Qatar to face India in Second Group Match of AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers

DOHA  – Qatar’s U23 national football team will take on India on Saturday in the second round of Group H of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.Qatar leads the group with three points, ahead of India on goal difference. The Indian side started their campaign with a 2-0 win over Bahrain, while Qatar opened in emphatic fashion with a 13-0 victory against Brunei.The other fixture in Group H will see Bahrain meet Brunei at Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium.Coached by Portuguese manager Helidio De Vale, Qatar will be looking to maintain their momentum with another win against India, before facing Bahrain in their final group match on Tuesday. Key players to watch include Mustafa Al-Sayyid, who netted four goals in the opener, along with Noureddine Al-Ibrahim, Marwan Bramel, and Abdulaziz Mohamed.The group stage concludes Tuesday, with Qatar playing Bahrain and India facing Brunei.The seventh edition of the AFC U23 Asian Cup will be hosted by Saudi Arabia for the first time from January 7 to 25, 2026. A total of 44 teams are competing in the qualifiers, divided into 11 groups. The group winners and the four best runners-up will join host nation Saudi Arabia in the 16-team finals. 

Qatari Fencers Shine with 12-Medal Haul at West Asian Championship in Bahrain

Manama – The Qatari fencing team concluded their campaign at the West Asian Junior and Youth Fencing Championship in Bahrain with a remarkable tally of 12 medals , six gold, two silver, and four bronze ,  underlining their growing strength on the regional stage.On the final day of competition, Qatar added three more medals, including two gold and a silver in the team events.The boys’ under-17 epee team of Youssef Abdel Tawab, Abdulrahman Al Jadra, Ali Al Khalif, and Adham Al Deeb captured gold, while the under-17 foil team of Adham Al Deeb, Ibrahim Youssef, and Abdulrahman Burjab secured silver.Earlier in the championship, Qatar’s medal run was highlighted by several standout performances. The boys’ under-15 foil team – featuring Adham El Deeb, Ibrahim Youssef, Abdulrahman Bu Rajab, and Nasser Salah – claimed gold, while Isabelle Bettadini triumphed in the girls’ under-15 foil individual, and Adham El Deeb added another gold in the boys’ under-15 foil.Individual brilliance continued with Adham Al Deeb striking gold in the under-17 men’s epee and Bettadini once again excelling with gold in the under-17 women’s epee.Qatar’s silver medal came through Nasser Salah in the under-13 boys’ epee, while bronze medals were collected by Abdulrahman Bu Rajab (under-15 boys’ epee, under-17 foil), Abdulrahman Al Jadra (under-17 epee), and Youssef Abdel Tawab (under-17 epee).With this strong showing, the Qatari delegation capped the week with 10 medals across the first five days before closing out with three more podium finishes on Thursday.This outstanding performance not only confirms the depth of Qatar’s fencing talent but also reinforces the national team’s ambition to continue achieving success at both the regional and international levels. 

Indonesia Women’s Gymnastics Team Continues Doha Training Camp Ahead of Global Events

Doha – The Indonesian women’s artistic gymnastics team is holding an extended training camp in Doha as part of their build-up to the Pharaohs Championship in Cairo later this month and the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta this October.The camp is hosted by the Qatar Gymnastics Federation, which has positioned Doha as a preferred destination for global teams seeking world-class training facilities.Federation President Ali Al-Hitmi announced that the coming weeks will also see several other international and regional teams arriving for camps, including delegations from Luxembourg, Jordan, Armenia, and Algeria. Discussions are also underway to welcome Brazil’s team ahead of the World Championships.As part of the program, Qatar’s women’s gymnastics team is training alongside their Indonesian counterparts in joint sessions designed to promote the exchange of expertise and expand competitive exposure for athletes on both sides.Eva, head coach of the Indonesian team, praised the facilities at the Qatar Gymnastics Federation, calling them among the best in the region. She highlighted the cutting-edge equipment, modern fitness halls, fully equipped medical clinic, and specialized spaces for coaches as reasons why Doha has become an increasingly popular base for elite gymnastics training camps.The collaboration underscores Qatar’s growing role as a hub for international gymnastics and its commitment to supporting athletes’ preparation for the highest levels of competition. 

