After securing his fifth national team coaching job after signing a three-and-a-half year deal with Qatar, Roger de Sa is excited about the challenge ahead.

De Sa, alongside colleague Carlos Quieroz, have taken charge of the Qatar national team until July 2026.

It is a journey that has seen him work with Queiroz at two World Cups and two Africa Cup of Nations finals.

They were both in charge of Iran at last year’s Fifa World Cup in Qatar and that’s where they were first approached.

“I’m looking forward to the great challenge ahead,” De Sa told Marawa Sports Worldwide (MSW).

“It [talk] started at the World Cup. We got an approach and it was just a chat while we were still there with Iran. Then we decided to go on holiday and we looked into a couple of opportunities. We met in Qatar a couple of weeks ago and it took a while to sign it.

“We look at the possibilities and what the job is all about and we commit to it. I hope it will be a good three-and-a-half years of commitment.”

De Sa said the mandate is to qualify the team for the next World Cup to be co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.

“A massive job is ahead of us, but it's a country that's got massive ambitions and a fantastic country to live in, so it is a challenge that we are up for,” he said.

“They want to make themselves better and the big dream is to qualify for the next World Cup and we know that there is a lot of work to be done.

“We will try to strengthen the team with players from the last World Cup. They hosted a fantastic World Cup, so I think they just want to prove that they are also good on the field.

“It will be a fantastic place to work and now we have to get down and work on the field as well. We are looking forward to the new experience and new venture and experiencing a different life," De Sa said.

“They didn’t want us to be there for a couple of weeks and when we went home, they wanted a full-time job from all of us.