Qatar coach Lopetegui plays down pressure ahead of Canada test at World Cup

Qatar's World Cup campaign is marked by a relaxed mindset, according to manager Julen Lopetegui. He emphasized that the team is driven by ambition and excitement rather than pressure as they prepare to face co-hosts Canada.

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The word pressure is not in our mind. When you follow one dream, you're never under pressure. You are with a big ambition, big excitement, because we achieved one thing that never happened in the history of Qatar, was to stay here.

"The word pressure is not in our mind," Lopetegui told reporters. "When you follow one dream, you're never under pressure. You are with a big ambition, big excitement, because we achieved one thing that never happened in the history of Qatar, was to stay here."

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I think that it's (Qatar) one little country, but with a big passion, a big investment about the facilities, about how we have to improve every day.

Qatar began their tournament with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland, while Canada also drew their opener 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina. This result leaves Group B finely balanced with all four teams on one point.

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Now we are not thinking about what we did against Switzerland, what was the past. Now we are only focused on being able to face one strong team.

Lopetegui highlighted Qatar's development, noting it is a "little country, but with a big passion, a big investment about the facilities, about how we have to improve every day." The team, largely drawn from their domestic league, has proven formidable in Asia and aims to build on their back-to-back Asian Cup titles. Midfielder Abdulaziz Hatem added that the team now possesses the experience gained from their previous World Cup appearance, stating, "Maybe we didn't have the experience, but now we are here. We have the experience. We are ready."

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Maybe we didn't have the experience, but now we are here. We have the experience. We are ready.