Carlos Queiroz has left his position as the coach of the Oman national team. The Portuguese, 73, took charge in July 2025 with the hope that he could lead Oman to the World Cup finals for the first time.
He was a serial qualifier as coach of South Africa, Portugal and twice with Iran, but Oman could finish only third in the third round of Asian qualification. That meant a fourth round of qualifying, in a scaled-down mini-tournament held in Qatar.
A 0-0 draw with Qatar was followed by a 2-1 defeat to the UAE, courtesy of two late goals. The Emiratis needed only to avoid defeat in the decider against Qatar to reach a first World Cup since 1990.
They faced an aggressive Qatari crowd, who threw debris on the pitch, disrupting the match. Qatar captain Akram Afif admitted afterwards that he had goaded fans into the disruption “just to waste time, naturally.” He wouldn’t have been unable to do that had the game been in a neutral venue. Qatar ran out 2-1 winners to reach a second successive World Cup.
Queiroz saw much of this coming. Ahead of Oman’s tie against Qatar, the former Real Madrid manager was critical of the decision to make Doha the 'neutral' venue and also the schedule, where both home teams – Saudi Arabia also hosted a group they were in – would have six days between their games, while opponents had to play within 72 hours of their first.
“You know the qualifiers are being played in Qatar’s home,” said Queiroz. “We are playing on three days’ rest, Qatar with six days. If this is all about fair play for the people who made this decision, then I do not have any comments. I’ve worked for 40 years in football and this is not fair play for me.”
Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia, playing at home, qualified directly for the finals after winning their mini-groups. No explanation was given as to the selection criteria, while Indonesia, Iraq, Oman and the UAE had expressed interest in hosting themselves or requested neutral venues.
Oman were at a further disadvantage since five of their players were based overseas.
“We have players in Bangkok who play Sunday, but the Fifa days only start Monday, so they travel then, arrive on Tuesday and play Wednesday,” Queiroz said before the games. “I have been asking the chefs here how to make an omelette without eggs.
“As a coach, I’ll have to accept that and my players have to accept that too. But my players are stronger and powerful. They believe that we need to work more, sacrifice more and leave blood and sweat on the pitch.”
The bitterness didn't stop there. Queiroz had previously been in charge of Qatar before losing his job in the run-up to the 2025 Asian Cup after only 11 games in charge. Never one to hold back, he claimed before the World Cup play-offs in Doha that: “If I was still the head coach, Qatar would not have been playing tomorrow. Qatar would have already qualified for the World Cup.”
After failure to reach the World Cup finals with Oman, Queiroz offered to step aside or begin the implementation of a development plan for Omani football.
Little happened, but he leaves Oman on good terms. He posted on his personal Instagram his gratitude to everyone associated with the national team. The Oman Football Association, in announcing the termination of its contract with Queiroz by mutual agreement, expressed their appreciation for his efforts.
In all he led Oman in 11 matches, winning three, drawing five and losing three.
Queiroz has managed Real Madrid and coached at Manchester United when they were the best team in the world. He’s also coached nine national teams, including a brief stint with the UAE in the late 1990s. He returns home to Portugal, as he has many times. Usually, it doesn’t take long for the phone to ring with another job offer for this veteran coach.
