Al Sadd’s players and officials celebrate on the podium with the trophy after winning the 2017 Sheikh Jassim Cup at Al Duhail Stadium in this file photo.
DOHA: The iconic Khalifa International Stadium and the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium will host the first four rounds of the new football season that is set to kick off in August, details showed here yesterday.
The new football calendar was officially announced by the QFA’s Competitions Committee after meeting with representatives of the clubs.
The two venues - which will be used for matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup - are equipped to host games with state-of-the-art cooling technology.
On May 19, the Khalifa International Stadium staged the Amir Cup final between Al Duhail and Al Rayyan in what was the final match of the 2017-18 football season.
The Qatar Football Association (QFA), the game’s ruling body in the country, has confirmed the new season will commence with the Sheikh Jassim Cup on August 3.
The one-off clash will see Qatar football giants Al Duhail taking on Al Rayyan.
The schedule of the QNB Stars League (QSL) will be announced on July 3, it was confirmed.
The first four rounds of the QSL will see matches held at the Khalifa International Stadium and Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium to tackle the hot temperature in the month of August.
The football season will kick off a month earlier than usual to accommodate a busy calendar for the Qatar national team that will be appearing at next year’s AFC Asian Cup to be held from January 5 to February 1 in the UAE.
QNB Stars League Matches involving Al Duhail and Al Sadd - two of the sides appearing in the AFC Champions League quarter-finals - will be rescheduled if the teams advance in the top club event in Asia, it was confirmed.
A few of the clubs that make their base camp at neutral venues will follow the pattern from last year. However, newly-promoted Al Shahaniya may choose Grand Hamad Stadium as their home club. The decision will be announced in the coming days.
Some of the key dates of the new season include semi-finals of the Qatar Cup on April 4, 2019. The final of the Qatar Cup will be played on April 18 while the Amir Cup next year will commence on April 1. The final of the Amir Cup will be played on May 11, 2019, it was announced.
The QFA Competitions Committee said the regular 2018-19 football season will break in September, October, November, January and March.
The five breaks will allow national teams including Qatar to feature in their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and the 2019 Asian Cup.
The Qatar national squad - coached by Felix Sanchez - is expected to feature in 10-12 international friendlies in the run up to the 2019 Asian Cup.
Qatar will launch its preparations with a training camp in Austria from June 24 to July 16, it was announced last month. Sanchez has already announced a batch of 34 players for the training camp in Austria.
