Qatar had stern FIFA warning over squad – then fielded XI with six foreign stars
Qatar, who are the smallest host in World Cup history, received a stern warning in the build-up to the tournament following the 'absurdity' of the World Men's Handball Championship.
Qatar had utilised films naturalisation laws to field players born in Spain, Montenegro, and France among others with only four of their 17 squad players for the 2015 tournament native to Qatar.
Then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter was quick to grow concerned with seven-years to go until their showpiece football tournament, which gave Qatar two years to start naturalising players.
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Blatter said in an issue of FIFA Weekly at the time: "The nation of 2.2 million faces the huge challenge of forming a competitive national football team by 2022.
"However, this cannot be achieved by quickly naturalising players."
Blatter added that the Handball side that reached the final at the World Cup contradicted the spirit of a national team, with the international handball federation allowing players to play for more than one nation.
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And said: "The fact that sport builds social bridges and brings cultures together cannot be stressed often enough.
"However, what happened at this year's men's world handball championship in Qatar stretched this notion to the point of absurdity."
FIFA rules state that players have to have been born in a country they represent or have parents or grandparents that were born there – with separate naturalisation rules of at least five years living there after the age of 18.
Following Blatter's expression of concern, Qatar then fielded a side in a 2015 friendly against Algeria with six foreign-born players just a month later.
General Secretary of the Qatar Football Association told BBC Sport in response: "I believe we are in a development phase of the national team right now.
"We have been through an interesting time in the last year and a half when we've seen some changes within the national team."
Seven years on from the controversy, Spanish Qatar boss Felix Sanchez named his 26-man squad for the tournament, who all play in the Qatar Stars League.
Of the 26, 16 were born in Qatar, with two from Iraq and Sudan and others born in Portugal, Egypt, Bahrain, Ghana, France and Algeria.
According to Podcastinfinito, 137 players will be representing countries in which they were not born at the 2022 World Cup, including 14 of the 26-man Morocco squad, 12 of the Tunisia side and 12 of the Senegal selection.
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