Sport in Qatar

Qatar’s focus on Sport comprises of four major pillars:

Direct investment in sports industry
Hosting of major sporting events
Elite sports development
Sports diplomacy

At the international level, sports events and athletes help raise Qatar’s regional and global profile, and result in enhanced national pride. International sport is also a powerful tool for international engagement and diplomacy.

Through sport, Qatar is forging close ties and improving relations between nations worldwide. It is also making strong progress as a global sports hub that offers a range of first-class sports facilities and hosting large numbers of regional and international sporting events.

Being a world-class center for sport thanks to the efforts of the QOC, Qatar has become the ideal choice for hosting some of the world’s biggest international sport events, including the Asian Games 2006, the AFC Cup 2011, the Arab Games 2011, the 2014 World swimming championship, the 2015 World Men’s Handball Championship, the 2016 Road Cycling championship, the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the 2019 IAAF Athletics World Championships, the 2022 FIFA World Cup QatarTM, and the 2023 Twentieth (20th) FINA World & Master Championships.

In addition, Qatar hosts an annual calendar of events on the championship circuits of their respective sports. These include: Commercial Bank Qatar Masters (golf), Qatar ExxonMobil Tennis Open, Tour of Qatar (cycling), Qatar International Rally (motor sport), Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar (Moto GP), Qatar Total Tennis Open, F1H2O UIM World Championship (power boats) and the IAAF Diamond League (athletics). Qatar also stages high profile equestrian events.

2019 IAAF World Championships

The seventeenth edition of the IAAF World Championships was held between 27 September and 6 October 2019 in Doha, Qatar at the renovated multi-purpose Khalifa International Stadium.

The 10-day competition kicked off at Doha's state-of-the-art Khalifa Stadium on Friday evening of September 27, a day that was capped by the women's marathon which got underway at midnight. The Championships concluded on Sunday 6 October as per tradition with the men's and women's 4x400m relays.

Qatar has an extensive history as a host of international athletics events, from the first ever IAAF Grand Prix in 1997 to the Doha Diamond League, and the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships.

2022 FIFA World CupTM

The 2022 FIFA World CupTM, that is scheduled to take place in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022 will be the first time the world’s biggest football tournament is held in the Middle East, and the first FIFA World CupTM where the stadiums are so closely linked that fans can easily attend two matches in a single day.

None of the FIFA World CupTM stadiums in Qatar will be more than an hour’s travel time from any other. This will mean that fans can cheer on their favourite team in Al Wakrah Stadium, south of Doha, in the afternoon – and be soaking up the atmosphere in Al Bayt Stadium – Al Khor City in northern Qatar on the very same evening. Fans will travel to matches via metro, car, rail, bike or even water taxi, using advanced transport systems that will help to make this the greenest FIFA World CupTM ever. All accommodation, from budget options to luxurious hotels, will also be within easy reach of tournament venues.

The 2022 FIFA World CupTM will be an event that gives football fans convenience and complete choice, allowing them to create their own experiences.

QNB Stars League

The QNB Stars League is the highest professional league in Qatari football, with the next tier being the Qatargas League. The league's first season was played in 1963, although the first official season occurred in 1972. The club which has won the maximum cumulative championships is Al Sadd SC, with 14 titles, including the most recent league. The league currently features 12 clubs, with one club being demoted to make room for one club being promoted.

2019 FIFA Club World Cup

The 2019 FIFA Club World Cup was the 16th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organized international club football tournament between the winners of the six continental confederations, as well as the host nation's league champions. The tournament was hosted by Qatar between 11 and 21 December 2019, taking place at two venues in Doha. Liverpool won the final 1–0 after extra time against Flamengo for their first FIFA Club World Cup title.

2019 Gulf Cup

The 2019 Gulf Cup was the 24th edition of the biennial football competition for the eight members of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation. Eight teams participated in the tournament between November 26 to December 8, 2019 in Qatar. Bahrain won the competition by a 1–0 victory against Saudi Arabia to secure their first title.