I think Qatar is a bit better than what most people in the west think.
For example, Qatar ranks between Ecuador and Paraguay in the FIFA rankings. Qatar is ranked 49, Ecuador 44, and Paraguay 50.
So that tells you that it's basically around the lower teams of South America. That's not too bad as South America has a great talent
Not sure whether Qatar is really as good as the rankings suggest. Historically, Asian teams such as Saudi Arabia and Iran have performed poorly in the world cup. And Qatar is not even considered as one of the top tier Asian teams. On the other hand, Ecuador and Paraguay plays a large majority of their matches against strong CONMEBOL teams and that may negatively impact their rankings. But as far as I am considered, Qatar doesn't stand a chance against Ecuador, when these two teams face each other.