Al-Arabi Sports Club () is a Qatari sports club based in the capital city Doha. Founded in 1952, one team of the club is the football team that competes in the Qatar Stars League. The club's home ground is the 44,400-seat Al Thumama Stadium, in Qatar where they have played since 2023.
Al-Arabi had their first major success in 1978, winning the Emir of Qatar Cup, followed by various titles during the 1980s and 1990s. The club enjoyed their greatest period of success in those two decades, winning 17 major trophies. Domestically, Al-Arabi have won seven league titles, eight Emir of Qatar Cups, one Qatar Crown Prince Cup and six Qatar Sheikh Jassem Cups. Whilst they have also won the Qatar X UAE Super cup April 2023. This is their first International success. They have faced Sharjah FC and won.
Al-Arabi's regular kit colours are red shirts and shorts with red socks. The club's crest has been changed several times in attempts to re-brand the club and modernise its image. The current crest, featuring a ceremonial falcon, is a modification of the one introduced in the early 1950s. I
History
Foundation (1952–1972) The club was founded in 1952 under the name "Shabab Al-Sharq" which was changed to "Al-Tahrir" in 1956. The next year, the club merged with Al-Wehda, a club founded in the same year, under the name of Al-Wehda. Al-Wehda did not play outside of Qatar nor host any foreign clubs due to its limited budget.
In 1972, the club rebranded under the name, Al-Arabi.
Al-Arabi had one of the largest fan bases in Qatar, as well as in other Gulf states. The club's popularity outside the Middle East was bolstered by their achievements and national team players. In 2003, the club signed Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta.
Emergence (1972–1980s)
The club established itself as one of the leading teams in Qatari football during the 1970s. Arabi finished as runners-up in the 1975–76 Emir Cup and went on to win the Emir Cup three consecutive times. The club defeated Al-Wakrah in the 1977–78 and 1978–79 finals, before overcoming Al-Khor in the 1979–80 final.
The club continued its rise throughout the 1980s, emerging as one of Qatar's dominant football clubs. The squad featured several players who were a part of the Qatar national football team as well, including Ali Zaid, Ibrahim Khalfan, and Man'a Al-Barshi. During the decade, the club won the Qatari League title twice, in 1982–83 and 1984–85. Al-Arabi also once again lifted the Emir Cup in 1982–83 and 1983–84, and later claimed back-to-back titles in 1988–89 and 1989–90. In addition, the club won the Sheikh Jassim Cup in 1980 and again in 1982.
Golden era (1990s)
The 1990s was a successful period for Al-Arabi SC. During this decade, Al-Arabi assembled a squad featuring foreign players Marquinho Carioca and Richard Owebuker.
The club dominated the Qatari League throughout the 1990s, winning the title five times, in 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, and 1996–97. During this time, the team also achieved a runners-up position at the AFC Champions League in 1995, losing to Thai Farmers Bank FC in the final. They also won the 1992–93 Emir Cup, The Sheikh Jassim Cup in 1994, and the 1997 Qatar Crown Prince Cup, defeating Al-Rayyan on penalties.
Decline (2000–2010s) The early 2000s marked a period of decline for Al-Arabi SC, as the club experienced a significant drop in performance following the departure of key players, and increased competition from domestic rivals. In the 2001–02 season, Al-Arabi finished seventh, their lowest league position since joining the Qatar Stars League.
The signing of Gabriel Batistuta in 2003 briefly raised expectations, as the club finished higher than in the two previous seasons. However, Al-Arabi continued to struggle and ended the 2006–07 season in ninth place, setting a new low in the club's league history. The team failed to secure any domestic titles during this period and achieved limited success in international competitions. That season also included the club's heaviest-ever defeat, a 7–0 loss to Al-Sadd, which led to the dismissal of head coach Cabralzinho.
In 2006, following widespread criticism of club president Sheikh Falah bin Jassim, an administrative change took place, and Sheikh Faisal bin Mubarak was elected as the new president.
Crisis (2011–present)
The beginning of the 2011–12 season initially looked bright for Al-Arabi, with the club winning its first domestic silverware in 13 years after defeating Umm Salal SC in the final of the 2011 Sheikh Jassem Cup. However, a string of bad results in the league resulted in the sacking of their coach, Paulo Silas.
They also qualified for the 2012 AFC Champions League, in which they were the first team to be eliminated. During this period, the club had appointed three coaches in a span of three months. They became the first team since 2007 to lose every match of the group stage, as well as the first Qatari team to witness such failure.
