Agony of Doha
| ドーハの悲劇 Dōha no higeki | |||||||
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| Event |
1994 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Final Round Matchday 5 |
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| Date | October 28, 1993 | ||||||
| Venue | Al-Ahly Stadium, Doha | ||||||
| Referee | Serge Muhmenthaler (Switzerland) | ||||||
| Attendance | 4,000 | ||||||
During the qualification rounds for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Japan and Iraq played to a 2–2 draw in Doha, Qatar. If Japan had won the match, they would have qualified for the World Cup for the first time. Instead, Japan finished third in their group and arch-rival South Korea qualified instead. The Japanese media refers to the match as the "Agony of Doha" (ドーハの悲劇 Dōha no higeki), whereas in South Korea, it is known as the "Miracle of Doha" (도하의 기적/도하의 奇跡 or Doha ui Gijeok).
The failure to qualify and the dramatic way in which it happened caused great disappointment for Japanese fans. Football had become wildly popular in Japan with the launch of the professional J. League earlier that year and the team had never been this close to qualifying for the World Cup. Although Japan has since qualified for five consecutive World Cup finals (even co-hosting one), team members from this match are still known as "Class of Doha" (ドーハ組 Dōha gumi?) and "Don't forget Doha" (ドーハを忘れるな Dōha o wasureruna?) remains a rallying cry for fans.
Six nations (Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and North Korea) competed in the final round of Asian zone qualifying for two places in the 1994 World Cup finals in the United States. The six finalists played each other in Doha, Qatar in a round robin format of matches held between October 15 and October 28, 1993. After four rounds of matches and with one match remaining for each team, the standings looked as follows.
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