Former West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui was officially appointed as the new coach of the Qatar national team.
"Ready to start a new chapter. Welcome Lopetegui. We are very excited to start this journey together," the Qatari football federation said in a statement via their X account, @QFA_EN, quoted Friday.
The 58-year-old coach, who previously managed Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, signed a contract with the 2022-2027 World Cup hosts.
In 2027, Qatar will look to defend their Asian Cup trophy.
Lopetegui replaces compatriot Luis Garcia. He will take charge of Qatar for the first time in their 2026 World Cup Asian qualifying match against Iran at home on June 5.
West Ham sacked Lopetegui in January this year, after just 22 games in charge of the Hammers.
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona goalkeeper now leads Qatar in their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
He coached the Spanish national team for two years, winning 14 of 20 games, before being surprisingly sacked ahead of the 2018 World Cup after announcing his move to Real Madrid.
