Qatar announces squad for Gulf Cup

Doha: The Qatar Football Association has announced a new-look national squad for the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup to be held in Basra, Iraq, from January 6 to 19, 2023. Many of the senior players who did duty at the 2022 FIFA World Cup have been rested while Portuguese Bruno Pinheiro has been named the coach of the 27-member squad. Those rested include Hassan Al Haydos, Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, Abdulaziz Hatem, Karim Boudiaf, Abdelkarim Hassan, Boualam Khoukhi, Bassam Al Rawi, Saad Al Sheeb and Pedro Miguel. Qatar, three-time winners of the Gulf Cup, are in Group B, also featuring Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Group A includes Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Oman. The squad: Meshaal Barsham, Yousef Abdullah, Tarek Salman, Abdullah Al Yazidi, Faisal Mohammed, Mustafa Meshaal, Muhammad Waad, Yousuf Abdurisag, Hashim Ali, Salem Al Hajri, Ali Asad (Al Sadd), Ismaeel Mohammed, Shehab El Laithi, Muhammad Ayash, Diab Haroun, Assim Madibo, Muhammed Muntari, Abdulrahman Fahmy (Al Duhail), Naif Al Hadhrami, Tamim Mansour (Al Rayyan), Homam Al Amin, Amro Suraj (Al Gharafa), Ahmed Fadel, Khaled Muneer, Hazem Ahmed (Al Wakrah), Mahmoud Abunada, Jassim Jaber (Al Arabi).

Morocco advance to World Cup Semi-Finals

Doha: Morocco national football team qualified to semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 after defeating Portugal 1-0, recording biggest Arab and African achievement in the history of World Cup. The coach of the Moroccan national team Walid Regragui expressed his great happiness at his team's arrival in the semi-finals, after today's victory over his Portuguese counterpart, 0-1, in the match played at Al Thumama Stadium in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. He continued: "The national team has proven that the impossible is not Moroccan, and everything is possible, and all the players have confirmed that and we succeeded in overcoming great teams. What has been achieved cannot be described as a miracle, rather it is the result of work, great spirit and perseverance. I spoke with the players before the World Cup that we do not want to go to play only three matches and we have the right to dream, and now is the time for the Moroccan national team." "We came up against a really great Portugal team. Were drawing on all we have, we still have guys injured. I told the guys before the match we had to write history for Africa. Im very, very happy," Regragui added. "Africa is back on the map of football today," he said. "We had the mentality. We knew we could make history for Africa. We had the right attitude for our people, for us, for Africa. It is always difficult for us African coaches. You dont think we can handle such teams tactically." Regragui said: "We're becoming the team that everyone loves at this World Cup, because we're showing that even if you don't have as much talent, if you show that desire, heart and belief, you can achieve." Morocco will play against either holders France or England on Wednesday at Al Bayt Stadium with the chance to become the first nation from outside Europe or South America to reach the World Cup final.  

Doha selected to host finals of 2025 World Table Tennis Championships

Doha: The 2025 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals is set to be staged in Doha, Qatar following a vote from Member Associations yesterday at the Annual General Meeting, during the ITTF Summit.  Doha won 57 votes against 39 for the other candidate city, Alicante, Spain. Doha, the capital of Qatar, is located on the country’s eastern coast and is a destination city for tourists and major sporting events alike. Yesterday's announcement continues Doha’s longstanding association as one of the most established cities in global table tennis. Having been hotspot for major events for almost three decades, the Qatari capital has recently proved itself a key location and launchpad for a new era in table tennis.  The WTT Middle East Hub in 2021 marked the first official events of World Table Tennis, successfully holding back-to-back Contender and Star Contender events in March last year.  Qatar’s commitment to staging premium blockbuster events guarantees more historic memories will be made when the World Championships Finals lands in Doha in 2025. The last World Championships Finals were staged in Houston, USA in 2021 and was broadcasted in more than 200 territories to over 500 million fans. As momentum builds on the global table tennis calendar, all eyes will be on Doha to host an event that continues ITTF’s mission to stage entertainment driven events while maintaining the tradition and history of the championships for both players and fans. Doha will mark the 59th edition of the World Championships.  

Morocco Defeat Spain to Qualify for Quarter-Finals

DOHA - Morocco made history and advanced to the last-8 in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 after defeating Spain in the round of 16 3-0 in penalty shoot-out after regular and extra times ended in a goalless draw at the Education City Stadium on Tuesday. The victory marks Morocco as the first-ever Arab and fourth African side to feature in the World Cup quarter-finals. Morocco goalie Yassine Bounou saved two penalties. In the last-8, Morocco will play against winner of Portugal-Switzerland clash that kicked off at 10 pm Doha local time.  

