Oman Air and Oman’s Football Association have agreed to operate two special charter flights to fly Oman’s National Football Team to Japan for its upcoming World Cup 2022 Qualifying Match.

The first flight will operate on August 27 to Belgrade, Serbia, where Oman’s national football team has been training for its upcoming World Cup 2022 qualifying matches. They will be flown home to Muscat, arriving at 17:30 local time, before departing again at 20:00 for Osaka, Japan to compete in a First Round qualifying match against Japan. The team returns to Muscat on September 3, arriving at 07:40 local time.

Adil Al Zadjali, country manager, Oman for Oman Air, said, “We are proud to assist Oman’s National Football Team with special charter flights to key qualifying matches. This is an exciting time for football in the lead-up to next year’s Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar, and we wish them the very best of success in all their upcoming qualifiers.”

Fahad bin Abdullah Al Raisi, general secretary and CEO of the Oman Football Association, stated: “Due to the significant distance between game cities and the tight schedule surrounding qualifying matches, Oman Air charter flights are essential for minimising long layovers and complicated multi-city connections. They help keep player fatigue to a minimum, an important element of success considering that optimal player health is key to winning matches.”