Qatar has become a global sports hub, particularly taking center stage when it comes to hosting the major football tournaments. Over the years, the country has hosted multiple football tournaments, and two years ago, it was home to the best-ever FIFA World Cup – the first in the Middle East and the Arab world. Though the FIFA World Cup was the pinnacle of Qatar’s decades-long journey of hosting mega sports events, the country didn’t stop bringing top competitions to its soil.
Earlier this year, Qatar staged the AFC Asian Cup 2023, hailed as the “greatest-ever” edition of the continental showpiece. Qatar will continue hosting major football tournaments, having already secured the hosting rights for several events over the next 10 years. To ensure continued organisational excellence, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) recently tasked the Organizing Committee for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup to carry on its mission. After restructuring, the body will now function as the “Local Organizing Committee for Football Events.”
Minister of Sports and Youth H E Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, a former QFA president, will continue to lead the committee, with Jassim Abdulaziz Al Jassim remaining as the CEO. “This reformation expands the committee’s responsibilities beyond the historic 2023 AFC Asian Cup, entrusting it with a decade-long oversight of key international football tournaments hosted by Qatar,” said a QFA statement. Due to its state-of-the-art infrastructure and top-tier organisational skills, Qatar has been selected by FIFA to host major tournaments, including the 2024 Intercontinental Cup matches, three editions of the Arab Cup (2025, 2029, 2031), and five consecutive FIFA U-17 World Cup tournaments from 2025 to 2029.
The Local Organizing Committee for Football Events will oversee these prestigious tournaments. Building on past successes, this development will ensure Qatar continues its excellence in delivering these events in a blockbuster fashion, also setting new benchmarks like it does in every tournament. The first major task for the restructured QFA body will be delivering the three FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024 matches, including the final on December 18. Announced in December last year, this tournament will replace the annual Club World Cup, now set to be held every four years with 32 teams starting in 2025.
In another development over the weekend, the Board of Trustees of the QFA Awards introduced the Best Goalkeeper Award to encourage excellence and promote healthy competition among goalkeepers. Additionally, the Best Stand Award will debut in the next QFA Awards to motivate clubs to better engage with and inspire their supporters to attend matches. These new awards underscore the QFA’s commitment to raising the quality of play on the field and fan involvement in the stands.
