The young midfielder quickly established himself on the senior team with crucial goals in the third round of qualifiers.
Qatar’s midfielder Ibrahim Al-Hassan has been selected for the Asian Football Confederation’s Future Stars list for his performances during the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.
The continental body released a list of 11 footballers on Tuesday, including Al-Hassan, asking the fans to vote for the NEOM Future Star award.
The 19-year-old was notably selected for his breakthrough in the senior team, which saw him rise to the occasion and score two goals.
In addition to bagging his debut goal for the national team against the UAE in the first fixture of the third round, the 19-year-old came off the bench to score against Kyrgyzstan in the third matchday.
The shortlist includes the likes of Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov, who became the first player from Uzbekistan to play in the English Premier League, as well as Japan’s Zion Suzuki and Indonesia’s Justin Hubner.
Al-Hassan is the only teenager alongside China’s Wang Yudong in a list that also includes Saudi Arabia’s Musab Al-Juwayr, Iraq’s Youssef Amyn and UAE’s Harib Abdalla from the Middle East.
An attacking midfielder by nature, Al-Hassan has simultaneously proven crucial for Qatar’s under-20 side, as he successfully captained them in the AFC U-20 Asian Cup, scoring three goals and providing two assists in the qualifiers.
He will not be a part of the Qatar squad that will contest in the fourth round of World Cup Qualifiers due to an ACL injury that he suffered against Kyrgyzstan at the AFC U-20 Asian Cup.
Qatar qualified for the play-off after finishing fourth in Group A of the third round, falling short of the automatic qualification spots.
However, a perfect record in upcoming fixtures in October will see Julen Lopetegui’s side book their tickets to the tournament in North America next year.
The likes of Iraq, Oman, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, who finished third and fourth in their respective groups, will join Qatar in the play-offs. Winners of the two groups of three will secure the World Cup berth, with the cast set to be set at the draw on July 17.
