Lopetegui was the Spanish national team coach from 2016 to 2018, when he was sacked just a few days before the World Championship premiere, since he had secured a job at Real Madrid directly after the championship.
In Real Madrid, it only took a few months before Lopetegui had to leave that job as well. He has since also coached Sevilla and Wolverhampton before taking over West Ham last year. This year, in January, he got sacked from the London club.
In the ongoing qualification for the World Championship next year, Qatar has missed the chance to take one of the Asian direct spots, but the hope of reaching the World Championship via continued qualification still lives on.