As a result, the club's director of football, Mubarak Mustafa, announced his departure from the club. Furthermore, club president Abdullah al-Mal announced his retirement from sports. He was replaced by Hitme bin Ali Al-Hitmi. The fiscal budget of the club was reduced from 15 million riyals to 9 million riyals.
Al-Arabi Fans Club
The Al-Arabi Fans Club was established on 21 October 2015.
Stadium
Grand Hamad Stadium (), with a capacity of 13,000 people, was the club's initial home stadium. In 2023 the team moved to Al Thumama Stadium due to its larger capacity of 44,400.
Rivalries Al-Rayyan Al-Rayyan and Al-Arabi -- their clash is known as the "Fans Derby".
Head-to-head From 1994 to 2017. Head-to-head Competition P W D L GF GA GDQatar Stars League491117216388−25Sheikh Jassem Cup431082+6Emir Cup6213910−1Crown Prince Cup7115616−10Reserve League51131215−3Qatar Stars Cup100102−2Total7218213398133−35
Al-Sadd Al-Arabi's clashes with Al-Sadd are considered the season's biggest as they are contested by Qatar's two most successful teams. The derby is an important component of the country's culture.
Al-Arabi always regarded itself as the club of Qatar's working class, in contrast to the more upper-class support base of Al-Sadd. The class divide between the two fanbases eventually diminished.
Memorable matches Bold indicates a win. Season ResultCompetition Notes 1981–820–1Emir Cup1985–861–0Emir Cup1992–932–0Emir Cup1995–960–0Qatar Stars LeagueAl Arabi crowned champions.2009–103–3Qatar Stars LeagueAl Sadd come back from 3–0 down to deny Al Arabi an ACL spot.
Head-to-head From 1996 to 2017. Head-to-head Competition P W D L GF GA GDQatar Stars League491312245491−37Sheikh Jassem Cup6105813−5Emir Cup113261117−6Crown Prince Cup2101330Reserve League622211110Qatar Stars Cup4121812−4Total7821183995147−52
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers PeriodKit manufactureShirt main sponsorShirt sub sponsor2000–2001 Grand Sport Doha BankNone2001–2002 AdidasNone2002–2003"None2003–2004 ErreàNone2004–2005" Grand SportNoneNone2005–2006NoneNone2006–2007 Adidas Doha BankNone2007–2008 Burrda SportNoneNone2008–2009NoneNone2009–2010QPM Salman & brother & Al Rayan Bank2010–2011Salman & brother 2011–2012 Adidas2012–2013None2013–2017NoneNone2017–2018 Burrda SportNoneNone2018–2019 PumaNoneNone2019-2021 Doha Bank Sharq Insurance & Dreama 2021 – 2022 Sharq Insurance & Dreama & Snoonu2022 – 2023Snoonu2023 – Present Adidas Doha BankNone Al Khaleej Takaful
Honours International Asian Club Championship Runners-up (1): 1994–95
Regional Qatar–UAE Super Cup Winners (1): 2023–24
Domestic Qatar Stars League Champions (7): 1982–83, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97 Emir of Qatar Cup Champions (9): 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1992–93, 2022–23 Qatar Crown Prince Cup Champions (1): 1997 Qatar FA Cup Champions (1) : 2021–22 Qatar Sheikh Jassem Cup Champions (6): 1980, 1982, 1994, 2008, 2010, 2011
League results
Performance in AFC competitions Asian Club Championship: 5 appearances 1987: Group stage (Top 8) 1993: Qualifying – 1st round 1995: Runners-up 1996: Group stage (Top 8) 1999: First Round
Asian Cup Winners' Cup: 2 appearances 1990–91: Second Round 1993–94: Semi-final
AFC Champions League Elite: 2 appearance 2012: Group stage 2023: 2nd Qualifying Round
Performance in AGCFF competitions Gulf Club Champions Cup: 11 appearances 1983: Group stage 1986: Runners-up 1993: 3rd place 1995: 3rd place 1996: 6th place 1998: 5th place 1999: 4th place 2002: Group stage 2006: Group stage 2011: Quarter-finals 2015: Group stage
