Former Spain coach Julen Lopetegui has said "life owed me a World Cup" after guiding Qatar to next year's top football tournament.

Qatar won 2-1 against the United Arab Emirates in Al Rayyan on Tuesday to book their World Cup spot.

"It seems like life owed me a World Cup, and fortunately, today I got it," Lopetegui, 59, said .

"It's a reward that I'm grateful for."

As a player, Lopetegui was part of Spain's squad at the 1994 World Cup squad but was third-choice goalkeeper and did not play.

He was denied the chance to coach his national team at the 2018 World Cup.

Having steered Spain to an impressive qualifying campaign -- winning nine and drawing one of their 10 games, while scoring 36 goals and conceding only three -- Lopetegui was surprisingly sacked two days before t

See Full Page