Al-Arabi SC (Qatar)

History

Foundation (1952–1972)

The club was founded in 1952 under the name "Shabab Al-Sharq" which was eventually changed to "Al-Tahrir" in 1956. The next year, the club merged with Al-Wehda, a club founded in the same year under the leadership of Mohamed Ali Ahmed Al-Ansari, after playing a friendly. They merged 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. The first president of the club was Ahmed Ali Ahmed Al-Ansari.

Al-Arabi was known for having one of the largest fan bases in all of Qatar, as well as in other Gulf states, and was well-known overseas. Their popularity outside the Middle East was bolstered by their achievements and national team players, until 2003 when it reached its peak with the signing of Argentine legend Gabriel Batistuta.

It placed 14th in the International Federation of Football History & Statistics's 1901–2000 Asian Club of the Century poll.

Founders

Al-Wehda

• Ahmed Ali Ahmed Al-Ansari
• Sultan Abdullah Al-Jaber
• Ahmad Yousef Saie
• Mohammad Ali Ahmed Al-Ansari
• Mullah Mohammed Abdulrahman
• Sultan Said Ali
• Faraj Said Al-Tahrir
• Mubarak Mohammed Al Othman Al Khulaifi
• Abdullah Mohammed Al Othman Al Khulaifi
• Mohammed Saleh Al Hitmi
• Salem Bakhit Ghurery
• Khalifa Al Hitmi
• Hitmi Bin Ahmed Al-Hitmi

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 achieve a notable milestone by winning 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 prominent players who were a part of the Qatar national football team as well, including Ali Zaid, Ibrahim Khalfan, Man'a Al-Barshi, Mohammed Daham, and Khamis Daham. 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–2000s)

The 1990s marked the beginning of a highly successful period for Al-Arabi SC, establishing the club as one of the dominant teams in Qatari football. During this decade, Al-Arabi assembled a strong squad featuring foreign players Marquinho Carioca and Richard Owebukeri, both of whom were among the league’s leading scorers at various points. They were supported by prominent domestic players such as Mubarak Mustafa, Adel Al Mulla, Abdulaziz Karim, etc. Impressing many with its versatile squad, the team was dubbed the Dream Team, as a reference to the iconic 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team.

The club dominated the 1990s era of the Qatari League throughout the decade, 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. Other accomplishments included, 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, including Mubarak Mustafa, 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.

Management crisis (2011–present)

The beginning of the 2011–12 season 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, wherein they were the first team to be eliminated. During this period, the club had appointed 3 coaches in a span of 3 months. They infamously made history by being 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, Dr. Abdullah al-Mal, president of the club, 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. They have just also lost the qualification for the AFC entry for the 23/24 season which has been a major setback

Al-Arabi Fans Club

The Al-Arabi Fans Club was established on 21 October 2015 to help fans think of innovative ways to support the club's different sports teams throughout the season. On the day the fan club was established, the club's management withdrew the number 1 jersey from the first team and awarded it to the club's fans as a symbolic gesture to acknowledge their fans' importance to the club. This was done after captain Masoud Zeraei waived his right to the number. The move was motivated by the fact that the club enjoys the largest fanbase in Qatar. Further more the fans club is an initiative to show unity against other fan bases.

Stadium

Main article: Grand Hamad Stadium

Grand Hamad Stadium (), also known as the Al-Arabi Sports Club Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Doha, Qatar. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It was the home ground of football club Al-Arabi SC. The stadium can accommodate 13,000 people. The stadium was used extensively during the 2006 Asian Games, and was a venue for several different sports, including football, table tennis, rugby sevens and fencing. The Iraq national football team played its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) games at the ground. The stadium was also used as a home venue for the Qatar national football team during its 2014 FIFA World qualification (AFC) campaign, but 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 are often considered the clubs with the most passionate sets of fans in Qatar. For this, their clash is known as the "Fans Derby". This derby has big cultural impact as all of Qatar come together to view the match even if they are not supporters.

Head-to-head

From 1994 to 2017.

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. For some fans, winning this derby is more noteworthy than winning the league itself. 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 social-class divide between the two fanbases eventually diminished.

Memorable matches

Bold indicates a win.

