Doha: Qatar will play Afghanistan in the opening game of their Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 today at the Khalifa International Stadium.   The defending Asian champions finished their final preparations the day before with high expectations for their first Group A qualifying game at the Khalifa International Stadium.   Qatar set up a weeklong training camp at the Aspire Academy to prepare for the match against Afghanistan after Queiroz announced a 26-player roster.     After failing to advance out of the group stage in their World Cup debut as hosts in 2022, Qatar have appointed the seasoned Carlos Queiroz as their new head coach. For today's match against Afghanistan and for the game against India five days later in Bhubaneswar, the former head coach of Iran has named a squad with a mix of young talent and seasoned players.   We started training a week ago, and I'm pleased with the level of dedication and discipline the players have shown so far," he remarked at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday. We want to play football that lives up to the expectations and helps us win. "Afghanistan will come into the game with all their focus, and we must respect the opponent and play to our potential, We aim to start our qualifying journey with three points and a win." the veteran Portuguese player stated.   However, the former Real Madrid coach cautioned his team against complacency against the visitors, who had already eliminated Mongolia from contention in Round 1 of qualification.   In the lead-up for the qualifications as well as the Asian Cup title defence early next year, Qatar played multiple matches against nations like Russia, Kenya, Iran and Iraq in addition to playing in the Gold Cup earlier this year.     We've gotten a lot out of playing friendly matches against other teams; it's helped us tremendously. Queiroz emphasized the need to develop the team's offensive ability by emphasizing the importance of making goal scoring a habit.   "To achieve our goal, we must play well and fight hard." We are competing against national teams, not clubs. It won't be easy because we will play competitive matches during these qualifiers. "Players must understand the true level of competition," Queiroz remarked.