Felix Sanchez is the Qatar manager for World Cup 2022, the Spaniard entrusted with overseeing the biggest moment in the history of Qatar’s national team – a first World Cup appearance, on home soil.
Sanchez doesn’t boast any club experience, but he's deeply familiar with the host nation, having worked his way through the youth ranks to the top job and impressively led them to Asian Cup glory in 2019.
Now 46, he got his first job in 2013 when he took the reins of the Qatar Under-19 side. He quickly made an impact, leading the Gulf nation to their first and only title at the Under-20 Asian Cup the following year before qualifying for the U20 FIFA Youth World Cup for the first time in 34 years in 2015.
The boss was then promoted to the Under-23s and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2016 Olympics, before eventually taking the top job by succeeding Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati in July 2017.
Felix Sanchez couldn’t guide Qatar to World Cup qualification for Russia 2018, losing his two qualifiers in charge to finish bottom of their group, but he soon showed what he was capable of.
Qatar clinched the Asian Cup in 2019 for the first time ever in impressive fashion, winning all three group games against Lebanon, North Korea and Saudi Arabia before defeating Iraq, South Korea and UAE to set up a final against much-fancied Japan.
The Qataris were 2-0 up by half time and a penalty from Akrim Afif with seven minutes to go sealed the win, after Takumi Minamino had pulled one back in what was the only goal conceded by Sanchez’s men at the tournament.
Qatar were subsequently invited to two major tournaments overseas; they were eliminated at the group stage in the 2019 Copa America in Brazil, picking up one point from three games, but made it to the semi-finals at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup before losing to eventual winners the United States.
At their most recent tournament outing, Sanchez led Qatar to third place on home soil at the Arab Cup in December 2021, following a semi-final exit to Algeria, who went on to win the title.
The Barcelona native therefore has no shortage of major tournament experience, although the World Cup will be an altogether new challenge, with home expectations high.
He has a commendable 53 per cent win rate in charge of the senior national team, with 43 wins from 81 games, and likes to use a 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 formation.
The hosts are up against the Netherlands, Ecuador and Senegal in a tough Group A.
They kick off against Ecuador on 20 November at Al Bayt Stadium in the tournament’s curtain-raising fixture.