Head-to-head

From 1996 to 2017.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

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

ImageSize = width:1500 height:60 PlotArea = left:10 right:10 bottom:30 top:10 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1978 till:01/07/2024 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:1978 Colors = id:bl1 value:rgb(0.5,0.8,0.5) id:bl2 value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.3) id:rs value:rgb(0.8,0.6,0.6) id:rn value:rgb(0.9,0.1,0.1)

PlotData= bar:Position width:15 color:white align:center from:01/07/1978 till:01/07/1979 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1979 till:01/07/1980 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1980 till:01/07/1981 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1981 till:01/07/1982 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1982 till:01/07/1983 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/1984 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1985 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1985 till:01/07/1986 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1986 till:01/07/1987 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1987 till:01/07/1988 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/1988 till:01/07/1989 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1989 till:01/07/1990 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1990 till:01/07/1991 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1991 till:01/07/1992 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1992 till:01/07/1993 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/1994 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1994 till:01/07/1995 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1995 till:01/07/1996 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1995 till:01/07/1996 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/1997 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1997 till:01/07/1998 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/1999 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1999 till:01/07/2000 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/2000 till:01/07/2001 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2002 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/2002 till:01/07/2003 shift:(0,-4) text:8 from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2004 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/2004 till:01/07/2005 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2006 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/2006 till:01/07/2007 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/2007 till:01/07/2008 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/2008 till:01/07/2009 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2010 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/2010 till:01/07/2011 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2012 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2013 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2014 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2015 shift:(0,-4) text:8 from:01/07/2015 till:01/07/2016 shift:(0,-4) text:8 from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2017 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/2017 till:01/07/2018 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/2018 till:01/07/2019 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/2019 till:01/07/2020 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/2020 till:01/07/2021 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2022 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/2022 till:01/07/2023 shift:(0,-4) text:2

from:01/07/1978 till:01/07/2024 color:bl1 shift:(0,14) text: "QSL"

Performance in [[Asian Football Confederation|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 [[Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation|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 [[Union of Arab Football Associations|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

Current squad

As of Qatar Stars League:

Olympic squad

Out on loan

Club staff

:Technical and administrative staff Last updated: December 2025.

|}

Club officials

Managerial history

Present and past managers of Al-Arabi (incomplete):

(* denotes caretaker role)

Al-Arabi (1972–present)

