Football in Qatar

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Football in Qatar
AFC Champions League Final 2020, 19 December 2020, Persepolis vs Ulsan Hyundai (1-2) (74).jpg
Al Janoub Stadium hosted the 2020 AFC Champions League final. Part of Qatar's plan to demonstrate its ability to host international football matches.
CountryQatar
Governing body Qatar Football Association (QFA)
National team(s) Qatar
First played1948;76 years ago (1948)
Clubs20
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions

Football is the most popular sport in Qatar. [1] [2] [3] [4] Football in Qatar is organized by the Qatar Football Association (QFA). [5]

Contents

Qatar hosted the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, [6] 2022 FIFA World Cup, [7] 2023 AFC Asian Cup, and the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup. [8] [9]

History

Football was introduced to the country in 1948 when oil workers organized a match among themselves. [10] The first football club was established in 1950 under the name 'Al-Najah', which went on to form Al Ahli. This was followed by the organization of the first football tournament in 1951 called 'Izz al-Din Championship' by the Qatar Oil Company. In the late 1950s, the name was changed to 'Pukett Cup'. [11]

The QFA was formed in 1960 and the first league season was launched in 1963–64. League matches were played in Doha Sports Stadium, which accommodated the first grass football pitch in the region. [11]

Spectatorship

In a 2014 survey conducted by Qatari government ministries and departments, 65% of the 1,079 respondents indicated that they did not attend a football match in the previous league season. [12] Lack of time, unsuitable atmospheres for females and the presence of paid fans were all major factors for not attending. The highest deterrent was climate, which was cited by seventy-three percent respondents as impacting their decision to attend a football match. [13]

As an initiative to gauge public opinion and increase local participation in sports with an emphasis on football, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) launched the Jeeran program in April 2015. [14] The program involves seeking the opinion and advice of people in majlises, as well as encouraging large-scale community involvement, particularly by women. [15]

Most successful teams

TeamTotal number of trophiesQatar Stars League winnersEmir Cup winnersQatar Cup winnersSheikh Jassem Cup winnersQatari Stars Cup winnersQatar FA Cup winners
Al-Sadd 5916 (1972, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2019, 2021, 2022)18 (1975, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021)8 (1998, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2017, 2020, 2021)15 (1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2014, 2017, 2019)2 (2010, 2020)
Qatar SC 248 (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1977, 2003)8 (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976)3 (2002, 2004, 2009)4 (1983, 1984, 1987, 1995)1 (2014)
Al-Rayyan 238 (1976, 1978, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1995, 2016)6 (1999, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2013)4 (1995, 1996, 2001, 2012)5 (1992, 2000, 2012, 2013, 2018)
Al-Arabi 247 (1983, 1985, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997)9 (1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1993, 2023)1 (1997)6 (1980, 1982, 1994, 2008, 2010, 2011)1 (2022)
Al-Gharafa 227 (1992, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010)7 (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2009, 2012)3 (2000, 2010, 2011)2 (2005, 2007)3 (2009, 2018, 2019)
Al-Duhail 198 (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023)4 (2016, 2018, 2019, 2022)4 (2013, 2015, 2018, 2023)2 (2015, 2016)1 (2023)
Al-Wakrah 82 (1999, 2001)1 (1999)4 (1989, 1991, 1998, 2004)1 (2012)
Al-Ahli (Doha) 44 (1973, 1981, 1987, 1992)
Al-Maref33 (1964, 1965, 1966)
El-Jaish 32 (2014, 2016)1 (2013)
Al-Khor 21 (2005)1 (2002)
Umm-Salal 21 (2008)1 (2009)
Al-Sailiya 21 (2021)1 (2021)
Al-Muaither 11 (2003)
Al-Shamal 11 (1996)

National team

Qatar national football team in 2011. Qatar national football team.jpg
Qatar national football team in 2011.

The Qatar national team has had limited international success and has often been accused of abusing naturalisation laws to acquire players. [16] [17] [18] However, they did win the Arabian Gulf Cup three times and won back-to-back AFC Asian Cup titles in 2019 and 2023. [19] The side also participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup as hosts. [20]

Women's national team

FIFA World Cup

In 2010, Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first Arab country to host the tournament. [21] [22] Following a controversy over bidding, a report by FIFA cleared Qatar’s name from all allegations. [23]

In June 2019, the FIFA Council announced Qatar as the host of 2019 FIFA Club World Cup and 2020 FIFA Club World Cup. [24]

In March 2022, FIFA president Gianni Infantino claimed in an interview that the gulf nation is being progressive in terms of its labor rights & migrant rights issues that prevailed in the nation previously by adding "I am pleased to see the strong commitment from the Qatari authorities to ensure the reforms are fully implemented across the labour market, leaving a lasting legacy of the FIFA World Cup long after the event, and benefiting migrant workers in the host country in the long term." [25] [26] [27]

On 11 August 2022, FIFA officially moved up the opening match of the World Cup by one day to 20 November, in an unusual change for hosts Qatar to appear in the gala game. [28] [29]

