Alkass English
Minister of Sports and Youth, H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, has officially launched the digital platform for documenting the history of Qatari football since 1948, marking the beginning of a landmark national project aimed at preserving the sport’s legacy in Qatar within a modern scientific and digital framework.
The initiative reflects the deep belief that football in Qatar has played a major social and cultural role in shaping public awareness and reflecting the country’s societal development across decades. The project aims to transform this accumulated heritage—including key events, figures, and milestones—into a reliable national archive that preserves the past and connects it to the future.
During the launch ceremony, Ali Dawood, Chairman of the Committee for Documenting and Archiving Qatari Football History, stated that the project is the result of continuous institutional work since August 2020. He emphasized that documenting football history is a national responsibility, no less important than achieving sporting success, as it preserves and sustains it.
He explained that extensive efforts were made to collect, verify, and archive a wide range of historical materials, including documents, photographs, oral testimonies, and rare footage. These were carefully authenticated using rigorous scientific methods, resulting in a large, structured and digitised knowledge base designed to serve researchers, media professionals, and future generations.
Dawood added that the achievement was not individual but the result of coordinated work between specialised teams operating under high standards of governance and quality. He also highlighted the committee’s ISO 9001:2015 certification, achieved in a short period, as a reflection of its institutional maturity and commitment to global best practices.
The committee adopted an integrated structure covering historical documentation, oral history, archiving, digitisation, verification, and review. Its methodology included collecting rare materials, recording testimonies from football pioneers, cross-checking historical data, and building an interactive database aligned with international standards.
The platform currently contains around 15 terabytes of historical data, with continuous updates expected to significantly expand its size in future phases, reinforcing its role as a living national reference for Qatari football history.
Several documentary books have also been published as part of the project. These include works covering the early beginnings of football in Qatar, Qatar’s participation in the Gulf Cup, and its journey in the FIFA World Cup.
Among the publications is “The Story of the Beginning,” which documents the early formation of football in Qatar, from workers’ environments and neighbourhood games in Doha to the establishment of clubs, teams, and stadiums, based on rare documents, photographs, and eyewitness accounts.
Another key publication, “Qatar in the Gulf Cup: Legacy and Impact,” explores Qatar’s participation in the Arabian Gulf Cup, highlighting its sporting, organisational, and fan culture evolution, and the role of the tournament in shaping experience and sporting awareness.
The book “Qatar in the World Cup: Journey and Milestones” chronicles Qatar’s football journey from early qualification attempts to hosting FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and later qualifying for the 2026 edition, offering a historical and analytical narrative of ambition, challenges, and achievements.
This project represents a major milestone in preserving Qatar’s sporting history as part of its national memory, ensuring it is documented with scientific accuracy and institutional responsibility for future generations.