The United States Men’s Soccer National Team on Thursday became the first World Cup team to arrive in Qatar with ten days to the start of the tournament.
The United States is back to the World Cup after an eight years absence and they would kickstart their campaign against Wales on November 21.
An unknown number of players were on a Qatar Airways jet from New York that was among the first flights to use a new part of Hamad international airport that opened Thursday, an AFP photographer at the airport said.
Many in the 26-man squad, including captain Christian Pulisic, are based in Europe and still have domestic league games to play this weekend.
The American team, coached by Gregg Berhalter, is staying at the Marsa Malaz Kempinski on the Pearl, an artificial island north of Doha favored by expatriates.
They will train at the Al Gharafa club ground about 15 kilometers (nine miles) away.
The United States has played in 11 World Cups. They were third at the first tournament in 1930, famously beat England 1-0 at the 1950 World Cup, and reached the quarter-finals in 2002.