Performance in UAFA competitions Arab Cup Winners' Cup: 2 appearances 1991: Group stage 1995: Group stage
Arab Club Champions Cup: 2 appearances 1987: Group stage 1992: Runners-up
Players As of Qatar Stars League:
Out on loan
Club staff Technical and administrative staff Last updated: December 2025. Coaching staffHead coach Cosmin ContraAssistant coach Laurențiu Roșu Cornel Dobre Kamal IkhlefGoalkeeper coach Masoud Zeraei Roberto SambadeFitness coach Marcus Svensson Javier ReyesPhysical coach Mubarak Al-YazidiPerformance analyst Jassem IbrahimMatch analyst Yousef Al-SheebAdministration staffTeam manager Adel Al BusairiReserve team manager Hamad Al-SulaitiDeputy director Ali Al-Sulaiti Youth team technical directorTechnical director Petrus In 't GroenYouth team coaching staffU–19 head coach Teo PirijaU–17 head coach Omer KhalidU–15 head coach Abderrazak KnissU–14 head coach Yousif HamoorU–13 head coach Gideon DijksGoalkeeper coach Sandro Daros Orlando Ribecaro
Club officials
Managerial history Present and past managers of Al-Arabi (incomplete): (* denotes caretaker role)
Al-Arabi (1972–present)
Salah Daf'Allah (1972) (player–manager) Wagdi Jamal (1975–76) Jaber Yusif Al-Jassim (1976–78) Abdul Ameer Zainal (1978) Silas Gonçalves de Oliveira (1978–80) Hassan Mokhtar (1980) Procópio Cardoso (1981–83) João Francisco (1983–84) Sebastião (1984) Cabralzinho (1984–86) Sebastião (1986–??) Joseph Bowie (1988–89) Luis Alberto (1989–91) Oswaldo de Oliveira (1991–92) Zé Mário (1992) Colin Addison (1992–93) Zé Mário (1993) René Simões (1993–94) Oswaldo de Oliveira (1994–95) Cláudio Galbo Garcia (1995–96) Abdullah Saad (1996) Džemaludin Mušović (1996–97) Ernst (1997–98) Ferdinando Teixeira (1998) Abdullah Saad (1998) Ednaldo Patricio (1998) Anatoliy Azarenkov (1998–99) José Paulo Rubim (1999) Ednaldo Patricio (1999) Roald Poulsen (1999) Fuad Muzurović (1999) Abdullah Saad (1999–00) Luis Santibáñez (2000) Adnan Dirjal (2000–01) Procópio Cardoso (2001) Abdullah Saad* (2001–02) Slobodan Santrač (2002–03) Carlos Roberto Pereira (2003) Cabralzinho (July 2003 – Nov 2003) Wolfgang Sidka (16 Nov 2003 – 30 June 2005) Ilie Balaci (June 2005 – July 2006) Henri Michel (1 July 2006 – 21 Oct 2006) Abdullah Saad* (Oct 2006 – Nov 2006) Srećko Juričić (1 Nov 2006 – 31 Dec 2006) José Romão (Feb 2007 – March 2008) Adilson Fernandes (March 2008 – April 2008) Zé Mário (July 2008 – Dec 2008) Luiz Carlos* (Dec 2008 – Jan 2009) Uli Stielike (5 Jan 2009 – 30 July 2010) Péricles Chamusca (1 July 2010 – 3 June 2011) Paulo Silas (9 June 2011 – 3 Jan 2012) Abdullah Saad* (1 Jan 2012 – 19 March 2012) Pierre Lechantre (19 March 2012 – 27 Sept 2012) Abdelaziz Bennij* (Sept 2012 – Oct 2012) Hassan Shehata (6 Oct 2012 – 6 Dec 2012) Abdelaziz Bennij (Dec 2012 – June 2013) Uli Stielike (5 June 2013 – Feb 2014) Paulo César Gusmão (Feb 2014 – 5 June 2014) Dan Petrescu (5 June 2014 – 1 Dec 2014) Daniel Carreño (1 Dec 2014 – 1 June 2015) Gianfranco Zola (11 July 2015 – 27 June 2016) Gerardo Pelusso (28 June 2016 – 1 November 2016) Kamal Akhlaf (2 November 2016 – 15 November 2016) Edison Aguirre (16 November 2016 – 19 January 2017) Oswaldo de Oliveira (20 January 2017 – 3 June 2017) Kais Yâakoubi (9 July 2017 – 9 November 2017) Luka Bonačić (10 November 2017 – 8 October 2018) Hatem Almoadab (9 October 2018 – 9 December 2018)