The 45th edition of the Emir Cup - the most popular football tournament in the country - will kick off with two first-round matches involving Al Markhiya, Qatar SC, Mesaimeer and Al Shamal today.
The winners of the two matches will advance to the second phase of the tournament which will be joined by Qatar Stars League (QSL) sides.
The second round will be played with the participation of 16 teams.
Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium will host Qatar SC and Mesaimeer match at 5.15 pm followed by the second game between Al Markhiya and Al-Shamal. The second game will kick off at 7.45pm.
A clear winner is required in both matches. However, if there are no clear winners in regulation time, then no extra time will be used as teams will take penalties to finalise the outcome of the matches, organisers said yesterday.
A keen tussle is expected in game one in which Qatar SC take on Mesaimeer. Qatar SC won the Emir Cup in 1974 and 1976.
The tournament will conclude in May signalling the end of the football season in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Qatar are ranked 89 on the FIFA computer, details showed yesterday.
Coached by Jorge Fossati, Qatar have a tally of 369 points following two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in March.
In Asia, Qatar are ranked at number 10.
Iran (world rank 28) are the top side in Asia followed by Korea Republic (43), Japan (44), Australia (50), Saudi Arabia (52), Uzbekistan (60), the United Arab Emirates (74), Syria (80) and China (81).
Meanwhile, Brazil have capped off a fine fortnight of football as they moved to the top of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, reclaiming their seat at the top of the podium after a long wait.
Brazil surpassed Argentina to take top spot in the latest FIFA world rankings, the first time they have reached the summit in seven years, FIFA.com said.
Brazil have not been in top spot since the 2010 World Cup, when they were knocked out by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
They are now on 1,661 points, 58 above their rivals Argentina.
The next set of rankings will be released in early May.
