Football in Qatar


Football in Qatar is organized by the Qatar Football Association. Football is the number one sport in Qatar.

History

Introduction

Football was introduced to the country in 1948 when oil workers organized a match among themselves. 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'.
The Qatar Football Association 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.

Spectatorship

Attendance at QSL matches ranges between 2,000 and 10,000, depending on the popularity of the teams. 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. 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.
As an initiative to gauge public opinion and increase local participation in sports with an emphasis on football, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy launched the Jeeran program in April 2015. The program involves seeking the opinion and advice of people in majlises, as well as encouraging large-scale community involvement, particularly by women.

Most successful teams

Successful teams

National team

The Qatar national team has had limited international success and has often been accused of abusing naturalisation laws to acquire players. However, they did win the Arabian Gulf Cup three times and won their first AFC Asian Cup in 2019.

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. Following a controversy over bidding, a report by FIFA cleared Qatar’s name from all allegations.
In June 2019, the FIFA Council announced Qatar as the host of 2019 FIFA Club World Cup and 2020 FIFA Club World Cup.