Qatar Stars League

Qatar Stars League

Country	Qatar
Confederation	AFC
Founded	1963 (1963)
Number of teams	14
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Qatargas League
Domestic cup(s)	Emir Cup Crown Prince Cup Sheikh Jassem Cup
International cup(s)	AFC Champions League AFC Cup GCC Champions League
Current champions	Al-Rayan SC (8th title) (2015–16)
Most championships	Al-Sadd SC (13 titles)
TV partners	Al Jazeera Sports, Al-Kass
Website	qsl.com.qa
2016–17 Qatar Stars League

The Qatar Stars League (Arabic: دوري نجوم قطر), formerly known as the Q-League (Arabic: س الدوري), 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 league's most recent winner was Lekhwiya SC, and the club who has won the most cumulative championships is Al Sadd SC, with 12. The league currently features 14 clubs, with one club being demoted to make room for one club being promoted.

The Qatari league system provides 4 domestic cups that these clubs are able to participate in: the Emir of Qatar Cup, open to all teams in both the first and second divisions, the Qatar Crown Prince Cup a postseason tournament played by the top four first division teams, the Sheikh Jassem Cup, a prelude to the first division regular season, and the Qatari Stars Cup, a round-robin tournament played midseason. The league title has been won by 8 different clubs since its inception.

League structure

There are 2 divisions in the Qatari football structure and the league has previously seen one club promoted and relegated each year except in expansion seasons. The Qatar Stars League, previously known as the Q-League currently features 14 teams, with the 2nd division featuring 18 teams. The top four clubs at the end of the regular league system participate in the Qatar Crown Prince Cup, which was formed in the 1994/95 season.^[1]

The Qatar Stars League has slowly expanded since the turn of the decade moving from 9 clubs to 10 clubs, and then latest setup of 12 clubs for the Qatari League 2009-10 campaign. It was announced that in the 2013-14 season, the number of clubs in the top division would increase to 14, whereas the second division would increase to 18 clubs which includes the reserve teams of the top division clubs.^[2]

There are currently 4 official amateur football leagues in Qatar. Three amateur leagues are under the jurisdiction of the Qatar International Amateur Football League (QIAFL), and the fourth, known as the Qatar Amateur League (QAL) is recognized by the QFA. Inaugurated in November 2013,^[3] the QAL has 14 teams, all of which were established through the country's government, political and social sectors.^[4]

It was announced on 15 April 2009 that no clubs would be relegated from the top flight in the Qatari League 2008-09 season, due to expansion reasons, however the announcement was made with only one game remaining.^[5] That year, the top league expanded to 12 clubs. In May 2013, the QFA again expanded the league by two more teams, bringing the total number of clubs in the first division to 14.^[6]

History

The first unofficial season of the Qatar Stars League was the 1963/64 season, 3 years after the formation of the QFA. Similarly, a second division was also created during this time. For many years, there was no promotion or relegation system.^[7]

In 1972/73, the first official season was played.^[8] Al Estaqlal, now known as Qatar SC, won the first championship.

The first time there was a playoff for the championship was in 1980, between Al Sadd and Al Arabi. Al Sadd won the match 1–0.^[7]

Although a second division had been in place for some time, there was no relegation or promotion system. However, in 1981, such a system was put in place for the first time. Five clubs participated in the second division that year.^[7]

In 1984/85, there was no relegation or promotion due to the participation of a majority of the Qatari players within the national team, who were then preparing for the qualification rounds of the 1986 FIFA World Cup.^[7]

In 1994, for one season, the QFA launched a new system where matches ending in draws would end in a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. This was put in place in an effort to improve attendance.^[7]

Three second division clubs were dissolved in the 1990 season: Al Nasr, Al Tadamon, and Al Nahda. Many of their players were distributed to first division clubs and became prominent players in Qatari football history, such as Fahad Al Kuwari, Ahmed Al Kuwari and Hamad Al Khalifa. After the dissolution of these clubs, there was no longer any relegation or promotion for five years. In 1995/96, the second division was brought back with five clubs, while there ten clubs participating in the first division.^[7]

