Kuwait: In a thrilling showdown at Kuwait City's Sabah Al Salem Stadium on Tuesday, Qatar clinched a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Kuwait in the second round of preliminary joint qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Qatar's triumph secured their passage to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and solidified their return to Saudi Arabia in 2027 to defend their consecutive AFC Asian Cup titles. The match started with palpable tension as both teams vied for an early advantage. Almoez Ali of Qatar seemed poised to break the deadlock with a promising chance, only to be thwarted by a remarkable interception from Kuwaiti defender Khaled Hajiah. The action intensified as the game progressed, with both sides creating scoring opportunities. Abdullah Al Ahrak's pinpoint cross nearly resulted in a goal for Qatar, but Kuwait's goalkeeper Sulaiman Abdulghafoor pulled off a stunning reflex save to maintain parity. Qatar continued to press forward, with young forward Ahmed Al Rawi coming close to scoring, only to be denied by Abdulghafoor's acrobatic save. However, Mohammad Daham of Kuwait had a clear chance to put his team ahead, but his shot narrowly missed the target. As the clock ticked towards the 77th minute, Qatar finally broke the deadlock with a well-crafted goal. Akram Afif delivered a precise cross to Almoez Ali, who calmly tapped the ball into the net, sending the Qatari fans into jubilation. Kuwait, however, responded swiftly, as Daham capitalized on a precise cross from Eid Al Rashedi to level the score. With the game hanging in the balance, Almoez Ali once again proved his prowess in front of goal. Seizing upon a long pass, he outpaced the Kuwaiti defence before delicately lobbing the ball over Abdulghafoor to secure Qatar's crucial victory.