The Omani national team, led by Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, suffered a strong, painful blow before its fateful confrontation with its Emirati counterpart, in the Asian play-off competitions qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, as it was confirmed that one of its most prominent stars, Jamil Al Yahmadi, was absent due to injury.
The Asian playoff includes 6 teams: Qatar, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Indonesia. The matches are held in a league system of one round in two groups, with the winner of each group qualifying directly to the 2026 World Cup finals.
As for the two second-place finishers, they will meet in a decisive match to determine the qualifier for the global playoff.
Details of the Oman group and its match schedule
The first group includes the teams of Qatar, Oman, and the Emirates, and their matches will be held in the Qatari capital, Doha.
The first match ended in a goalless draw between Qatar and Oman, while the Omani and UAE teams will meet next Saturday in the second round of the group.
Details of Jamil Al-Yahmadi’s injury
Carlos Queiroz, coach of the Oman national team, announced through his official Instagram account that his player Jamil Al Yahmadi was injured during the recent match against Qatar, confirming his long absence from the field for a period ranging between 10 to 12 months.
Queiroz said: “In the 28th minute, our player Jamil Al Yahmadi was subjected to violent interference from a Qatari player, and the surprise was that the referee did not send him off.” He added: “We lost one of our best players until the end of the qualifiers, and he will be out of action for a long time. Unfortunately, the match referee was content with a yellow card, despite the clarity of the interference, and the VAR did not intervene to correct the decision.”
