Boualem Khoukhi

Boualem Khoukhi was Born on 9 July 1990 in Bou Ismail, Algeria, and represented Algeria at under-23 and Olympic level before naturalising as a Qatari citizen. A commanding centre-back, he has spent the bulk of his club career at Al-Sadd in the Qatar Stars League, joining in July 2017 after seven seasons at Al-Arabi and making over 247 appearances. He is Qatar's captain and, with approximately 125 international caps, one of the most-capped players in his nation's history.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Khoukhi played all three group-stage matches as Qatar became the first host nation to lose their opening game and finished bottom of Group A with zero points. His redemption arrived at the 2026 qualifying campaign: he headed in the opening goal from an Akram Afif free kick in the 52nd minute of Qatar's decisive 2-1 win over the UAE in October 2025, sending the team to its second consecutive World Cup.

At the 2026 tournament, Khoukhi came to prominence as the match-winner in Qatar's Group B opener against Switzerland on 13 June. With the hosts trailing 1-0 through a first-half Breel Embolo penalty, Khoukhi drove a header home from a corner in the 94th minute, earning Qatar a 1-1 draw and their first World Cup point in history. The match was also the centre of controversy over FIFA withholding the VAR offside graphic for the Swiss penalty.