Qatar face a stern test against co-hosts Canada in their Group B World Cup clash in Vancouver on Thursday, but the Middle Eastern side are well prepared and determined to build on their opening result, midfielder Karim Boudiaf said.
Both teams opened their campaigns with draws. Canada were held 1-1 by Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto and will again enjoy strong home support, while Qatar shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in California.
Qatar arrived at this tournament seeking to improve on their only previous World Cup appearance, when they hosted the 2022 edition and exited bottom of their group without a point. They have already bettered that return.
"We are preparing very well for the Canada match," Boudiaf told Qatari newspaper Al Raya ahead of Thursday's game. "We fully understand the importance of this match for us and know it will be an important stage in our tournament journey.
"We know very well that the match will not be easy at all. The Canada team has quality players and will be playing on their home soil and in front of their fans, which gives them extra motivation. But we also have great ambition and determination to deliver our best and achieve a positive result.
"We will enter the match with high focus and high morale after the result we achieved in the first round.
"The players have a great desire to continue working with the same seriousness and discipline, and our goal is clear: to return with a positive result that gives us more confidence before continuing our tournament journey."
With a squad drawn largely from their domestic league, Qatar have developed a cohesive unit that has proved formidable in Asia.
They no longer carry the scrutiny that surrounded the 2022 finals, and while the pressure is lower than on home soil, a favorable group and back-to-back Asian Cup titles have raised expectations.
Group B is finely balanced, with all teams on a point after their respective openers.
