Doha, December 11 (QNA) - The Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced Wednesday the appointment of Luis Garcia as the new head coach of the Qatar national team, taking over Marquez Lopez.

The QFA stated that Garcia will lead Al Annabi (team nickname) during the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup in Kuwait.

Spaniard Garcia expressed gratitude to the QFA as well as coach Lopez for the opportunity to lead the senior national team starting Dec. 21 in Kuwait.

Garcia previously coached several clubs notably Espanyol and was an assistant to coach Lopez during his tenure in the last period.

The QFA announced earlier Wednesday the departure of Lopez who led Al Annabi to victory for the second time in its history in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

He first started his role as coach on Dec. 6, 2023, after taking over Portuguese Carlos Queiroz.

The Association renewed Lopez's contract last February until the end of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, but the team did not deliver what was expected during the last period where it only managed to achieve two wins and gather 7 points, placing 4th behind the United Arab Emirates (10 points), Uzbekistan (13) and Iran (16). (QNA)