Qatar Stars League 2026/27: Season Guide — Key Dates, Fixtures & Betting Preview

Al Sadd are Qatar Stars League champions for a third straight season, a record-extending 19th title — and they won it the hard way, sitting sixth and eight points off the pace when Roberto Mancini took charge in November. The other story of 2025/26 was Al-Shamal, a club with a 5,000-seat stadium that finished second in the country and reached the AFC Champions League Elite under David Prats.

The new term starts on 20 August 2026, and with Mancini gone to Italy, the trophy race looks wide open.

Qatar Stars League 2025/26 — Results, Table & Standings Recap

Al Sadd sealed the title on the final day, beating Al-Shamal 3-2 to finish on 45 points from 14 wins, with Al-Shamal runners-up on 40. It was their third consecutive crown and 19th overall, the most in Qatari football history.

Pos Team Pld Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Al Sadd (C) 22 45 AFC Champions League Elite League stage
2 Al-Shamal 22 40 AFC Champions League Elite League stage
3 Al-Rayyan 22 38 AFC Champions League Two group stage
4 Al-Gharafa 22 36 AFC Champions League Elite League stage (Amir Cup winners)
5 Al-Duhail 22 33 AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League group stage
6 Qatar SC 22 32 —
7 Al-Arabi 22 32 —
8 Al-Wakrah 22 27 —
9 Al-Ahli 22 26 —
10 Al-Sailiya 22 22 —
11 Al Shahaniya 22 21 Relegation play-off (won 3-0 v Al Kharaitiyat, retained QSL status)
12 Umm Salal (R) 22 20 Relegation to Qatar Stars League 2

The continental picture needs one line of explanation. Al-Gharafa finished fourth but claimed an Elite berth as 2026 Amir Cup winners, so qualification cascaded down: third-placed Al-Rayyan dropped to Champions League Two, and fifth-placed Al-Duhail took the Gulf Club Champions League slot. Umm Salal went down directly, replaced by champions Lusail SC.

Stat Detail
Total goals 438 in 132 matches (3.32 per match)
Highest-scoring match Umm Salal 3-8 Al Sadd (8 November 2025)
Biggest away win Al-Arabi 1-8 Al-Duhail (20 September 2025)
Longest winning run 9 matches (Al Sadd)
Season suspension 1-11 March 2026, matches rescheduled
Overturned result Qatar SC 2-0 Al-Shamal changed to a 3-0 win for Al-Shamal

Al-Shamal's overachievement

Al-Shamal play at a 5,000-capacity ground, the smallest in the top flight, yet finished second and reached the Champions League Elite for the first time. David Prats built a compact side that punched far above its budget and took the title race to the final matchday, where a 3-2 defeat at Al Sadd settled it.

Their season turned in part on an administrative ruling: a 2-0 defeat at Qatar SC was overturned to a 3-0 win after Qatar SC fielded an ineligible foreign player. This improved Al-Shamal's goal difference at a decisive stage. Prats stays for 2026/27, which leaves Al-Shamal among the few clubs in the division carrying real continuity into the new season.

Al Sadd's third title, and a season paused by conflict

Al Sadd were sixth on 14 points after nine matches when Roberto Mancini arrived in November 2025, eight points behind leaders Al-Gharafa. He turned that into a third straight championship, sealed on the final day against Al-Shamal on 27 April 2026, and added the Qatar-UAE Super Shield in January plus a run to the AFC Champions League Elite quarter-finals. Mancini left in June and was confirmed as Italy head coach in late July, which is why Al Sadd start this season under a new manager.

Al Sadd's campaign featured the season's highest-scoring game, an 8-3 rout of Umm Salal on 8 November 2025, and a nine-match winning run. The defining off-pitch moment came in March 2026, when the league was suspended for eleven days, from 1 to 11 March, after Qatari authorities assessed the risk of missile strikes

The fixtures were rescheduled, and the league resumed safely, but a season briefly halted by geopolitics was extraordinary.

