The Qatar Stars League is the top-tier football competition in Qatar’s football league system.
Historical Origins: The league was founded in 1963, though its first official season was held in 1972.
Competition Rules: Currently, the league features 12 teams competing in a home-and-away double round-robin format, with each season typically consisting of 22 matches. A team earns 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. At the end of the season, rankings are determined by accumulated points in descending order. In case of tied points, goal difference and then total goals scored are used sequentially to decide rankings. The league champion qualifies for the next season’s AFC Champions Elite group stage, the runner-up enters the AFC Champions Elite play-offs, and the third-place team secures a spot in the AFC Champions League 2 group stage. The second-to-last team participates in a relegation play-off, while the last-placed team is directly relegated to the second tier.
Season Schedule: The season usually starts in September and runs until April of the following year.
Domestic Cups: Qatar’s league system includes 5 domestic cup competitions:
The Qatar Emir Cup, open to all first and second-tier league teams. The Qatar Crown Prince Cup, featuring the top 4 first-tier league teams. The Sheikh Jassim Cup, serving as a prelude to the first-tier league’s regular season. The Qatar Stars Cup, held midway through the season. The Qatar FA Cup, involving the bottom 8 first-tier teams and second-tier teams.
Traditional Powerhouses: Al Sadd is the league’s traditional powerhouse, having won 16 league titles.
Event Promotion: The league receives extensive media coverage domestically and internationally. All matches are broadcast live on Al Kass Sports Channel, which also airs various programs covering all aspects of the league. The league is also widely reported by print media, radio, websites, and various social media platforms.
League Significance: Beyond being a competitive platform, the league is a key base for promoting football development in Qatar and nurturing talent. Many standout players in the league get opportunities to be selected for the national team, representing Qatar in international competitions.
