""It seems like life owed me a World Cup, and fortunately, today I got it," Lopetegui, 59, said. "It's a reward that I'm grateful for.""
""I'm very excited to be at a World Cup after what happened some years ago, and now it's time to experience it with Qatar," he said. "There was a desire to be able to reach another World Cup, and that was an important factor in my decision to come here.""
""We've been working for this moment for months and everything has turned out well," he said. "It's a historic moment for the country, something that's never been achieved before. The atmosphere has been extraordinary. We're very happy.""
Julen Lopetegui led Qatar to qualification for the 2026 World Cup after a 2-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates in Al Rayyan. He described the qualification as a personally significant reward and a historic moment for the country. Lopetegui was a third-choice goalkeeper in Spain's 1994 World Cup squad and missed coaching Spain at the 2018 tournament after being dismissed two days before their opener. He accepted the Qatar job on May 1 and secured Qatar's first World Cup place through qualification, acknowledging that the team will need further work after a poor showing as 2022 hosts.
Read at ESPN.com
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