During Dubai airshow last week, Boeing made it clear that, they give higher priority to 777X freighter. Airlines also made it clear that they're more interested in this variant.
Boeing has another reason to develop 777X freighter before 777-8, is to compete with A350F. But It seems that this freighter variant will not be available soon enough to achieve this target. As Airbus's A350F is scheduled to fly by 2025. While 777X freighter is not expected anytime before 2028. It's also pretty obvious that Boeing is keen to get orders for the freighter version after securing enough orders for the passenger version from Emirates, Lufthansa and Qatar airways.
Boeing tried to seduce Mr. Akbar Al-Baker by bringing the aircraft to his doorstep at Doha. The can not forget that Mr. Al-Baker expressed his wish for his airline to be a launching customer for a new generation of cargo aircraft, either 777X or A350. Now that A350F has found its launching customer (ALC), Mr. Al-baker is left with no other choice but 777X freighter. Not to mention that Qatar airways relations with Airbus is not at its best due to A350 surface issue, and that probably was the reason Qatar Airways didn't make the move to be launching customer for A350F.
In the coming few weeks, we might witness an announcement from Boeing that Qatar Airways has become the launching customer for 777X freighter. That's of course if Mr. Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa, did not make the first move and secured an order for the new coming freighter from Boeing.
Spohr showed interest in the freighter version of 777X during the visit of the aircraft to Frankfurt after its stop in Doha.
In all cases, 777-8 will have to wait, for the favor of 777X freighter, and that was even discussed with Sir Tim Clark, CEO of Emirates during Dubai Airshow.