Qatar Football Association
The governing body responsible for organizing and developing football in Qatar.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
The Qatar Football Association (QFA) is the national governing body for association football in Qatar. Founded in 1960 in response to the rapid growth of the sport, it administers the country's football competitions, represents Qatar within the international football system, and oversees national teams across men's, women's, youth and futsal categories. The association is headquartered in Doha and operates within the framework of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Football arrived in Qatar during the late 1940s alongside the expansion of oil-company activity. Clubs and informal competitions emerged during the 1950s, creating the conditions for a national administrative body. The QFA organized the first Qatar League in the 1972–73 season. It became a provisional FIFA member in 1970, obtained full FIFA affiliation in 1972, and joined the AFC in 1974. Domestically, the QFA organizes or supervises the principal competitions in the Qatar football system. These include the top-flight Qatar Stars League, the Qatari Second Division, reserve and amateur competitions, the Qatar Futsal League, and a range of school, university, community and youth programs. Its principal cup competitions include the Emir of Qatar Cup, Sheikh Jassim Cup, Qatar Cup, Qatari Stars Cup and Qatar FA Cup. Competition structures and commercial names can change over time, but the association remains the central regulator and organizer of the national game. The QFA also manages Qatar's representative teams, including the senior men's national team and the under-23, under-20 and under-17 sides, as well as the women's national team and futsal programs. Qatar's international development has included notable youth and senior achievements. The under-20 team reached the final of the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship, defeating Brazil and England before losing to West Germany. At senior level, Qatar won the AFC Asian Cup in 2019 and 2023, accomplishments that reinforced the country's emergence as a significant football nation in Asia. Qatar has hosted a series of major international tournaments, including the AFC Asian Cup in 1988 and 2011, the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019 and 2020, the FIFA Arab Cup in 2021, and the FIFA World Cup in 2022. The QFA was a key national football institution during these events, although responsibility for tournament delivery was shared with other Qatari bodies and international organizers. Qatar also hosted the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The association's development work extends beyond competitions. It collaborates with Aspire Academy and other football institutions on coaching education, player development and technical expertise. In September 2023, the QFA and Aspire Academy signed a cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening coaching education and joint technical capacity. The QFA's present role therefore combines regulation, competition administration, national-team management, grassroots development and international representation.
History
Football became established in Qatar after oil companies arrived in the late 1940s. Al Najah, recognized as the country's first football club, was formed in 1950, while competitions organized around oil-company communities helped spread the sport beyond informal matches. A tournament held in Dukhan in 1951 is described as Qatar's first football competition; the Pukett Cup followed during the 1957 season and was won by Al Najah. Before the creation of a national association, player transfers were governed by relatively simple rules. Until 1962, a player could generally move between clubs with a resignation letter and a nominal payment. The opening of Doha Stadium in 1962, the first grass-pitch venue in the Gulf region, provided a more formal setting for the growing game. Khalifa International Stadium, built during the 1970s and later refurbished and expanded between 2003 and 2017, became one of Qatar's best-known football venues. The QFA was founded in 1960 to provide national administration for football. It became a provisional FIFA member in 1970, joined FIFA fully in 1972 and entered the AFC in 1974. The association organized the first Qatar League in 1972–73 and subsequently developed the domestic league and cup structure. The Emir of Qatar Cup dates from 1972, the Sheikh Jassim Cup from 1977, the Qatar Cup from 1994, and the Qatari Stars Cup from 2009. A Qatar FA Cup was introduced after the 2020–21 Qatar Stars League season. Qatar's national teams gained early international attention in youth football. At the 1981 FIFA Junior World Championship in Australia, Qatar defeated Brazil in the quarter-final and England in the semi-final before finishing runner-up to West Germany. The senior team participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Qatar hosted the AFC Asian Cup in 1988 and 2011 and staged the Gulf Cup in 1976, 1992 and 2004, later winning the regional competition in 1992, 2004 and 2014. Doha hosted the 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship, won by Argentina. The country's football infrastructure and event-hosting role expanded in the twenty-first century. Aspire Academy was established in 2004 within the Aspire Zone, which has served as a training destination for clubs from Europe and elsewhere. The Qatar Futsal League was established in 2007, while amateur, community, school and university competitions were added or formalized during the 2010s. Qatar hosted the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019 and 2020 and the FIFA Arab Cup in 2021. At the Arab Cup, Qatar reached the third-place match after losing to Algeria in the semi-final and defeated Egypt on penalties. Qatar won its first AFC Asian Cup in 2019 and retained the continental title at the 2023 tournament, which it hosted. Between those events, it staged the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The national team did not advance from its group, but the tournament represented the largest football event ever held in the country. In 2023, the QFA changed presidents, with Jassim Rashid Al Buenain succeeding Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani. The same year, the QFA and Aspire Academy formalized cooperation intended to improve coaching education and technical development.