• Qatar Sudan Salah Daf'Allah (1972) (player–manager)
• Egypt Wagdi Jamal (1975–76)
• Qatar Jaber Yusif Al-Jassim (1976–78)
• Qatar Iraq Abdul Ameer Zainal (1978)
• Brazil Silas Gonçalves de Oliveira (1978–80)
• Qatar Egypt Hassan Mokhtar (1980)
• Brazil Procópio Cardoso (1981–83)
• Brazil João Francisco (1983–84)
• Brazil Sebastião (1984)
• Brazil Cabralzinho (1984–86)
• Brazil Sebastião (1986–??)
• England Joseph Bowie (1988–89)
• Brazil Luis Alberto (1989–91)
• Brazil Oswaldo de Oliveira (1991–92)
• Brazil Zé Mário (1992)
• England Colin Addison (1992–93)
• Brazil Zé Mário (1993)
• Brazil René Simões (1993–94)
• Brazil Oswaldo de Oliveira (1994–95)
• Brazil Cláudio Galbo Garcia (1995–96)
• Qatar Abdullah Saad (1996)
• Bosnia Džemaludin Mušović (1996–97)
• Germany Ernst (1997–98) https://archive.today/20140624023858/http://www.charlesayoub.com/more/742665
• Brazil Ferdinando Teixeira (1998)
• Qatar Abdullah Saad (1998)
• Brazil Ednaldo Patricio (1998) https://archive.today/20140624034710/http://www.charlesayoub.com/more/718932
• Ukraine Anatoliy Azarenkov (1998–99)
• Brazil José Paulo Rubim (1999)
• Brazil Ednaldo Patricio (1999)
• Denmark Roald Poulsen (1999)
• Bosnia Fuad Muzurović (1999)
• Qatar Abdullah Saad (1999–00) https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095911/http://daharchives.alhayat.com/issue_archive/Hayat%20INT/1999/12/30/%D8%A8%D8%B7%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%B1-%D9%87%D9%84-%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%82%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%AF-.html
• Chile Luis Santibáñez (2000)
• Iraq Adnan Dirjal (2000–01)
• Brazil Procópio Cardoso (2001)
• Qatar Abdullah Saad* (2001–02)
• Serbia Slobodan Santrač (2002–03)
• Brazil Carlos Roberto Pereira (2003)
• Brazil Cabralzinho (July 2003 – Nov 2003)
• Germany Wolfgang Sidka (16 Nov 2003 – 30 June 2005)
• Romania Ilie Balaci (June 2005 – July 2006)
• France Henri Michel (1 July 2006 – 21 Oct 2006)
• Qatar Abdullah Saad* (Oct 2006 – Nov 2006)
• Croatia Srećko Juričić (1 Nov 2006 – 31 Dec 2006)
• Portugal José Romão (Feb 2007 – March 2008)
• Brazil Adilson Fernandes (March 2008 – April 2008)
• Brazil Zé Mário (July 2008 – Dec 2008)
• Brazil Luiz Carlos* (Dec 2008 – Jan 2009)
• Germany Uli Stielike (5 Jan 2009 – 30 July 2010)
• Brazil Péricles Chamusca (1 July 2010 – 3 June 2011)
• Brazil Paulo Silas (9 June 2011 – 3 Jan 2012)
• Qatar Abdullah Saad* (1 Jan 2012 – 19 March 2012)
• France Pierre Lechantre (19 March 2012 – 27 Sept 2012)
• Morocco Abdelaziz Bennij* (Sept 2012 – Oct 2012)
• Egypt Hassan Shehata (6 Oct 2012 – 6 Dec 2012)
• Morocco Abdelaziz Bennij (Dec 2012 – June 2013)
• Germany Uli Stielike (5 June 2013 – Feb 2014)
• Brazil Paulo César Gusmão (Feb 2014 – 5 June 2014)
• Romania Dan Petrescu (5 June 2014 – 1 Dec 2014)
• Uruguay Daniel Carreño (1 Dec 2014 – 1 June 2015)
• Italy Gianfranco Zola (11 July 2015 – 27 June 2016)
• Uruguay Gerardo Pelusso (28 June 2016 – 1 November 2016)
• Algeria Kamal Akhlaf (2 November 2016 – 15 November 2016)
• Brazil Edison Aguirre (16 November 2016 – 19 January 2017)
• Brazil Oswaldo de Oliveira (20 January 2017 – 3 June 2017)
• Tunisia Kais Yâakoubi (9 July 2017 – 9 November 2017)
• Croatia Luka Bonačić (10 November 2017 – 8 October 2018)
• Tunisia Hatem Almoadab (9 October 2018 – 9 December 2018)
• Iceland Heimir Hallgrímsson (10 December 2018 – 30 Jun 2021)
• Qatar Younes Ali (1 July 2021 – )

Management

Presidents

• QAT Meqbel bin Ali Al-Hitmi (1972–76)
• QAT Abdulrahman Al Jaber Muftah (1976–78)
• QAT Sultan Khaled Al-Suwaidi (1978–88)
• QAT Dr. Abdullah Yusuf Al-Mal (1988–00)
• QAT Sheikh Jassim bin Fahad bin Jassim Al-Thani (2000–01)
• QAT Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Jaber Al-Thani (2001–02)
• QAT Sheikh Falah bin Jassim Al-Thani (2002–06)
• QAT Sheikh Faisal bin Mubarak Al-Thani (2006–09)
• QAT Dr. Abdullah Yusuf Al-Mal (2009–12)
• QAT Hitmi bin Ali Al-Hitmi (2012–2016)
• QAT Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Jaber Al-Thani (2016–2020)
• QAT Sheikh Tamim bin Fahad bin Jaber Al-Thani (2020–)

References

References

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11. [https://archive.today/20120909033813/http://www.qfa.com.qa/al-arabi-end-asian-campaign-on-a-losing-note-.aspx QFA.com – Al Arabi end Asian campaign on losing note]
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15. "قنوات الكأس : دوري نجوم قطر 2015 - 2016".
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17. (13 April 2024). "Al Arabi clinch Qatar-UAE Super Cup title". Gulf Today.
18. (7 July 2015). "Al Arabi appoints Al Busairi as first team manager". Qatar Stars League.
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20. link. alkass.net
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