QBF unveils 2025 calendar of events

Doha: The Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) has revealed its event calendar for 2025, which features a range of camps and both official and friendly participations for national teams. This initiative is part of a broader strategy designed to improve the technical preparedness of players and to broaden their international exposure in anticipation of forthcoming continental and global competitions.The Qatari men's national team "A" will commence its training for the FIBA Asia Cup, scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from August 5 to 17, 2025. Preparations will include an external training camp in Turkey, set to occur from June 18 to July 3, 2025. This camp will focus on intensive training overseen by the technical staff, along with friendly matches aimed at enhancing both physical and tactical fitness.The tournament draw has placed the Qatari national team in Group A, alongside Australia, Lebanon, and South Korea, a grouping that observers have characterized as formidable. This presents additional challenges for the Qatari team as they strive to advance to the knockout stage. The winners of the group will qualify directly for the quarter-finals, while the teams finishing in second and third place will compete in playoffs to secure the remaining positions.The team will further its preparations in Doha from July 8 to 14, 2025, during which they will engage in friendly matches against Asian teams, before traveling to South Korea for a training camp from July 16 to 21, 2025. This camp will feature a series of friendly matches from July 18 to 20, offering valuable experience in competing against advanced Asian teams. Additionally, the Federation has announced the hosting of an international friendly tournament at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall from July 25 to August 1, 2025, which will include the national teams of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Japan.This tournament will provide the technical staff with an additional chance to evaluate their final preparedness prior to competing in the Asian Cup.The Qatari men's national team "B" is also gearing up to take part in the esteemed William Jones Cup, organized by the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) from July 12 to 20, 2025. The team will commence its participation with an internal training camp in Doha until July 10, which will encompass physical and technical assessments to finalize the roster.The William Jones Cup is recognized as one of the oldest unofficial international basketball tournaments, with its inaugural edition launched in 1977. Named in honor of the late FIBA founder, Renato William Jones, the tournament includes national teams and university clubs from across the globe, serving as an excellent platform for interaction and performance enhancement. The B team will also compete in the Arab Youth Championship, scheduled to take place in Nabeul, Tunisia, from July 23 to August 3, 2025, aimed at elevating the level of competition and acquiring further continental experience.At the youth level, the Qatari U-16 team is preparing to participate in the Gulf Cooperation Council U-16 Championship, hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain from July 7 to 13, 2025, which will serve as a qualifier for the AFC U-16 Asian Cup Finals, set to occur in Mongolia next September.On this occasion, Saadoun Sabah Al Kuwari, Secretary General of the Qatar Basketball Federation and Director of National Teams, stated: "We are heading into an exceptional year of work and preparation, which requires great cooperation from everyone: administrators, players, and the technical staff, to achieve our desired goals. We have developed a comprehensive plan for the national teams of all categories, ensuring the highest levels of readiness through external training camps and participation in specialized tournaments. The men's team's participation in the Asian Cup in Jeddah represents a crucial milestone, and we are confident in our players' abilities to perform to an honorable standard." Al Kuwari added: "Our participation in the historic William Jones Tournament and friendly tournaments also confirms our commitment to creating an optimal environment for interaction and development. We also pay special attention to the age groups, and we view the Gulf Junior Championship as an important gateway to emerging on the Asian stage. We are working to create a new generation of players who will represent the future of the game in Qatar." Al Kuwari concluded his remarks by emphasizing the institutional partnerships that support the success of this plan, praising the cooperation of the Qatar Olympic Committee, the clubs, and all supporters of national basketball. 

Team Qatar gear up for Asian Men’s Volleyball Cup

Manama: Team Qatar are intensifying their preparations in Bahrain for the sixth edition of the Asian Men’s Volleyball Cup, which runs through June 24, with high hopes of defending the continental title it won in 2024 and further cementing Qatar’s strong presence on the Asian volleyball scene.Under the leadership of Argentine coach Camilo Soto, the team is focusing on boosting both technical and physical readiness. The current phase follows a comprehensive training program that began in Doha, including specialized drills and high-level friendly matches, most notably against Japan—one of Asia’s volleyball powerhouses.Although Qatar’s scheduled opening match against Kazakhstan was canceled following the latter’s official withdrawal from the tournament for personal reasons, the coaching staff opted not to arrange a replacement fixture. Instead, they decided to maintain the pre-set preparation schedule to avoid any disruption to the team’s rhythm or mental focus. This decision reflects the squad’s strong commitment to achieving optimal readiness ahead of their upcoming clash with Australia on June 19—a match that will likely determine the top spot in Group B.Both Qatar and Australia have already advanced automatically to the quarterfinals due to Kazakhstan’s withdrawal, making the showdown between the two a decisive step toward the title. The knockout stage is set to begin on June 21, followed by the semi-finals on June 23, and the final on June 24, all taking place at Isa bin Rashid Hall in Riffa.This year’s tournament features three groups, with most groups comprising three teams each following Kazakhstan’s withdrawal, reducing the total number of participating teams to 11. The top two teams from each group will advance to the single-elimination quarterfinals.Team Qatar enters the tournament as the reigning champions, having won the 2024 edition—also held in Bahrain—when the event was known as the Asian Challenge Cup, following a well-deserved victory over Pakistan in the final. Now, the team is looking to build on that triumph and pursue back-to-back continental titles. 