Qatar Stars League Top Scorers and Season Stats 2025/26

Award Winner Club Total
Top scorer (Golden Boot) Róger Guedes Al-Rayyan 22 goals
2nd top scorer João Pedro Qatar SC 16 goals
3rd top scorer Akram Afif Al Sadd 15 goals
Top assists Akram Afif Al Sadd 12 assists
2nd assists Yacine Brahimi Al-Gharafa 11 assists
Top goalkeeper Babacar Seck Al-Shamal 8 clean sheets

Brazilian forward Róger Guedes of Al-Rayyan won a second consecutive Golden Boot with 22 goals, having also topped the charts in 2024/25 with 21 goals. Qatar international Akram Afif of Al Sadd was the league's most complete performer. He was third for goals and first for assists, underlining why the two-time Asian Player of the Year (2019 and 2023) remains the standout individual in Qatari football.

Qatar Stars League Teams, Players & What's New in 2026/27

Promoted and relegated

In (promoted) From Out (relegated) Note
Lusail SC Qatar Second Division champions Umm Salal First promotion

Lusail SC reach the top flight for the first time as second-tier champions, replacing Umm Salal, who finished bottom on 20 points and went down directly.

Manager changes for 2026/27

Most clubs kept faith with their coaches, but three made changes ahead of the new season. The biggest is at the champions: Al Sadd begin a new era under Romanian Răzvan Lucescu, signed on a two-year deal to 2028 from PAOK, replacing Mancini. Lucescu, a 2019 AFC Champions League winner with Al Hilal, knows Qatar well from an earlier spell with Al-Jaish. Al-Shamal retained Spaniard David Prats, Al-Rayyan kept Vicente Moreno, and Al-Duhail stayed with Djamel Belmadi.

Qatar Stars League players to watch in 2026/27

Player Nation Club Why they matter
Yacine Brahimi Algeria Al-Gharafa 11 assists, joint 2nd; ex-Porto playmaker
Babacar Seck Senegal Al-Shamal League-leading 8 clean sheets
Oussama Tannane Morocco Al-Arabi Joined from relegated Umm Salal this summer.
Akram Afif Qatar Al Sadd 15 goals + 12 assists; 2019 & 2023 Asian POTY
Michael Olunga Kenya Al-Arabi Harambee Stars captain and Al-Duhail's all-time top scorer before his 2025 move

The league's African contingent is strong, led by Algeria's Brahimi at Al-Gharafa and Senegal goalkeeper Babacar Seck at Al-Shamal. Kenya's Michael Olunga has anchored the attack at Al-Arabi since a July 2025 move from Al-Duhail, where he finished as the club's all-time top scorer, and continues to captain the Harambee Stars.

Akram Afif completes the group as the division's outstanding individual — 15 goals, 12 assists, and the player Al Sadd's attack runs through.

Qatar Stars League Key Transfers 2026/27

Al Sadd have prioritised continuity, keeping Roberto Firmino, Akram Afif, Claudinho and Paulo Otávio — all part of the pre-season camp in Austria — while exploring the market for further attacking additions. Elsewhere the window has been busier, with Al-Shamal rebuilding hardest ahead of their Champions League Elite campaign.

Player Age/Nat. From To
Mohamed Rabie Hrimat 32, Morocco AS FAR Rabat Al-Shamal SC
Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane 26, Tunisia Al Ahly (Egypt) Al-Shamal SC
Oussama Tannane 32, Morocco/Netherlands Umm Salal SC Al-Arabi SC
Wesley Saïd 31, France/Comoros RC Lens (France) Al-Shamal SC
Ali Nemati 30, Iran Foolad FC (Iran) Lusail SC
Ahmed Al-Ganehi 25, Qatar Al-Gharafa SC Al-Rayyan SC
Bruno Tabata 29, Brazil Internacional (Brazil) Qatar SC
Sekou Yansané 23, France/Guinea Al-Ahli Al-Duhail
Diogo Amaro 21, Portugal Al-Sailiya SC Al-Rayyan SC
Benjamin Bourigeaud 32, France Al-Duhail Al-Ahli

You can track every confirmed move across all 12 clubs on the 22Bet transfer hub. The window is still open, so expect further additions before the deadline.

