and Ecuador won their first matches of the tournament – Ecuador beat Qatar 2-0 – and drew 1-1 on Friday. They each have four points and Senegal have three after their win over Qatar. Even if Qatar beat the Netherlands on Tuesday, they will have no more than three points.
Senegal pressured the half with their two decisive goals. Boulaye Did scored in the 41st minute and then Famara Didiu scored the eventual game-winner just three minutes after half-time. Mohamed Muntari scored for Qatar in the 78th minute, but Senegal pulled it off with an 84th-minute goal from Bamba Dieng.
Qatar had a long shot to reach the knockouts coming into the tournament, but to be eliminated after two games is nothing short of a huge disappointment for a country that has been preparing for the World Cup for more than a decade. The infrastructure of the Qatar national football team was built for the tournament and the national team participated in events such as the North American Gold Cup to prepare for the World Cup.
Qatar joins South Africa as the only country to have crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage. South Africa drew with Mexico to open this World Cup, but their win over France in their final group game was not enough to progress as Mexico progressed on goal difference.
And while South Africa were an easy team to root for 12 years ago, there are undoubtedly millions of people around the world who are not unhappy that the World Cup in Qatar will not go past the group stage given the myriad controversies surrounding this tournament. According to the United States Department of Justice, numerous FIFA officials received bribes to vote for Qatar to host the tournament. And after Qatar was awarded the World Cup bid, its poor treatment of the thousands of migrant workers who helped build the stadiums was a black mark on the tournament, along with the country’s poor human rights record.
Qatar’s players react after conceding their third goal during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group A soccer match between Qatar and Senegal at the Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha on November 25, 2022. (Photo: Kiril KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV /AFP via Getty Images)
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