Qatar’s football season kicked off with the opening round of the Ooredoo Stars League (OSL) last week. The inaugural round produced intriguing results including Al Shamal’s shock victory over defending champions Al Sadd. The result signaled a pulsating contest will be on the cards among the title contenders in the coming months.
It will be a crucial football season for Qatar as the national team is hoping to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time after making its debut in the football showpiece as hosts two years ago. The tough OSL matches are giving good preparations to the Qatar internationals, who are representing their respective clubs in the top flight.
The two-time Asian champions face an uphill task in their bid to clear the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers as they were drawn alongside Iran, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea following a draw held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in June.
As many as 18 teams divided into three groups of six teams each will take part in the third qualifying round. The winners and runners-up from each group will earn direct spots for the World Cup to be staged in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The remaining teams will then form two groups of three teams, with both group winners securing their spots for the World Cup. The runners-up from these two groups will face off in a home and away tie, eyeing the Intercontinental Playoff. Qatar will begin their qualifying campaign against the United Arab Emirates on September 5, making the ongoing OSL matches of utmost importance for the Al Annabi players in their preparations ahead of the big challenge.
Apart from the FIFA Qualifiers, Qatar clubs including Al Sadd, Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa will also feature in the AFC Champions League Elite with Friday’s draw for the continental showpiece throwing up exciting battles. While Al Sadd and Al Rayyan qualified for the prestigious event as winners and runners-up of the country’s top flight, Al Gharafa defeated UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli in a play-off to reach the group stage last week. Also, Al Wakrah will feature in the AFC Champions League Two – Asia’s second-tier club football tournament.
Thrilling battles are also expected in the lucrative Gulf Club Champions League which will get underway in October. Al Arabi will represent Qatar in the competition which will also see Al Nasr (UAE), Al Riffa (Bahrain), Al Qadisiyah (Kuwait), Al Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia), Al Ahly Sana’a (Yemen), Dhofar (Oman), and Dohuk (Iraq) in action. The Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation recently announced a huge prize money for the tournament.