Stars League Qatar — Games and Fixtures 2026/27

Date Event
20 Aug 2026 Season starts, Matchday 1: Al-Wakrah v Qatar SC (Lusail Stadium, 5:15pm); Al-Rayyan v newly-promoted Lusail (Ahmad bin Ali, 7:30pm)
21 Aug 2026 Matchday 1 continues: Al-Gharafa v Al Shahaniya (Khalifa International); Al-Arabi v Al-Shamal (Al Thumama)
22 Aug 2026 Al Sadd v Al-Ahli, champions begin title defence (Jassim Bin Hamad); Al-Duhail v Al-Sailiya (Al Bayt)
27–29 Aug 2026 Matchday 2, including Al-Gharafa v Al-Shamal and Al-Wakrah v Al-Rayyan
Rounds 3–11 (incl. Al Sadd v Al-Shamal, Al-Rayyan v Al Sadd) Dates pending the AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions League Two, and Gulf Club Champions League draws, plus the national team calendar
Sep–Oct 2026 QSL Cup group stage begins
Oct–Nov 2026 Amir of Qatar Cup early rounds
~Apr/May 2027 Season ends

The opening round runs from 20 to 22 August, with Al-Wakrah against Qatar SC at Lusail Stadium as the curtain-raiser and Al Sadd opening their defence against Al-Ahli.

Al-Rayyan host at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, a 2022 World Cup venue with a listed capacity of 47,343 and the largest permanent home ground in the division — though several clubs stage selected fixtures at bigger World Cup stadiums such as Lusail and Al Bayt.

The key fixture dates and the domestic cups will follow once the AFC and national-team calendars are finalised.

Qatar Stars League Trophy Race 2026/27 — Who Will Win?

Here are the three realistic title contenders for the season ahead. You can follow every match and the race for the title through the season on 22Bet.

Al Sadd

Al Sadd remain the team to beat as three-time defending champions with the deepest squad in Qatar. They kept Afif, the division's best all-rounder on 15 goals and 12 assists, alongside Firmino and Claudinho, after winning the title on 45 points.

The question is the dugout: Răzvan Lucescu is a proven winner, an AFC Champions League victor with Al Hilal, but he inherits a side from Mancini and needs time to impose his ideas. If the transition is smooth, a fourth straight title is well within reach.

Al-Rayyan

Al-Rayyan look like the most natural challengers. They finished third on 38 points, retained Vicente Moreno for continuity, and in Róger Guedes have the league's back-to-back top scorer and most feared finisher.

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium gives them the biggest home crowd in the division, and Champions League Two football adds motivation and match sharpness. With the right summer additions, they have the platform to close the gap on Al Sadd, though turning third into first is a real step up rather than a formality.

Al-Shamal

Al-Shamal's 2025/26 was one of the great Gulf overachievements, and unlike the champions they enter the new season with their coach still in place. David Prats keeps a squad whose 5,000-seat stadium and limited budget make it hard to strengthen for a Champions League Elite campaign, and the added fixture load is the real risk rather than the dugout.

Babacar Seck and his league-leading eight clean sheets are a genuine foundation, and European nights will lift the group. But matching a second-place finish while playing continental football for the first time is a tall order.

Dark horse: Al-Duhail, historically consistent and with Gulf Club Champions League football to sharpen them, remain a threat under Djamel Belmadi if the pieces fall into place.

Our pick: Al Sadd are the soundest call as champions with the strongest squad, provided Lucescu settles quickly. As an editorial view rather than a certainty, Al-Rayyan look the likeliest to push them, with the league's top scorer and a settled coach, and are the side most likely to make Al Sadd work for a fourth title. Follow the race as it unfolds on 22Bet.

Qatar Stars League Relegation Battle — Who Goes Down?

Newly promoted Lusail SC are the obvious first name in the relegation conversation, as first-season sides in Qatar have historically struggled.

Among the established clubs, Al Shahaniya finished 11th and only kept their place by winning a play-off, having gone six matches without a win at one stage. They look exposed again.

Qatar SC carry the instability of the eligibility episode that cost them points, and mid-table Al-Wakrah, without continental football or a big budget, are the type of side that can drift into trouble.

The 2025/26 season used one direct relegation for the bottom club plus a promotion/relegation play-off for the 11th-placed side. Umm Salal finished bottom on 20 points and went down automatically. Al Shahaniya finished 11th on 21 points and were pushed into the play-off against Al Kharaitiyat, runners-up in the Second Division.

Al Shahaniya won 3-0 on 8 May 2026, and kept their place in the top flight, which is why Lusail, the Second Division champions, are the only club coming up for 2026/27. That structure is the best guide for this season unless the QFA confirms a change, so whichever side finishes 11th this time round should expect a play-off rather than a guaranteed reprieve.