GENEVA (AP) — Qatar’s veteran forward Sebastian Soria was named to his country’s tournament reserve squad on Tuesday, giving him a chance to become the oldest outfielder to play in the World Cup.
Soria was born in Uruguay. 34 player group Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui has selected the squad, which must be cut to no more than 26 players ahead of the World Cup, which starts on June 11.
If Soria plays in the World Cup (which Qatar co-hosts in a group with Canada, Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina), he will break Roger Milla’s record as the oldest outfielder in the tournament’s 96-year history. Milla was also 42 years old when he played in his last World Cup with Cameroon for the United States in 1994.
The oldest player in World Cup history is Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, who was 45 years and 161 days old when he played against Saudi Arabia in 2018.
Scotland’s 43-year-old goalkeeper Craig Gordon should also feature in this year’s World Cup, provided he recovers from injury in time.
Soria’s international career appeared to be over in 2017, but he was not selected by the host nation for the 2022 World Cup.
He was called up again last October and played. Qatar’s World Cup qualifiers are decisive game. Soria came on midway through the second half in a 2-1 win against the United Arab Emirates in Doha.
“I thank God for letting me live this life” Soria he wrote on his Instagram account. “I’m proud to wear the Al Anabi jersey again and represent this beautiful country,” he said after the match.
Soria moved to play in the Qatari League in 2004 and became a naturalized citizen before making his national team debut in 2007.
Qatar will begin their World Cup campaign on June 13th against Switzerland in San Francisco. Qatar will then face Canada in Vancouver before finishing off with a Group B match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle on June 24.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