At the final 2022 tournament, Qatar exited in the first round, losing all three of their matches.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Emirates national football team</span> Mens association football team

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qatar national football team</span> Mens association football team

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jassim bin Hamad Stadium</span> Association football stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium is an association football stadium in Doha, Qatar, located about 5 kilometres west from the centre of Doha. It is the home of the Al Sadd Sports Club's association football team, who play in the top-flight Qatar Stars League, and is occasionally used by the Qatar men's and women's national football teams as one of their home grounds. Named after the then-Qatari Minister of Youth and Sports Jassim bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, who had provided permission for Al Sadd's founding members to form the group in 1969, the stadium was opened in 1975, and has since been renovated twice; once for the 17th Arabian Gulf Cup in 2004, and again in 2010. In addition to hosting all matches of the Arabian Gulf Cup in 2004, the stadium has hosted numerous international association football matches throughout its history, including matches of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, the football tournaments at the 2006 Asian Games and 2011 Pan Arab Games, and two editions of the Italian super cup, the Supercoppa Italiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Arabi SC (Qatar)</span> Sports club in Qatar

Al-Arabi Sports Club is a Qatari sports club based in the capital city Doha. Founded in 1952, the most prominent team of the club is the football team that competes in the Qatar Stars League. The club's home ground is the 44,400-seat Al Thumama Stadium, where they have played since 2023.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qatar Stars League</span> Top-tier mens association football league in Qatar

The Qatar Stars League, known as Ooredoo Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Qatari Second Division (QSD). The QSL season usually runs from September to April. The league's first season was played in 1963, although the first official season occurred in 1972. The league currently features 12 clubs, with one club being demoted to make room for one club being promoted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hassan Al-Haydos</span> Qatari footballer (born 1990)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saad Al-Sheeb</span> Qatari footballer (born 1990)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karim Boudiaf</span> Qatari footballer (born 1990)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdelkarim Hassan</span> Qatari footballer (born 1993)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akram Afif</span> Qatari footballer (born 1996)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Félix Sánchez (football manager)</span> Spanish football manager (born 1975)

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References

  1. ↑ Atkinson, Simon (11 January 2013). "Qatar turns to football for fame and fans". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Qatar hopes to inspire more youngsters to play football". GulfNews. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "How Qatar became a player in world soccer". ESPN. 23 December 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  4. ↑ Blickenstaff, Brian (14 September 2011). "Qatar Football Dreams: Is it a humanitarian project or a scheme to buy Africa's best players?". Slate. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  5. ↑ Glenn Moore (22 March 2013). "Qatar targets historic feats on the pitch too – World Cup 2014 – Football". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "2021 FIFA Arab Cup: Participating teams, fixtures and all you need to know". 18 December 2021. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  7. ↑ "FIFA Executive Committee confirms November/December event period for Qatar 2022". 19 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2019-06-19. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "Qatar to host 2023 Aisan Cup – Asian Football Confederation". Reuters . 17 October 2022. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Qatar To Host 2023 Asian Cup Football: AFC". 17 October 2022. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  10. ↑ "Football". Archived from the original on 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  11. 1 2 "History of football in Qatar". sc.qa. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "The audience are reluctant to attend football matches at stadiums". qatarisbooming.com. 25 January 2014. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  13. ↑ Amna Nasralla (11 February 2015). "Why People Do Not Attend Football Matches in Qatar". Qatar Sports Tanmiya. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "SC promotes engagement plan at stadium launch". Gulf Times. 23 April 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  15. ↑ Sara Al-Thani (11 February 2015). "Breaking Barriers". Qatar Sports Tanmiya. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  16. ↑ "Qatar naturalisation plans annoy Blatter". ESPN FC. 8 March 2004. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  17. ↑ "Qatar enjoy fruits of imported foreign talent". Asia One. 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  18. ↑ "The football 'invaders from Brazil'". CNN. 19 January 2009. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  19. ↑ "Qatar clinch historic title". Asian Football Confederation. 1 February 2019. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  20. ↑ "Here are the 32 teams in the 2022 FIFA World Cup". 14 June 2022. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  21. ↑ "FIFA Executive Committee confirms November/December event period for Qatar 2022". FIFA. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  22. ↑ "The Qatar World Cup is about to shatter colonial myths". Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  23. ↑ "World Cup inquiry clears Qatar but criticises English FA". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  24. ↑ "FIFA Council appoints Qatar as host of the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019 and 2020". FIFA. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  25. ↑ "FIFA President 'pleased' with progress in Qatar's labour reforms". 2022-03-17. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  26. ↑ "FIFA President and Qatar Minister of Labour meet to discuss progress of labour rights". 2022-03-15. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  27. ↑ "Infantino: Qatar 'not paradise' but World Cup seeing changes". Associated Press . 2022-03-29. Archived from the original on 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  28. ↑ "FIFA advances World Cup by a day for Qatar". AFP. 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022– via Express Tribune.
  29. ↑ "Qatar v. Ecuador to kick off FIFA World Cup 2022™ on 20 November". 11 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
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