Another method the QFA attempted to develop the league was allocating each Q-League club with a sum of $10,000,000 to buy big-name foreign players in order to increase popularity in 2003. It succeeded, and players such as Ronald and Frank de Boer, Pep Guardiola, and Gabriel Batistuta soon appeared in the league.^[9]

In addition, in 2004, the Aspire Academy was formed, which provides world-class training facilities to young people in order to not only improve the footballing standard in Qatar, but internationally. Many notable players have graduated from the academy, including Abdelkarim Hassan, Saad Al Sheeb, and Ibrahim Majid.^[10]

In 2009, no clubs were relegated from the top division. Due to the recent formation of Lekhwiya and El Jaish, this meant that the second division would lose two clubs while two more clubs would enter the first division, bringing the total number of clubs in the first division to 12, and the second division to 6.^[5] As part of the expansion campaign, the "Q-League" changed its name to what it is currently known as, "Qatar Stars League",^[11] and inaugurated a new domestic cup, the "Qatari Stars Cup".^[12]

Qatar Stars League member clubs

Table as of 2015–16 Season:

Qatar Stars League
Club	Location	Stadium	Year Formed
Al Ahli Doha	Doha	Khalifa International Stadium	1950
Al-Arabi Doha	Doha	Grand Hamad Stadium	1952
Al-Gharafa	Al-Gharafa, Al Rayyan	Thani bin Jassim Stadium	1979
Al Kharaitiyat	Al Kharaitiyat, Umm Salal	Al-Khawr Stadium	1996
Al-Khor	Al Khor City, Al Khor	Al-Khawr Stadium	1961
Al Rayyan	Al Rayyan	Ahmed bin Ali Stadium	1967
Al Sadd	Al Sadd, Doha	Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium	1969
Al Sailiya	Doha	Ahmed bin Ali Stadium	1995
Al-Wakrah	Al Wakrah	Al-Wakrah Stadium	1959
El Jaish (Army Club)	Duhail, Doha	Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium	2007
Lekhwiya	Doha	Al-Gharafa Stadium	2009
Mesaimeer	Mesaimeer, Al Rayyan	Al-Sailiya Stadium	1998
Qatar SC	Al Dafna, Doha	Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium	1959
Umm Salal	Umm Salal	Grand Hamad Stadium	1996

Al-Maref, a club representing the Ministry of Education and composed entirely of foreigners, was dissolved in 1966-67 by decision of the QFA and its players distributed to other clubs;^[13]
In 1971-72 Al-Wehda and Al-Tahrir merged into Al-Arabi SC;^[13]
In 1971-72 Al-Ahli and Al-Najha merged into Al Ahli SC;^[13]
In 1971-72 Al-Oruba and Al Nasour merged into Al-Esteqlal, which was renamed Qatar SC again in 1981^[13]
Al-Qadisiya renamed as Al-Sailiya SC in 2003^[14]
Al Ittihad Doha renamed as Al-Gharafa SC in 2004^[15]
Al-Hilal renamed as Al-Kharitiyath SC in 2004^[16]
Al-Tadamun renamed as Umm Salal SC in 2004^[17]
Al-Ittifaq renamed as Al-Markhiya in 2004^[18]
Al-Shoala renamed as Al-Mesaimeer in 2004^[19]
Al-Nasr renamed as Al-Shahaniya in 2004^[20]
Al-Shabab renamed as Muaither SC in 2004^[21]

Championship history

The champions are:^[13]

Most successful clubs

Al Sadd are the most successful team in the league

#	Club	Champions
1	Al-Sadd SC	13
2	Qatar SC (Al-Esteqlal)	8
3	Al-Rayyan SC	8
4	Al-Gharafa SC (Al-Ittihad)	7
5	Al-Arabi SC	7
6	Lekhwiya SC	4
7	Al-Maref	3
8	Al-Wakrah SC	2

Total titles won by town or city

Town or city	Number of titles	Clubs
Doha	35	Al-Sadd SC (13), Qatar SC (8), Al-Arabi SC (7), Lekhwiya SC (4), Al Maref (3)
Al Rayyan	15	Al-Rayyan SC (8), Al-Gharafa SC (7)
Al Wakrah	2	Al-Wakrah SC (2)

