The two players in question are midfielder Fabio Cesar, who played for three seasons with Al Arabi before recently moving to Umm Salal, and defender Marconi Ameral Costa, who has spent the last four years with Al Shamal.

The duo join Uruguay-born striker Sebastian Quintana in a Qatari side that will be playing in a tough Group A with 2006 World Cup qualifiers Australia, Asian Cup holders Iraq and 2002 World Cup finalists China.

Qatar will face Iran in a friendly on Wednesday and will also take on Syria and Denmark in their warm-up matches before meeting the Australians in Melbourne on February 6.

Qatar squad: Mohammed Saqr (Al Sadd), Rajab Hamza (Al Arabi), Abdulaziz Ali (Al Gharafa), Rajab Hamza (Al Arabi), Hussain Al Rumaihi (Qatar SC); Abdullah Koni, Ali Sanad (both Al Sadd), Salman Mesbah, Abdulrahman Mesbah (both Al Rayyan), Saad Sattam Al Shammari, Mostafa Abdullah, Belal Mohammed (all Al Gharafa), Ibrahim Al Ghanim (Al Arabi), Marconi Ameral Costa (Al Shamal); Wissam Rizk, Talal Al Bloushi, Mesad Al Hamad (all Al Sadd), Fheid Al Shammari (Al Gharafa), Waleed Muhyiddine, Majdi Siddiq (both Al Khor), Fabio Cesar, Mohammed Seyed Abdulmotaleb (both Umm Salal); Majed Mohammed, Khalfan Ibrahim, Ali Afif, Mohammed Gholam (all Al Sadd), Seyed Bachir (Al Arabi), Sebastian Quintana (Qatar SC), Meshal Abdullah (Al Siliya).