QSL Cup set to kick off on September 20

Doha, Qatar: The 2026-2027 QSL Cup will kick off on September 20, with 19 teams set to compete in the tournament following Al Sadd’s withdrawal, the Qatar Stars League (QSL) announced.

The competition will feature 11 QSL teams and eight Jetour League sides. The teams will be divided into five levels based on their standings in their respective leagues last season, with each team playing four matches against teams from the other levels in the first stage. xsportfeed.quest

The top eight teams will advance to the quarter-finals, which will be played as single-match knockouts. If a knockout match ends in a draw after 90 minutes, the winners will be decided directly by penalties, with no extra time.

The tournament’s technical meeting was held yesterday, with Ahmed Abdullah Al Sayed, QSL Head of Football Operations, Hassan Al Thawadi of the Qatar Football Association Referees Department and representatives of the participating clubs in attendance.

The meeting reviewed the competition format and levels, along with matchday procedures, coordination between the relevant parties and the need for clubs to meet organisational requirements and deadlines.

The approved home and away kits for all teams were also confirmed in line with tournament regulations.

اعتبر مدرب باريس سان جرمان لويس إنريكي أن فريقه يعيش «بداية موسم كارثية» من حيث النتائج، بعد سلسلة من التعادلات والهزائم خلال الأسابيع الأخيرة لبطل فرنسا وأوروبا في كرة القدم.
وقال إنريكي عشية دخول حامل اللقب في الموسمين الماضيين منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا بمواجهة سلوفان براتيسلافا السلوفاكي «إذا تحدثنا فقط عن النتائج، فهي بداية موسم كارثية، لكن كمدرب أسعى إلى تقييم كل ما يحدث على أرض الملعب. هناك أمور يجب تحسينها، لكننا نستحق نقاطا أكثر».

Doha, Qatar: Qatar head to the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with high hopes in squash and padel, looking to strengthen its presence on the Asian sporting stage.

The Games run in Japan from September 19 to October 4, and Qatar’s squash and padel teams are targeting strong finishes and a place on the podium.

The occasion carries extra weight for Qatar’s padel players, since padel makes its official Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya.

The padel squad, coached by Pablo Nicolas Sisti and Florencia Sofia Galdo, features Rashid Nawaf Nayef, Mishari Nawaf Nayef, Hassan Adel Wali and Mohammed Saadoun Al-Kuwari. The women’s team includes Maha Abdul Redha Faramarzi, Hanan Hassan Al-Abdulrahman, Mariam Mansour Al-Sultan and Dana Mohammed Al-Mudahka.

Mohammed Saadoun Al-Kuwari

Qatar’s padel team took silver at the inaugural Asian Padel Championships in Doha in 2025 and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2021. They also won the inaugural Gulf Padel Challenge Cup in 2022, and beat Saudi Arabia and Bahrain at this year’s Gulf Games in Doha.

In squash, Qatar’s hopes rest largely on Abdullah Mohammed Al Tamimi, who won bronze in the men’s singles at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Al Tamimi added another big continental medal in 2025, taking silver at the Asian Squash Championships in Malaysia. He’s also picked up wins at the Cape Town Squash Championship, Qatar Challenger Championship, and the Atlanta and Qatar Professional Championships.

Alongside Al Tamimi, the squash team includes Syed Azlan Iqbal, Salem Yousef Al-Malki and Ali Ahmed Al-Darwish, coached by Amir Wajih Radwan.

Both teams have gone through intensive preparations - domestic and overseas training camps, fitness work, competitive matches. The padel programme in particular has focused on building chemistry between the pairs.

Qatar Tennis, Squash, Padel and Badminton Federation Secretary General Tareq Zainal voiced confidence in the teams’ preparations and their medal chances.

Speaking to the Qatar News Agency, Zainal pointed to the players’ experience, technical ability and recent progress as reasons for optimism heading into the Games.

He said the federation’s combined administrative and technical preparations, together with the athletes’ determination and experience, give Qatar the foundation it needs to compete at the highest level. Zainal also stressed the importance of using the Asian Games to grow racket sports in Qatar, inspire the next generation and raise the country’s profile in major continental and international competitions.

Qatar’s contingent to Aichi-Nagoya numbers 243 athletes, competing across 26 sports and 32 disciplines.