Head coach Marquez Lopez, who led Qatar to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup title, has parted ways with the men’s national team, the country’s football association announced on Wednesday.
“Congratulations and gratitude to coach Marquez Lopez for his dedication and achievements while leading our national team,” the association published on X.
His assistant Luis Garcia was promoted to replace Lopez. The Spaniard was the coach of La Liga team Espanyol in 2023.
“Luis Garcia expressed his gratitude to both the QFA and Coach Marquez for the opportunity to lead the senior national team to the region’s premier competition, which begins on December 21 in Kuwait,” QFA said.
Qatar, host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, performed poorly in the third qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup after failing to directly qualify for the quadrennial event. Now he hopes to advance in the fourth round. However, the team qualified for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and has a chance to win a third title in a row.
Lopez’s last game in charge was a 5-0 thrashing of the United Arab Emirates in qualifying.
Garcia’s first task will be to lead Qatar to the Gulf Cup, a competition the country has won three times.