Total titles won by region

Region	Number of titles	Clubs
Doha	35	Al-Sadd SC (13), Qatar SC (8), Al-Arabi SC (7), Lekhwiya SC (4), Al Maref (3)
Al Rayyan	15	Al-Rayyan SC (8), Al-Gharafa SC (7)
Al Wakrah	2	Al-Wakrah SC (2)
Al Khor	-
Madinat ash Shamal	-
Umm Salal	-

Post-season awards

An award system was developed in 2006 in which the best player and coach of the footballing season are selected by a panel of journalists. Each award winner receives $100,000.^[22]^[23] There are also awards for youth players and club staff.

Player of the Year	Club	Manager of the Year	Club
2006^[22]
Sebastián Soria	Al Gharafa	Jorge Fossati	Al Sadd
2007^[22]
Emerson Sheik	Al Sadd	Jorge Fossati	Al Sadd
2008^[22]
Aziz Ben Askar	Umm Salal	Marcos Paquetá	Al Gharafa
2009^[22]
Leonardo Pisculichi	Al Arabi	Sebastião Lazaroni	Qatar SC
2010^[22]
Juninho	Al Gharafa	Caio Júnior	Al Gharafa
2011^[22]
Bakari Koné	Lekhwiya	Abdullah Mubarak	Al Ahli
2012^[24]
Rodrigo Tabata	Al Rayyan	Diego Aguirre	Al Rayyan
2013^[25]
Khalfan Ibrahim	Al Sadd	Hussein Amotta	Al Sadd

Top goalscorers

Source:^[26]

Year		Best scorers	Team	Goals
1972/73		Awodh Hassan	Al-Esteqlal	10
1973/74	unknown
1974/75	Not held
1975/76		Jamal Al Khatib	Al-Esteqlal	8
1976/77	unknown
1977/78	unknown
1978/79		Hassan Mattar	Al-Sadd SC	11
1979/80		Hamdan Hamed Badr Bilal Sharif Abdul-Hamed	Al Ahli SC Al-Sadd SC Qatar SC	?
1980/81		Hassan Mattar	Al-Sadd SC	9
1981/82		Mansoor Muftah	Al-Rayyan SC	19
1982/83		Mansoor Muftah	Al-Rayyan SC	10
1983/84		Mansoor Muftah	Al-Rayyan SC	7
1984/85		Ahmed Yaqoub	Al-Arabi SC	7
1985/86		Mansoor Muftah	Al-Rayyan SC	20
1986/87		Hassan Sabela	Al Ahli SC	9
1987/88		Hassan Jowhar	Al-Sadd SC	11
1988/89		Farshad Pious	Al Ahli SC	9
1989/90		Marco Antônio	Al-Arabi SC	10
1990/91		Mahmoud Soufi	Al-Ittihad	10
1991/92		Mubarak Mustafa	Al Arabi SC	8
1992/93		Mubarak Mustafa	Al Arabi SC	9
1993/94		Ahmed Radhi	Al-Wakrah SC	16
1994/95		Mohammed Salem Al-Enazi	Al-Rayyan SC	9
1995/96		Ricky Owubokiri	Al-Arabi SC	16
1996/97		Mubarak Mustafa	Al-Arabi SC	11
1997/98		Hussein Amotta	Al-Sadd SC	10
1998/99		Fabrice Akwa	Al-Wakrah SC	11
1999/2000		Mohammed Salem Al-Enazi	Al-Rayyan SC	14
2000/01		Mamoun Diop	Al-Wakrah SC	14
2001/02		Rachid Amrane	Al-Ittihad	16
2002/03		Rachid Rokki	Al-Khor SC	15
2003/04		Gabriel Batistuta	Al-Arabi SC	25
2004/05		Sonny Anderson	Al-Rayyan SC	20
2005/06		Carlos Tenorio	Al-Sadd SC	21
2006/07		Younis Mahmoud	Al-Gharafa SC	24
2007/08		Clemerson de Araújo	Al-Gharafa SC	27
2008/09		Magno Alves	Umm Salal SC	25
2009/10		Cabore Younis Mahmoud	Al-Arabi SC Al-Gharafa SC	21
2010/11		Younis Mahmoud	Al-Gharafa SC	15
2011/12		Adriano	El Jaish SC	18
2012/13		Sebastián Soria	Lekhwiya SC	19
2013/14		Dioko Kaluyituka	Al Ahli SC	22
2014/15		Dioko Kaluyituka	Al Ahli SC	25
2015/16		Rodrigo Tabata	Al-Rayyan	21

