Qatar defeat Brunei 13–0 to Lead AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifying Group

Doha – The Qatari Olympic football team produced a scintillating performance to defeat Brunei 13–0 in the opening match of Group H in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, hosted at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.Star forward Mostafa Al Sayed led the charge with four goals, finding the net in the 4th, 22nd, 54th, and 57th minutes. Noureddine Ibrahim added a brace in the 55th and stoppage time (90+4), while Marwan Bramil also struck twice in the 68th and 83rd minutes.Qatar’s remaining goals came from Jassim Al Sharshani (6’), Mubarak Shanan (penalty, 11’), Mohammed Siraj (13’), Al Hashimi Al Hussain (20’), and Abdulaziz Mohammed (34’).With this emphatic win, Qatar claimed the top spot in Group H on goal difference, level on three points with India, who defeated Bahrain 2–0 in the other group fixture.

Team Qatar Share the Spoils with Bahrain in Behind-Closed-Doors Friendly

DOHA - Qatar and Bahrain played out an entertaining 2–2 draw in a closed-door international friendly at Al Thumama Stadium on Wednesday evening.For the reigning Asian champions, Mohammed Muntari and Ahmed Alaaeldin were on target, while Kamil Al-Aswad and Ebrahim Al-Khattal struck for Bahrain to ensure the contest ended all square.The match marked the first of two friendlies for Julen Lopetegui’s side during the international break, as Qatar fine-tune their preparations for next month’s crucial FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian play-offs. The Maroons will next face Russia on Sunday at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.In the play-offs, Qatar have been drawn alongside Oman and the UAE. They will meet Oman on October 8 before taking on the UAE on October 14. The group winners will book an automatic ticket to the 2026 World Cup, while the runners-up advance to a two-legged play-off on November 13 and 18 for a chance to reach the FIFA Playoff Tournament – the final pathway to qualification.Bahrain, who bowed out in the third round of the Asian qualifiers, are using these friendlies to gear up for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, scheduled from December 1 to 18. They will meet Djibouti in a one-off qualifier in November and face the UAE in another warm-up fixture on Monday.

Team Qatar Fencers capture five medals at West Asia Juniors and Cadets Championship

DOHA -  Manama -  Team Qatar delivered a standout performance at the ongoing West Asia Fencing Championship for Cadets and Juniors in Bahrain, clinching a total of five medals , three gold, one silver, and one bronze.The Qatari U-15 boys' foil team, comprising Adham Al Deeb, Ibrahim Youssef, Abdulrahman Bou Rajab, and Nasser Salah, struck gold in the team event. In the individual competitions, Isabel Betadini captured gold in the U-15 girls' foil, while Adham Al Deeb added another gold to Qatar’s tally with a victory in the U-15 boys' foil, underlining the nation's rising stature in youth fencing.Nasser Salah also earned silver in the U-13 boys' épée, and Abdulrahman Bou Rajab secured bronze in the U-15 boys' foil.These results highlight the growing success of the Qatar Fencing Federation's investment in youth development and its commitment to building a competitive generation capable of excelling on both regional and international stages. 

QOC strengthens Staff Cybersecurity Awareness through preventive Workshop

DOHA  – The Qatar Olympic Committee’s (QOC) Human Resources and Administrative Affairs Department, through its Talent Development and Management Unit, organized a cybersecurity awareness workshop today, in collaboration with the National Cyber Security Agency. The session, held at the Lusail Hall at the QOC headquarters, brought together 27 employees from the committee, sports federations, and sports committees.Ms. Al Jazi Al-Hajri, a certified trainer with the National Cyber Security Agency, delivered a comprehensive lecture covering the key pillars of cybersecurity. She began with an introduction to cybersecurity and its types, before addressing the risks and threats it entails, supported by examples of human-related vulnerabilities, viruses, and different forms of social engineering.In the second part of her presentation, Ms. Al-Hajri outlined the impacts of cyberattacks, including data and identity theft, psychological harm, financial losses, disruption of resources and services, and damage to credibility. In the third section, she presented a range of protection models designed to guard against hacking and cyber intrusions.The workshop aimed to provide practical solutions and guidance to strengthen system and data protection, enhance employee awareness, implement strict information access policies, and introduce advanced monitoring systems and regular software updates, ensuring a secure and stable digital work environment.This initiative forms part of the QOC’s training plan, designed to develop professional protection strategies and enhance institutional performance, in line with the strategic objective of creating an ideal work environment that attracts top talent, nurtures their skills, and retains expertise.At the conclusion of the workshop, the Human Resources and Administrative Affairs Department honored Ms. Al-Jazi Al-Hajri in recognition of her valuable contributions and educational insights, which help safeguard both employees and the organization from cyber threats and breaches.

Team Qatar to face Saudi Arabia at U-20 Gulf Cup

DOHA -  Qatar’s U-20 national football team will take on hosts Saudi Arabia today , Wednesday, at the Prince Sultan Sports City Stadium in Abha, in their final Group A match at the Gulf U-20 Cup, which runs until September 9.In the other group fixture, Kuwait will meet Yemen at the Damac Stadium. Saudi Arabia currently leads the group with four points, followed by Yemen on three, Kuwait on two, and Qatar in fourth place with one point.Qatar began their campaign with a 2–2 draw against Kuwait, before falling 1–0 to Yemen in their second outing. Head coach Emanuel Infante will be looking to steer his side back on track and secure their first victory of the tournament to keep semi-final hopes alive. For team Qatar  to progress, they must beat Saudi Arabia to reach four points, while hoping the Kuwait–Yemen clash ends in a draw.Infante also views the tournament as an important opportunity to gain valuable technical experience and prepare the squad for upcoming continental challenges.The tournament matches are being played across the Prince Sultan Sports City and Damac Stadiums, with the semi-finals scheduled for Sunday and the final set for September 10. 

Qatar Kick Off U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers with Brunei Clash

DOHA – Qatar’s Olympic team will launch its campaign in the 7th AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers on Wednesday when they face Brunei at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha. The Group H fixtures feature Qatar, Brunei, Bahrain, and India, with six matches to be played in total.The final tournament will be staged in Saudi Arabia for the first time, running from January 7 to 25, 2026. A record 44 teams are competing in the qualifiers, divided into 11 groups. The group winners along with the four best runners-up will advance to the finals.Led by Portuguese coach Ilídio Vale, Qatar will be targeting a strong start against Brunei before taking on India on Saturday and Bahrain on September 9. Backed by a talented squad and experienced technical staff, team have a clear path toward direct qualification.As part of their build-up, the team held an overseas training camp in Austria last August, fine-tuning preparations for this crucial campaign.Qatar have featured in five previous editions of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, playing 22 matches with a record of 11 wins, 7 draws, and 4 defeats. Their best achievements came in 2018, when they secured the bronze medal with a third-place finish, and in 2016, when they narrowly missed out on a medal by finishing fourth.