Al sadd players take part in a training session during their pre-season camp in Austria. Al Sadd, the Qatar Stars League champions, along with Al Shamal and Al Gharafa will compete in the AFC Champions League Elite from September 15.
Doha, Qatar: Qatari football clubs and national teams are set for a demanding 2026-27 campaign, with a packed schedule of domestic, regional and continental competitions awaiting them over the coming months.
The new football season will get underway on August 20 with the Qatar Stars League, while the inaugural QSL2 League, introduced by the Qatar Stars League Foundation and featuring 12 teams, will also kick off. The domestic calendar will also include the Qatar Cup, Qatar Stars Cup and the Amir Cup.
The international assignments begin even before the league season, with Gulf Champions League winners Al Rayyan taking on Iraqi side Duhok in the Gulf Super Cup at Duhok Stadium on August 13.
Qatari clubs will once again have a strong presence in Asian competitions, with Qatar Stars League champions Al Sadd, runners-up Al Shamal and Amir Cup winners Al Gharafa competing in the AFC Champions League Elite.
The league stage begins on September 15, while the draw will be held on August 18 at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Under the competition format, each club will play eight league-stage matches, four at home and four away, facing one opponent from each seeding pot either home or away.
Al Shamal will be making its continental debut after finishing second in the Qatar Stars League last season to secure its first-ever qualification for Asia’s premier club competition.
Al Rayyan, who finished third in the league, will make its first appearance in the AFC Champions League Two and will be aiming to add the continental title to the Gulf Champions League crown it won for the first time last season.
Meanwhile, Al Duhail and Qatar SC will represent the country in the expanded Gulf Clubs Champions League.
Qatar’s national teams also face an equally busy international calendar.
The senior national team will begin its campaign at Gulf Cup 27, to be held in Jeddah from September 23 to October 6. Drawn in Group B alongside the UAE, Bahrain and Yemen, Al Annabi will be targeting a fourth Gulf Cup title after lifting the trophy in 1992, 2004 and 2014.
Attention will then shift to the AFC Asian Cup, where Qatar will defend the title they won in 2019 and 2023. The tournament will be hosted by Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, 2027.
Qatar have been drawn in Group F alongside Japan, Thailand and Indonesia. The defending champions will open their campaign against Thailand on January 11, face Indonesia on January 16 and conclude the group stage against Japan on January 20.
Following their participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the Gulf Cup and AFC Asian Cup will provide Qatar with an opportunity to regain the form that brought the nation back-to-back Asian titles.
Qatar will also host the FIFA U-17 World Cup from November 19 to December 13, with 48 teams competing for the second consecutive edition under the expanded format.
The tournament will once again be staged at Aspire Zone, with the final to be played at Khalifa International Stadium.
Hosts Qatar have been drawn in Group A alongside Egypt, Panama and Greece. The tournament will also feature four other Arab nations, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Algeria.
Doha will also stage the final rounds of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in December.
UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain have already secured a direct place in the final, while the semi-final will feature the winner of the playoff between AFC Champions League Elite winners Al Ahli Saudi and CAF Champions League holders Mamelodi Sundowns against the winner of the Derby of the Americas, which is yet to be decided.
Meanwhile, Qatar Stars League clubs began preparations for the new season in early July before departing for pre-season training camps across several European countries.
