The talismanic forward dictated play as Al Annabi secured their biggest win of the ongoing round.

Akram Afif shone under the lights of the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium yet again as Qatar registered a commanding victory against North Korea in the third round of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers. 

The talismanic forward scored a goal and bagged three assists, setting up Ahmed Al-Ganehi, Ahmed Al-Rawi and Ahmed Alaaeldin’s strikes as Kim Yu-song scored one in his net in the 5-1 win for Al Annabi. 

Qatar’s performance on the pitch exuded the confidence that head coach Luis Garcia had put in his side’s quality ahead of the match as the side bagged three goals before the break and built on it in the second, as Pak Kwang-hun’s pulled one back for the visitors. 

For a side that heavily relies on flashes of individual brilliance, the early pounce was a vital one. After all, conceding an early goal against the same opponents in a rain-soaked tie in Laos saw Al Annabi fail to salvage all three points against ten men. 

A 2-2 draw meant Qatar ended the first window of the qualifiers winless, an early stumble in the reigning Asian Champions’ hopes of a direct ticket to the tournament in North America next year.  

The Spaniard had favoured his side for the “passion and desire” to win at home ahead of his World Cup qualifiers debut as in charge of a struggling Qatari side. 

“The team knows how to attack and how to defend,” Garcia had said on the eve of the match, basing his claims on the recent training sessions. 

To his merit, Garcia’s side looked like one that could attack with flair early on. A cleverly worked corner kick saw Moustafa Mashal find talismanic Afif’s late run in the box for the opening goal in the 17th minute. 

Just six minutes later, the Qatari captain executed a well-weighed pass to bag his first assist of the night. Not only did Afif’s ball split the North Korean defence with grace, but it also set up young Al-Ganehi for a rather simple finish on goal. 

Afif, who was earmarked as Qatar’s Messi by his new coach in an interview with FIFA+, had done his job yet again. 

North Korea were lucky not to have conceded a red card early, while Meshaal Barsham’s top corner save at the half-hour mark denied Kang Kuk-chol of repeating his scintillating free-kick strike from the first leg. 

Although the third strike came with centre-back Yo-Song’s attempted clearance ending up on his net, Qatar had effectively sealed the tie by banking on the early momentum. 

“We imposed our tactics well, capitalised on rapid transitions and took our chances well in front of the goal,” Garcia said after the match, praising his players’ intensity early on. 

While North Korea warmed up at the beginning of the second half, Al Annabi were able to inflict a breakthrough again as Afif took charge. Young forward Al-Rawi scored off the Qatari captain’s through ball, who had dropped deep and pulled off a pass not too dissimilar to the one in the first half. 

Al Arabi forward Ahmed Alaaeldin then scored just four minutes after coming off the bench in the 66th minute as Afif completed his hattrick of assists on the night with Qatar’s Father Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani watching from the stands.

Albeit a solid header, Pak Kwang-hun’s conversion from Ryang Kwang Myong’s cross came a little too late for the North Korean side, which now sits bottom of Group A with just two points.

Qatar now have 10 points on board, level with third-placed UAE, who lost 2-0 away to table toppers Iran on Thursday. With second-placed Uzbekistan also securing a 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan, the direct qualifying spots in Group A are virtually sealed. Qatar will travel to Bishkek to face Kyrgyzstan on March 25.

Third and fourth-placed sides from three groups in the ongoing stage, however, will have a repechage fourth round, where two spots for the World Cup will be up for grabs.

That is where Thursday’s win stands crucial for Qatar to build momentum, Afif said after bagging the player of the match award.

“We have important matches remaining in the qualifying journey,” he added. “We must make every effort in them to reap the three points and we hope that it will count in making it to our desired goal [the World Cup].”