Sanchez was dismissed from Qatar’s national team after it became the first squad to be eliminated from the FIFA World Cup 2022, the country’s first appearance at the tournament as the host nation.

Qatar Stars League champions Al Sadd SC have announced the appointment of Felix Sanchez as head coach, framing the Spaniard to make a return to the Qatar after his dismissal from the national team in 2022. 

In a statement on Tuesday, the club stated that Sanchez has signed a two-year contract, running until the summer of 2026.

Sanchez is set to start coaching the team during their ongoing preparatory camp in Málaga, Spain, a stint scheduled to run until July 29.

The 48-year-old veteran assumes the role following Portuguese coach Bruno Pinheiro, who initially succeeded Juan Manuel Lillo last summer.

Before the FIFA World Cup 2022, Sanchez had then had his position since 2017 and led Qatar’s national team to a historic Asian Cup win in 2019.

But his squad as the first to be eliminated from the FIFA World Cup 2022, which was also the country’s first appearance at the tournament as host nation.

The team made history as the first host nation to exit the tournament in the first round.

After his spell with Qatar, Sanchez inked a four-year deal to coach the Ecuador national football team.

But despite Sanchez leading them into the Copa America quarterfinals this year, Ecuador announced that it would part ways with the Spanish manager after a penalty shootout loss to Argentina. 

“We managed to advance from the group stage to the knockouts. I have congratulated the players even if we weren’t able to progress,” he told reporters post-game. 

“I think they deserve the credit, that is my opinion, but I think that in the next edition of this tournament, we’ll get here with a more experienced team. These are very young players. Maybe the results were unfair, but I know that we have to believe in this group of players,” he added.