- 2023
Leadership change and second Asian Cup title
[1]Jassim Rashid Al Buenain became president, and Qatar won the AFC Asian Cup for the second time.
- 2022
Qatar hosts FIFA World Cup
[1]The country hosted the FIFA World Cup from November to December 2022.
- 2021
Qatar hosts FIFA Arab Cup
[1]Qatar hosted the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup in venues later used for the World Cup.
- 2019
Qatar wins first AFC Asian Cup
[1]The senior national team won its first continental championship.
- 1995
Doha hosts FIFA World Youth Championship
[1]Qatar hosted the tenth FIFA World Youth Championship in April 1995.
- 1981
Youth team reaches world championship final
[1]Qatar's youth team defeated Brazil and England at the FIFA Junior World Championship before losing the final to West Germany.
- 1974
AFC membership
[1]The QFA joined the Asian Football Confederation.
- 1972
FIFA affiliation and first Qatar League
[1]Qatar received full FIFA affiliation, and the first Qatar League was organized in the 1972–73 season.
- 1970
Provisional FIFA membership
[1]The association became a provisional member of FIFA.
- 1960
Qatar Football Association founded
[1]The QFA was established as the national body for administering and developing football in Qatar.
Products and positioning
Qatar's central football institution, combining domestic competition governance, national-team representation, player development and international tournament hosting.
Domestic professional league
Qatar Stars League
Qatar's highest-level domestic football competition, organized within the national league system and commonly associated with 12 participating teams. Its commercial naming has changed over time, including the Expo Stars League designation.
Domestic professional league
Qatari Second Division
The second tier of Qatar's men's football structure. It provides competitive football below the top division and is administered as part of the QFA's domestic competition framework.
Domestic cup · 1972
Emir of Qatar Cup
Established in 1972, the Emir of Qatar Cup is one of the country's principal knockout competitions and is described as Qatar's largest domestic tournament.
Domestic cup · 1977
Sheikh Jassim Cup
A domestic cup founded in 1977 and traditionally played at the beginning of the season, forming part of Qatar's established annual football calendar.
Domestic cup · 1994
Qatar Cup
Founded in 1994, this competition is contested by the leading Qatar Stars League teams at the end of the season.
Domestic cup · 2009
Qatari Stars Cup
Founded in 2009, the competition uses a group and knockout format and permits clubs to use younger players, including under-19 and under-23 footballers.
Futsal competition · 2007
Qatar Futsal League
A national futsal league founded in 2007. Its winner qualifies for the AFC Futsal Club Championship, linking domestic futsal with the continental club pathway.
Representative football programs
National teams
The QFA administers Qatar's men's senior, under-23, under-20 and under-17 teams, together with the women's national team and related youth and futsal representative programs.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023QFA–Aspire Academy coaching cooperation
Qatar
The QFA and Aspire Academy established a cooperation agreement focused on coaching education and the development of shared technical expertise.
Outcome. The agreement strengthened the formal relationship between Qatar's football governing body and its major sports-development academy.
Brand decisions
2023
Elect Jassim Rashid Al Buenain as presidentOtherBackground
The QFA held a presidential election after Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani's long tenure, which began in 2005.
Action taken
Jassim Rashid Al Buenain was elected president on 2 June 2023.
Aftermath
Al Buenain became the association's current president.
2023
Expand cooperation on coach educationStrategyBackground
Qatar's football system continued to invest in technical development and domestic coaching capacity.
Action taken
The QFA signed a cooperation agreement with Aspire Academy covering coaching education and shared expertise.
Aftermath
The agreement created a formal framework for joint technical-development work.
Recent events
- 2023
Qatar Football Association elects Jassim Rashid Al Buenain as president[1]
Leadership change
Jassim Rashid Al Buenain was elected QFA president on 2 June 2023, succeeding Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, who had held the position since 2005.
- 2023
QFA and Aspire Academy sign coaching-development cooperation agreement[1]
Other
The QFA and Aspire Academy agreed to cooperate on coaching education and the development of shared technical expertise.
- 2023
Qatar wins the 2023 AFC Asian Cup[1]
Other
Qatar hosted and won the AFC Asian Cup, adding a second continental title to its 2019 victory.
- 2022
Qatar hosts the 2022 FIFA World Cup[1]
Other
Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup from 20 November to 18 December 2022. The national team lost all three group matches and became the first host nation to be eliminated in the group stage.
Sources2 sources
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