Qatar, Saudi Arabia to host final round of AFC World Cup Qualifiers

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed that the Qatar Football Association and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation will serve as the Host Member Associations for the upcoming AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Playoffs.In an official statement, the AFC added that six teams - the third and fourth-placed sides from the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26, namely Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - will be divided into two groups of three teams. These teams will compete in a centralised format from October 8 to 14, 2025, with the two group winners securing the remaining automatic berths at the FIFA World Cup 2026.Subsequently, the runners-up from each group will face off in a two-legged AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Playoffs Knockout Stage on November 13 and 18, 2025, with the winner advancing to the FIFA Play-off Tournament.The official draw is scheduled to be held on July 17, 2025.

Doha Diamond League recognized for outstanding performances by Wanda Diamond League Council

Monaco: The Wanda Diamond League Council has officially recognized the Doha leg of the 2025 season as one of the standout events in terms of performance and record-setting, placing it among the season’s most competitive meets alongside upcoming events such as the Oslo Diamond League, set to take place this Friday.According to a statement published on the official Diamond League website, three of the 14 scheduled events in Oslo—namely the women’s 100m, the men’s 400m hurdles, and the men’s 800m—are expected to feature intense battles driven by the high-performance benchmarks set during the Doha meet last May.The council noted that the men’s 800m in Doha saw the fastest time of the season so far, clocked at 1:43.26 minutes by Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela. Oslo athletes will aim to surpass that mark, along with the season’s best of 49.32 seconds in the men’s 400m hurdles, also recorded in Doha. Meanwhile, the women’s 100m field will feature several global champions attempting to better the 10.92-second mark set in Doha by Jamaica’s Tia Clayton.These three events are part of a packed Oslo schedule that promises fierce competition in both men’s and women’s categories as the 2025 Diamond League season continues to build momentum.

Team Qatar line up for 2025 Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship

Doha: Argentina’s Camilo Andres Soto, head coach of the Qatari national men’s volleyball team, announced that the team is currently holding daily training sessions, including friendly matches against Japan, as part of a joint training camp hosted in Doha. The preparations come in the lead-up to the 2025 Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship, scheduled to take place in Bahrain from June 17 to 24, with the participation of 12 teams from across the continent.In a statement, Coach Soto described the friendly matches against Japan—ranked among the top five teams in the world—as a valuable opportunity for Team Qatar to assess their readiness against elite competition.He confirmed that the preparations are progressing according to plan, with the full roster of selected players taking part. The camp features intensive technical, tactical, and physical training sessions, aimed at enhancing the team's overall readiness and fostering cohesion among the players ahead of the official matches.Team Qatar will kick off their campaign on June 17 with a group-stage match against Australia, as part of Group B.The tournament will follow a group-stage format, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals, followed by the knockout rounds and culminating in the final to determine the Asian champion.The Qatari team aspires to deliver a strong performance that reflects the remarkable progress they have achieved in recent years. With focused preparations and a strong determination to succeed, the team aims to add a new continental achievement to Qatar’s growing volleyball legacy.

Hosts Qatar to face Italy in opener in FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025

Doha: With the official release of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 match schedule, football managers and team representatives shared their excitement for what will be a historic tournament. Set to take place in Qatar (3-27 November), this will be the first FIFA World Cup to feature 48 teams.“The tournament will be hosted in its entirety in the world-class Aspire Academy, with the final match to be held at Khalifa International Stadium, one of our historic Qatar 2022 venues,” said Rashid Al Khater, Executive Director of Operations of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC).Al Khater added: “This will be more than just a football tournament, as fans will be treated to a festival-like atmosphere where they can enjoy a robust fan zone that meets all their needs as they take in some exciting football matches.”Hosts Qatar have been drawn into group A alongside Italy, South Africa and Bolivia. The young Maroons will look to improve on Qatar’s best performance in the tournament when they claimed fourth place in 1991.“Having the Under-17 World Cup hosted in Qatar for five consecutive years provides young players with a wonderful opportunity to compete against the best teams in the world. This type of competition will have a great impact on the development of young players and will once again positively reflect Qatar’s ability to host mega sporting events,” said Alvaro Perez, head coach of the Qatar under-17 team.Drawn alongside Qatar are South Africa. For head coach Vela Khumalo, the tournament has the potential to have global impact. The Amajimbos will be making their second appearance at the FIFA U-17 World Cup after their debut in 2015.“The tournament is important for the entire world. That is why we were so keen to qualify and participate in competition hosted by Qatar. The World Cup provides us with a platform to interact with teams and players from all around the world, which will undoubtedly have a tremendous impact on the skills and abilities of our players,” said Khumalo.A total of 48 teams will play 104 matches over a period of 24 days. They have been divided into 12 groups. The first match will see hosts Qatar take on European giants Italy on 3 November.