Qatar Stars League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Qatar Stars League

Founded	1972; 53 years ago (1972)
Country	Qatar
Confederation	AFC
Number of teams	12
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Qatari Second Division
Domestic cup(s)	Emir Cup Qatar Cup Qatar FA Cup Qatari Stars Cup Sheikh Jassem Cup
International cup(s)	AFC Champions League Elite AFC Champions League Two Arab Club Champions Cup
Current champions	Al-Sadd (17th title) (2023–24)
Most championships	Al-Sadd (17 titles)
TV partners	beIN Sports Alkass Sports

The Qatar Stars League (Arabic: دوري نجوم قطر), also called the Expo Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top football league in Qatar. It's where the best football teams in Qatar play.

There are 12 teams in the league. Teams can move up to the QSL from the Qatari Second Division (QSD) or move down to the QSD if they don't perform well. This is called promotion and relegation. The football season usually runs from September to April. The league started in 1963, but its first official season was in 1972.

Teams in the Qatari league system can also compete for 5 national cups:

• The Emir of Qatar Cup: Open to all teams from both the first and second divisions.
• The Qatar Crown Prince Cup: A special tournament after the season for the top four teams in the first division.
• The Sheikh Jassem Cup: Played before the main season starts.
• The Qatari Stars Cup: A round-robin tournament played in the middle of the season.
• The Qatar FA Cup: For the bottom 8 teams from the QSL and all teams from the QSD.

Seven different clubs have won the league title. The club with the most championships is Al Sadd SC, with 17 titles.

How the League Works

The Qatari football system has two main divisions. The Qatar Stars League, once known as the Q-League, currently has 12 teams. The second division has 8 teams. Usually, one team moves up and one moves down each year.

The league has grown over the years. It started with 9 clubs, then went to 10, and now has 12 clubs. In 2013-14, the top division briefly increased to 14 teams, but in 2017, it went back to 12.

There are also four official amateur football leagues in Qatar. Three are part of the Qatar Community Football League (QCFL). The fourth, called the Qatar Amateur League (QAL), started in 2013 with 14 teams.

League History

Early Days

The first unofficial season of the Qatar Stars League was in 1963–64. This was three years after the QFA was formed. A second division also started around this time. For many years, teams didn't move up or down between divisions.

First Official Season

The first official season was played in 1972–73. A team called Al Esteqlal, now known as Qatar SC, won the first championship.

In 1980, there was a special playoff game to decide the champion for the first time. Al Sadd played Al Arabi, and Al Sadd won 1–0.

In 1981, the system of moving teams up and down (promotion and relegation) was finally put in place. Five clubs played in the second division that year.

Big Changes and New Players

In 2003, the QFA decided to invest a lot of money to make the league more popular. They gave each club $10,000,000 to buy famous international players. This brought in big names like Ronald and Frank de Boer, Romário, Pep Guardiola, and Gabriel Batistuta. These players helped make the league more exciting.

Also, in 2004, the Aspire Academy was created. This academy trains young football players to improve the sport in Qatar and around the world. Many talented players have come from this academy.

New Name: Qatar Stars League

In 2009, the "Q-League" changed its name to the "Qatar Stars League." This was part of a plan to make the league bigger and better. Two new clubs, Lekhwiya and El Jaish, joined the top division. This made the first division have 12 clubs and the second division have 6. A new cup, the "Qatari Stars Cup," was also started.

Clubs and Champions

Champions List

Al Sadd are the most successful team in the league

Teams in the 2022–23 Season

Titles by Region

Media Coverage

In Qatar

Since 2012, Alkass Sports has had the rights to show the Stars League in English. beIN Sports also broadcasts the league.

Around the World

Seasons	Countries	Channel
2023–present	Brazil	ESPN
	South Korea	SPOTV

Post-Season Awards

Since 2006, awards are given out after each season. A group of journalists chooses the best player and coach. Each winner gets $100,000. There are also awards for young players and club staff.

Year	Best Player	Club	Best Coach	Club
2006	Sebastián Soria	Al Gharafa	Jorge Fossati	Al Sadd
2007	Emerson Sheik	Al Sadd	Jorge Fossati	Al Sadd
2008	Aziz Ben Askar	Umm Salal	Marcos Paquetá	Al Gharafa
2009	Leonardo Pisculichi	Al Arabi	Sebastião Lazaroni	Qatar SC
2010	Juninho Pernambucano	Al Gharafa	Caio Júnior	Al Gharafa
2011	Bakari Koné	Lekhwiya	Abdullah Mubarak	Al Ahli
2012	Rodrigo Tabata	Al-Rayyan	Diego Aguirre	Al-Rayyan
2013	Khalfan Ibrahim	Al Sadd	Hussein Amotta	Al Sadd
2014	Nadir Belhadj	Al Sadd	Sami Trabelsi	Al-Sailiya SC
2015	Hassan Al-Haydos	Al Sadd	Michael Laudrup	Lekhwiya SC
2016	Rodrigo Tabata	Al-Rayyan	Jorge Fossati	Al-Rayyan
2017	Nam Tae-hee	Lekhwiya	Jesualdo Ferreira	Al Sadd
2018	Youssef Msakni	Al-Duhail SC	Djamel Belmadi	Al-Duhail SC
2019	Akram Afif	Al Sadd	Jesualdo Ferreira	Al Sadd
2020	Akram Afif	Al Sadd	Diego Aguirre	Al-Rayyan
2021	Santi Cazorla	Al Sadd	Xavi	Al-Sadd
2022	Akram Afif	Al Sadd	Tintín Márquez	Al-Wakrah
2023	Youssef Msakni	Al Arabi	Younes Ali	Al Arabi

