History-chasing Palestine face Lebanon in Doha tomorrow
DOHA: Lebanon have a golden opportunity to revive their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Group I campaign when they face history-chasing Palestine on Thursday.
Miodrag Radulovic’s side are third in the standings, five points adrift of second placed Palestine, after their 5-0 setback on Matchday Four against leaders Australia, who are through to the next round.
Palestine, however, are on the verge of creating history as they have never progressed past the second round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Lebanon need to win their remaining two matches, with Bangladesh to follow on Tuesday, to stand a chance of advancing.
Conversely, Palestine have seven points in the bag and only need a draw to secure their place in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, which will also confirm their ticket to a fourth consecutive AFC Asian Cup Finals.
While a point will suffice, head coach Makram Daboub will be hoping to see Palestine continuing their good form of 2024, which saw them advancing to the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023. (AFC)