Team Qatar athletes participate in Cycle to Recycle event to support Sustainable Development Goals

DOHA – Team Qatar athletes Sheikha Al-Suwaidi and Abdullah Al Tamimi have participated in a one-day event (cycle to recycle) , which organized by the Qatar’s Education above All Foundation (EAA) at Msheireb Downtown Doha on December 6 to promote Sustainable Development goals (SDGs) and build up a new culture about the importance of SDGs. As part of the scoring for the goals campaign, cycling was a great way to raise awareness for SDGs. This cycling event was designed to encourage the public to work together for a more sustainable future. By cycling to get to the goals needed to achieve a more clean, efficient world for everyone. This activity was a great opportunity to advocate the SDGs in a fun way alongside high-level individuals and celebrities. EAA recently launched its ‘Scoring 4 the Goals’ campaign which is running throughout the FIFA World Cup. The campaign includes interactive exhibitions, activities and events at the SDGs pavilion at the FIFA Fan Festival. The foundation works to ensure equal access to education and to harness the power of quality education for positive, sustainable and inclusive change in alignment with the 2030 SDGs.  

FIFA reveals groundbreaking facts and figures as group stage wraps up

Doha: FIFA underlined in a report on Saturday that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the first edition of the FIFA World Cup to be hosted in the Middle East, has presented an array of groundbreaking facts and figures as group stage wraps up. The report highlighted a cumulative stadium attendance of 2.45 million spectators. That equals an average of 96% occupancy and is higher than the corresponding 2.17 million figure for the 2018 edition. The highest attendance in the history of the FIFA World Cup since the 1994 final was seen at Lusail Stadium, where 88,966 fans witnessed the Argentina v. Mexico match. On the pitch, the FIFA World Cup has faithfully reflected footballs increased competitiveness, as for the first time ever, teams from all continents have advanced to the round of 16. Likewise, three teams from the AFC (Australia, Japan and Korea Republic) have reached the knockout stages a competition record for the Asian confederation, which previously only had two, in 2002 and 2010. Equally remarkably, for the second time, two African teams (Senegal and Morocco) have reached the knockout stages the last occasion being in 2014, FIFA said. History was also made by Stephanie Frappart, who not only became the first woman to officiate a FIFA World Cup match, but also, together with Neuza Back and Karen D?az Medina, formed the first all-female trio to take charge. Against Ghana, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo achieved another incredible milestone by becoming the first player to score at five editions of the tournament. Many matches have attracted the best audiences of the year in their respective countries, with England v. USA becoming the most watched men's football match on US television ever, FIFA report added. As the group stage wrapped up last night, the FIFA Fan Festival welcomed its one millionth visitor. Besides the official tournament venues, Dohas seaside promenade the Corniche has attracted more than two million people since the start of the tournament, with the traditional Souq Waqif market becoming another hotspot for fans from around the world, according to the report. The most compact FIFA World Cup since the inaugural edition in 1930 is also benefiting fans, teams and media representatives, with the option of attending several matches and entertainment activities per day, while operations continue to run smoothly. During the group stage, the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram networks notched up 9.19 million trips, with a daily average of 707,032 passengers, FIFA stressed. According to FIFA report, the two international airports are comfortably accommodating the influx of fans and teams so far, 2 million Hayyas (Fan IDs) applications have been received, with fans from Saudi Arabia, India, the USA, the United Kingdom and Mexico at the top of the list for tournament attendance to date. In spite of the unprecedented condensed footprint, with 24 teams staying within a 10km radius of each other, players and officials have also smoothly transferred 3,321 times in and around Doha. CEO of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Nasser Al Khater noted the joy of the fans who visited Qatar and enjoyed the festive atmosphere, adding that the cultural exchange through football was enjoyable for all. He looked forward to the excitement of the knockout stage and to welcome thousands of fans from around the world to support their teams as they seek the final match at Lusail Stadium on Dec. 18. FIFA COO World Cup Colin Smith said: "Its been a fantastic World Cup, with groundbreaking figures and memorable moments both on and off the pitch. Fans are having an amazing time in Doha, and the whole world is following with excitement on TV as new records as set every day." "What some saw as a challenge, we saw as an opportunity. Teams, media and spectators are enjoying more matches, more festivals, more football, more fun the compact footprint is comfortably addressing the influx of visitors through state-of-the-art infrastructure and thorough operational plans," Smith added. "Together with the host country, we are constantly monitoring and addressing any situation that arises, but the figures already achieved and the fans celebrating together in a joyful and peaceful way throughout this group stage speak for themselves we are on track to deliver a successful and unforgettable FIFA World Cup," he continued. FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger said: "The outcome of the group stage shows the extent to which more countries have acquired the tools to compete at the highest level. This is the result of better preparation and analysis of the opponents, which is also a reflection of a more equal access to technology. It is very much in line with FIFAs efforts to increase footballs competitiveness on a global scale."