Association of Qatar football
The Qatar Football Association (Arabic: الاتحاد القطري لكرة القدم, romanized: al-Ittiḥād al-Qaṭariyy li-Kurat al-Qadam) is the governing body of football in Qatar. The QFA was founded in 1960 and is based in Doha, Qatar. It became a member of FIFA in 1963 and of AFC in 1967. The Qatar Football Association organizes the main leagues of the Qatar football league system: Qatar Stars League, Qatari Second Division, including domestic cups: Qatar Cup, Emir of Qatar Cup, Sheikh Jassim Cup, Qatari Stars Cup and Qatar FA Cup. The association is also responsible for the men's, U-17, U-20, U-23, women's national teams and the local women's, youth and futsal football leagues.
History
The advent of football at Qatar dates back to the year of 1948, accompanied by the arrival of oil companies.[5] The new game's popularity expanded immediately, which led to the establishment of Al Najah as the country's first football club in 1950.[6] Interest in football developed rapidly in the 1950s. Under the supervision of Qatar Oil Company (today QatarEnergy), the first football tournament ever in Qatar was held at the city of Dukhan. Despite the participation of several Doha teams – including Al Najah – host team Dukhan managed to win the 1951 Izzadeen tournament. Qatar Oil Company replaced the old competition with a new one, Pukett Cup kicked off during the 1957 season, Al Najah went on to win the cup for the first time in their history. The Qatar Football Association (QFA) was founded in 1960 to govern football in Qatar and became a member of FIFA in 1963. In 1967, it became a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).[1][8] The Association organized the first Qatar League in 1972–73.[9]
Whether locally or regionally, rules and regulations were not very restrictive about players moving from one club to another, just a resignation letter and 10 Indian rupees were required of the player who wished to move. This undemanding system was in effect until the year 1962. The first venue with a grass pitch in the Gulf region was the Doha Stadium, which was inaugurated in 1962.[10] Qatar built the Khalifa International Stadium in the 1970s to serve as the country's iconic sports stadium. From 2003 to 2017, the stadium was refurbished and expanded. The Emir Cup final was held there in 2017. In 2022 it will host World Cup matches.[11]
In 1981, Qatar's national youth team took part in the FIFA Junior World Cup in Australia, surprisingly beating Brazil 4–3 in the quarterfinals and England 2–1 in the semifinals. The final was lost 0–4 against West Germany.[12]
Qatar's football team participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[13]
In 1988 and 2011, Qatar hosted the AFC Asian Cup, which is the biggest football event on the continent.[14][15]
Qatar hosted the Gulf Cup tournament in 1976, 1992 and 2004, winning the biggest tournament for national teams in the region in 1992 and 2004. In 2014, Qatar lifted the trophy for the third time after beating host Saudi Arabia in the final.[16]
From 13–28 April 1995, the 10th FIFA World Youth Championship was held in Doha, which was won by Argentina.[17]
In 2019 and 2020, Qatar hosted the FIFA Club World Cup.[18]
From 30 November to 18 December 2021, Qatar hosted the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup. Sixteen Arab teams competed in stadiums of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[19][20] In the semifinals, Qatar lost to eventual champion Algeria but defeated Egypt 5-4 on penalties in the 3rd place playoff to secure the third place in the Arab Cup.[21]
Qatar also hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The tournament was held from 20 November to 18 December 2022.[22][23] However they lost all 3 group stage matches (against Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands, respectively) and became the first team to be eliminated from the World Cup.
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will be held in Qatar.[24][25]
In September 2023, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) and Aspire Academy signed a cooperation agreement to further develop the coaching education system and enhance their joint expertise.[26][27]
Training camps and academy
Aspire Zone - The Aspire Zone in Doha, Qatar, is a popular training camp for European football clubs, where teams such as Bayern Munich, PSV Eindhoven, FC Red Bull Salzburg, AFC Ajax and FC Zenit prepare for the upcoming matches in their leagues.[39]
Aspire Academy - Located in the Aspire Zone, the sports academy was founded in 2004 and supports Qatari athletes.[40]
Training grounds for the 2022 FIFA World Cup - As 41 training grounds are created, each national team will have its own facility with FIFA-standard lightning systems and two natural grass pitches identical to the grass pitches at each of the eight World Cup stadiums.[41]