Top Goal Scorers

These tables show the players who scored the most goals each season.

Year		Best scorers	Team	Goals
1972–73		Awodh Hassan	Al-Esteqlal	10
1973–74		Mansoor Muftah	Al-Rayyan	15
1974–75	Not held
1975–76		Jamal Al Khatib	Al-Esteqlal	13
1976–77		Mansoor Muftah	Al-Rayyan	13
1977–78		Mansoor Muftah	Al-Rayyan	11
1978–79		Hassan Mattar	Al-Sadd	11
1979–80		Hamdan Hamed Badr Bilal Sharif Abdul-Hamed Mansoor Muftah	Al-Ahli Al-Sadd Qatar SC Al-Rayyan	5
1980–81		Hassan Mattar	Al-Sadd	9
1981–82		Mansoor Muftah	Al-Rayyan	18
1982–83		Mansoor Muftah	Al-Rayyan	10
1983–84		Mansoor Muftah	Al-Rayyan	7
1984–85		Ahmed Yaqoub	Al-Arabi	7
1985–86		Mansoor Muftah	Al-Rayyan	22
1986–87		Hassan Sabela	Al-Ahli	9
1987–88		Hassan Jowhar	Al-Sadd	11
1988–89		Farshad Pious	Al-Ahli	9
1989–90		Marquinho Carioca	Al-Arabi	10
1990–91		Mahmoud Soufi Adel Khamis Hassan Sabela	Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad Al-Ahli	8
1991–92		Mubarak Mustafa Rabah Madjer	Al-Arabi Qatar SC	12
1992–93		Mubarak Mustafa	Al Arabi	9
1993–94		Ahmed Daham Mahmoud Soufi Marquinho Carioca	Al-Shamal Al-Ittihad Al-Arabi	9
1994–95		Mohammed Salem Al-Enazi	Al-Rayyan	9
1995–96		Ricky Owubokiri	Al-Arabi SC	16
1996–97		Mubarak Mustafa Alboury Lah	Al-Arabi Al-Ahli	11
1997–98		Hussein Ammouta Alboury Lah Cláudio Prates	Al-Sadd Al-Ahli Al-Arabi	10
1998–99		Akwá	Al-Wakrah	11
1999–2000		Mohammed Salem Al-Enazi	Al-Rayyan	14
2000–01		Mamoun Diop	Al-Wakrah	14
2001–02		Rachid Amrane	Al-Ittihad	16
2002–03		Rachid Rokki	Al-Khor	15
2003–04		Gabriel Batistuta	Al-Arabi	25
2004–05		Sonny Anderson	Al-Rayyan	20
2005–06		Carlos Tenorio	Al-Sadd	21
2006–07		Younis Mahmoud	Al-Gharafa	24
2007–08		Clemerson Araújo	Al-Gharafa	27
2008–09		Magno Alves	Umm Salal	25
2009–10		Cabore Younis Mahmoud	Al-Arabi Al-Gharafa	21
2010–11		Younis Mahmoud	Al-Gharafa	15
2011–12		Adriano	El Jaish	18
2012–13		Sebastián Soria	Lekhwiya	19
2013–14		Dioko Kaluyituka	Al-Ahli	22
2014–15		Dioko Kaluyituka	Al-Ahli	25
2015–16		Abderrazak Hamdallah Rodrigo Tabata	El Jaish Al-Rayyan	21
2016–17		Baghdad Bounedjah Youssef El-Arabi	Al-Sadd Lekhwiya	24
2017–18		Youssef El-Arabi	Al-Duhail	26
2018–19		Baghdad Bounedjah	Al-Sadd	39
2019–20		Yacine Brahimi Akram Afif	Al-Rayyan Al-Sadd	15
2020–21		Baghdad Bounedjah	Al-Sadd	21
2021–22		Michael Olunga	Al-Duhail	24
2022–23		Michael Olunga	Al-Duhail	22
2023–24		Akram Afif	Al-Sadd	26

