Qatar Stars League

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Qatar’s top football league, known as Qatar Stars League or as QNB Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top-tier football category in Qatar. The league was founded in 1963, but the first season was played in 1972.

The league has experienced several changes throughout its history, starting with the number of clubs playing this competition. The first editions of the league were played by nine teams, but the league was expanded to twelve teams since the 2009-10 campaign. Plans for another expansion have been revealed, but no date to see them taking place has been revealed.

The tournament takes place from late August-early September to May of the next year, in a round-robin format. The team that earns the most points wins the championship. Added to that, the champions clinch a spot in the AFC Champions League, joined by the league’s runners-up. There are two more AFCCL spots available, but the third and fourth-placed teams in this league will enter the preliminary stages of the tournament.

As for relegation proceedings, the team with the lowest number of points will be relegated to the Qatargas League, while the next-to-last club will have to fight for his place in the league via a promotion game.

The 2018-19 Qatar Stars League concluded with one more title for Al-Sadd, who won the title by a seven-point margin over Al-Duhail. Clubs Al-Sailiya and Al-Rayyan made it to the preliminary stages of the AFC Champions League after finishing third and fourth, respectively. Meanwhile, Al-Kharaitiyat was relegated to the Qatargas League, with Qatar SC holding on to their spot in the top-flight by beating Muaither SC in the promotion clash. Al-Sadd also earned a place in the first round of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, since Qatar will be playing the role of hosts.

The 2019-20 campaign in the Qatar Stars League will begin on August 21, 2019, and its conclusion is scheduled to take place in the first days of May 2020. Al-Wakrah was promoted from the Qatargas League ahead of this season, filling the void left by Al-Kharaitiyat. Just like in the 2018-19 edition, the champions will earn a spot in the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup.

Did you know? Al-Sadd, is the most successful team in Qatari football, having won fourteen titles to this day. This club is known around the world for hosting some top-notch players such as Raúl González, Ali Daei and more recently, Xavi Hernández.