TEGUCIGALPA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Newly appointed Honduras manager Hernan Gomez has acknowledged that he faces a difficult task to secure place at next year's FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The 65-year-old Colombian officially took charge of Honduras on Friday, replacing Uruguayan Fabian Coito, who was sacked after a 2-0 home defeat to Jamaica two days earlier.
"Unfortunately [we are] in a very difficult position, but there are still 24 points to play for and nobody has been eliminated yet," Gomez told local television network Televicentro on Saturday.
"We will fight to be in Qatar and if that can't happen, we'll focus on looking towards 2026."
Honduras currently have just three points from six matches in the final round of qualifiers for the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) zone.
The top three sides from the eight-team group will automatically earn a ticket to Qatar while the fourth-ranked team will advance to an intercontinental playoff.
Gomez is one of only three managers to have led at least three different national teams to a FIFA World Cup, having achieved the feat with Colombia (1998), Ecuador (2002) and Panama (2018). Enditem