Top Scorers by Player

Rank	Player	Country	Titles	Seasons
1	Mansoor Muftah	Qatar	8	1973–74, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86
2	Mubarak Mustafa	Qatar	3	1991–92, 1992–93, 1996–97
2	Younis Mahmoud	Iraq	3	2006–07, 2009–10, 2010–11
2	Baghdad Bounedjah	Algeria	3	2016–17, 2018–19, 2020–21
5	Hassan Mattar	Qatar	2	1977–78, 1980–81
5	Hassan Sabela	Qatar	2	1986–87, 1990–91
5	Marquinho Carioca	Brazil	2	1989–90, 1993–94
5	Mahmoud Soufi	Qatar	2	1990–91, 1993–94
5	Mohammed Salem Al-Enazi	Qatar	2	1994–95, 1999–2000
5	Alboury Lah	Senegal	2	1996–97, 1997–98
5	Dioko Kaluyituka	Democratic Republic of the Congo	2	2013–14, 2014–15
5	Youssef El-Arabi	Morocco	2	2016–17, 2017–18
5	Akram Afif	Qatar	2	2019–20, 2023–24
5	Michael Olunga	Kenya	2	2021–22, 2022–23

All-Time Top Scorers

This table lists the players who have scored the most goals in the history of the Qatar Stars League.

Rank	Nat	Name	Club	Years	Goals	Apps	Assists
1		Sebastián Soria	Al-Gharafa, Qatar SC, Al-Rayyan, Al-Duhail, Al-Arabi	2004–	209	423	58
2		Mansour Muftah	Al-Rayyan, Al-Wakrah	1973–1998	182+	N/A	N/A
3		Baghdad Bounedjah	Al-Sadd	2015–	150	157	41
4		Rodrigo Tabata	Al-Rayyan, Al-Sadd	2011–	148	273	101
5		Younis Mahmoud	Al-Gharafa, Al-Sadd, Al-Arabi, Al-Khor, Al-Wakrah	2004–2013	131	190	4
6		Meshal Abdullah	Al-Gharafa, Qatar SC, Al-Wakrah, Al-Sailiya, Al-Ahli	1999–2010	123	354	28
7		Youssef Msakni	Al-Arabi, Al-Duhail	2013–	105	178	60
8		Hassan Al-Haydos	Al-Sadd	2007–	99	328	86
9		Akram Afif	Al-Sadd	2018–	99	114	63
10		Nam Tae-hee	Al-Sadd, Al-Duhail	2012–2023	94	231	75
11		Mubarak Mustafa	Al-Arabi SC,Al-Khor,Al-Gharafa	1990–2007	+91	+179	+42
12		Dioko Kaluyituka	Al-Duhail , Al-Gharafa, Al-Kharaitiyat, Muaither, Al-Ahli	2011–2017	84	121	12
13		Khalfan Ibrahim	Al-Arabi , Al-Sadd, Al-Rayyan	2004–2020	83	241	49
14		Youssef El-Arabi	Al-Duhail	2016–2019	76	59	13
15		Moumouni Dagano	Al-Sailiya, Qatar SC, Al-Shamal, Al-Duhail, Al-Khor	2008–2015	72	158	20
16		Akwá	Qatar SC, Al-Gharafa, Al-Wakrah	1998–2006	70	123
17		Clemerson Araújo	Al-Gharafa	2007–2010	68	84
18		Michael Olunga	Al-Duhail	2020	67	69	5
19		Rachid Rokki	Al-Khor, Umm Salal	2000–2008	65	118
20		Carlos Tenorio	Al-Sadd	2003–2008	63	88
21		Leonardo Pisculichi	Al-Arabi	2007–2012	63	112	15
22		Yahia Kébé	Al-Kharaitiyat	2009–2016	58	132	21
23		Wagner Ribeiro	Al-Sailiya, Al-Arabi, El Jaish,Al-Ahli	2009–2018	57	174	29
24		Cabore	Umm Salal, Al-Arabi	2009–2014	57	90	15
25		Mirghani Al Zain	Al-Gharafa, Al-Wakrah ,Al-Sailiya	1996–2019	57	420
26		Júlio César	Al-Khor, Al-Ahli	2009–2016	56	117	13
27		Abdulgadir Ilyas Bakur	Al-Sailiya, Al-Arabi, El Jaish,Umm Salal,Al-Markhiya	2008–	55	184	39
28		Amad Al-Hosni	Qatar SC,Al-Rayyan	2005–2010	52	100	6
29		Yacine Brahimi	Al-Gharafa, Al-Rayyan	2019–	53	94	29
30		Yannick Sagbo	Umm Salal	2015–2020	51	98	12
32		Mohamed Benyettou	Al-Wakrah	2019–	51	103
31		Ali Afif	Al-Sadd ,Al-Duhail	2015–2020	50	269	34
33		Boualem Khoukhi	Al-Sadd ,Al-Arabi	2009–	49	258	25

See also

In Spanish: Liga de fútbol de Catar para niños

• Football in Qatar
• List of Qatari football transfers summer 2012
• Qatar national football team