Qatar Olympic Academy Concludes Course on Major Sports Event Management

DOHA  – The Qatar Olympic Academy has successfully concluded a specialized training course titled “Major Sports Event Management,” held from August 31 to September 4 at the Academy’s headquarters.The course brought together over 90 participants from Qatar and abroad, representing a wide range of professional and academic fields. Attendees included senior officials from sports federations, clubs, and institutions, along with professional athletes.The program was led by Dr. Sakis Batsilas, former Deputy Executive Director of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and a renowned expert in sports event management. With decades of experience, Dr. Batsilas has worked on the 2006 Doha Asian Games, the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, various European championships, and the Olympic Games.The training focused on nine key modules covering all aspects of organizing major sports events, using case studies such as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and other global tournaments.Executive Director of the Qatar Olympic Academy, Khalil Ibrahim Al Jaber, praised the course’s success and highlighted the strong turnout, which he said reflected the growing importance of this field.He emphasized that the course achieved its goals by enhancing administrative, technical, and organizational skills, and by transferring valuable expertise to the next generation of sports leaders. He also noted the diversity of the participants, both culturally and academically, as well as the wide range of institutions that nominated their staff.Al Jaber added that such initiatives strengthen Qatar’s sports community, support the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030, and advance the Academy’s mission to promote sports culture in society.He concluded by announcing that the Academy will continue its series of specialized programs, with a new course on Sports Facilities Management set to launch later this month. 

Qatar’s U-20 Hopes End with Group Stage Loss to Hosts Saudi Arabia

DOHA – The  Qatari U-20 national team wrapped up their Group A campaign at the Gulf Cup U-20 with a 2–0 defeat to hosts Saudi Arabia on Wednesday at Prince Sultan Sports City Stadium in Abha.In the group’s other fixture, Yemen overcame Kuwait with an identical 2–0 scoreline at Damac Stadium.The results confirmed Saudi Arabia’s progression to the semi-finals as Group A winners with 7 points, followed by Yemen in second place with 6 points. Kuwait finished third on 2 points, while Qatar ended their campaign in fourth with a single point.Qatar had opened their tournament with a 2–2 draw against Kuwait before narrowly losing 1–0 to Yemen in the second round.The Gulf Cup U-20, hosted in Abha, runs until September 9.

Qatar Volleyball Team Meets Ukraine in Final Tune-Up Ahead of World Championship

DOHA - The Qatar senior national volleyball team will take on Ukraine on Thursday in its fifth friendly match, marking the final phase of its domestic training camp in Doha ahead of the FIVB Volleyball World Championship, to be hosted by the Philippines from September 12 to 28.Qatar has already played four warm-up matches—two against Egypt and two against Iran. The double-header with Egypt, held on August 25 and 26, ended in two-set draws, while the meetings with Iran produced a 3–1 victory for the visitors in the third match and a four-set draw in the fourth.Head coach Camilo Soto of Argentina and his technical staff rotated the squad extensively, ensuring all players gained valuable match time while experimenting with tactical variations in preparation for the global stage.Ukraine, now in Doha, will face Qatar in a three-match series on September 4, 6, and 7 before departing for Manila on September 9 to join the World Championship.The draw placed Qatar in Group B, widely considered one of the toughest brackets, alongside defending champions Poland, the Netherlands, and Romania. Qatar will open its campaign against the Netherlands on September 13, before meeting Poland on September 15 and concluding the group stage against Romania on September 17. The top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 16.This will be Qatar’s second appearance at the World Championship finals, following their historic debut in the 2022 edition in Poland and Slovenia, which provided invaluable experience and a platform for the players to further develop before testing themselves against the world’s elite once again.