CANBERRA: Qatar squad under the gaze of coach Djamel Belmadi hit the training pitch on Monday, less than a day after landing here for next month's Asian Cup. The Qatari squad undertook fitness drills after their long chartered flight that lasted 13 hours from Doha to Canberra, a Qatar Football Association (QFA) official said on Monday. "The players weren't asked to undergo serious training keeping in mind the time difference between Qatar and Australia," aQFA team official said. Qatar are grouped with the UAE, Iran and Bahrain in Group C of the 16-team event that kicks off on January 9. Al Anabi have never won the title. In 2011 when the event was staged in Doha, Qatar reached the quarter-finals under coach Bruno Metsu. Qatar boarded the chartered flight just hours after beating Estonia 3-0 in a friendly played at Lekhwiya Stadium on Saturday. Qatar squad was received by Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, charge d'affaires at the Qatar Embassy in Australia. Belmadi's side will take on Oman on Wednesday in one of two friendlies in Australia ahead of their first match on January 11. On January 5, Qatar face New Zealand in their final friendly going into the Asian Cup.