No other country in the world has probably hosted such a massive number of major sports events during a short span of time as Qatar has. Qatar - the global sports capital – played host to numerous high-calibre local and international events throughout a busy season which is almost at its final stage.
The action-packed season was highlighted by the “greatest show on earth” – the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – the first football showpiece to be held in the Middle East and the Arab world. The tournament was the most compact in its modern history – with huge success, hosting over a million of touring fans during the 29-day extravaganza.
The crown jewel of the historic season, Qatar 2022 was staged at eight world-class stadiums and it turned out to be a blockbuster on and off the pitch with the global sport fraternity hailing the same as the best-ever edition following its unprecedented success.
In local football, Qatar’s busy domestic season also witnessed thrilling action. Qatar football heavyweights Al Duhail clinched the Qatar Cup and Ooredoo Cup titles and are in the hunt for a treble as they chase their seventh QNB Stars League title. The semi-finals of Amir Cup will be held this week and the QSL title will also be decided in the coming weeks, marking the conclusion of a scintillating season.
Meanwhile, the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex hosted a number of events, including the high-profile ATP Qatar ExxonMobil Open and WTA Qatar TotalEnergies Open as well as Ooredoo Qatar Major Premier Padel.
In showjumping, the state-of-the-art Al Shaqab hosted two hugely popular international championships – the Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab presented by Longines and the Longines Global Champions Tour in February and March. In the In the meantime, the sixth season of Longines Hathab Qatar Equestrian Tour and the Amir Sword Showjumping and Dressage Championships also drew attraction of equestrian sports lovers.
The horse racing season is also coming to an end, with the final competitions lined up for Monday, following an action-packed spell which also included the popular H H The Amir Sword Festival which gave away nearly $10,000,000 in prize money.
Among other key events, Qatar also hosted the King of the Court and Elite Finals in beach volleyball, Qatar Grand Prix Shotgun, ISSF World Cup – Doha 2023 and Paris 2024 Olympics Equestrian qualifiers.
The AFC Asian Cup 2023 Draw (May 11), World Judo Championships - Doha 2023 Individuals (May 7-13) and the Diamond League Meeting (May 5) are also among the major international events lined up for the final phase of the season.