References

↑ "Heir Apparent Cup finals" (in Arabic). Al Kass. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "QSL confirms expansion move". Doha Stadium Plus. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
↑ "Qatar Amateur League". Qatar Stars League. Archived from the original on 4 December 2015.
↑ "Amateur League kick-off on Nov 11". Doha Stadium Plus. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
1 2 "Qatar Stars League (QSL)". mail.asiancup2011.com.qa. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
↑ "QSL expands to 14 teams". Qatar Sports Today. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
1 2 3 4 5 6 دوري نجوم قطر. mail.asiancup2011.qa (in Arabic). Retrieved 30 July 2015.
↑ "« عن الريان « تاريخ النادي" (in Arabic). Al Rayyan Club. Archived from the original on 30 July 2015.
↑ "Football in Qatar". Qatar Visitor. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015.
↑ "Champ magazine, issue 7". Aspire Academy. December 2014. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ Matthias Krug (29 August 2009). "An Asian armada sets sail for Europe". ESPN FC. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "QNB The Exclusive Partner of QATAR STARS CUP". QNB. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
1 2 3 4 5 "Qatar — List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
↑ "Al Sailiya SC". Welt Fussbal Archiv. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Al Gharafa SC". Welt Fussbal Archiv. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Al Kharaitiyath SC". Welt Fussbal Archiv. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Umm-Salal SC". Welt Fussbal Archiv. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Al Markhiya SC". Welt Fussbal Archiv. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Al Mesaimeer SC". Welt Fussbal Archiv. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Al Shahaniya SC". Welt Fussbal Archiv. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Al Mu'aidar SC". Welt Fussbal Archiv. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "QFA to name Player of the Year on Sunday". Qatar Football Association. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015.
↑ QFA announce $100,000 for best player Doha Press.
↑ "Tabata & Aguirre named season heroes". Qatar Stars League. 13 May 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Sadd's Khalfan, Raul, Amotta shine at QFA awards gala". Gulf Times. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Qatar - List of Topscorers". rsssf.com. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

External links

Football in Qatar

Qatar Football Association

National teams	Men's U-23 U-20 U-17 Women's

League competitions	Qatar Stars League Qatargas League

Domestic Cup competitions	Emir of Qatar Cup Qatar Cup Qatari Super Cup Qatar 2nd Division Cup Qatari Stars Cup (defunct)

International Cup competitions	International Friendship Tournament

Lists and categories	Clubs Expatriate managers

Men's clubs Men's players Expatriate footballers Managers Referees Venues

Qatar Stars League

Qatar Stars League	Al Ahli Al Arabi Al Gharafa Al Kharaitiyat Al Khor Al Rayyan Al Sadd Al Sailiya Al Shahania Al Wakrah El Jaish Lekhwiya Muaither Umm Salal

Qatari 2nd Division	Al Ahli Reserves Al Arabi Reserves Al Gharafa Reserves Al Kharaitiyat Reserves Al Khor Reserves Al-Markhiya Mesaimeer Al Rayyan Reserves Al Sadd Reserves Al Sailiya Reserves Al-Shahania Reserves Al-Shamal Al Wakrah Reserves El Jaish Reserves Lekhwiya Reserves Muaither Reserves Qatar Umm Salal Reserves

Competitions	Emir of Qatar Cup Qatar Crown Prince Cup Qatar Sheikh Jassem Cup Qatari Stars Cup AFC Champions League GCC Champions League

Lists and categories	Clubs Managers Players (foreign) Performance in Asian competition Performance in AFC Champions League

Seasons	1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16

Top level football leagues of Asia (AFC)

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^† Provisional Associated Member

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