Nakheel became the first team to retain the title in the six-year history of Workers’ Cup when they defeated Doha Pest Control 2-0 in an absorbing final at the Al Duhail Stadium on Friday.

The strong crowd of 7,600 spectators provided the perfect icing on the cake as the expanding tournament, organised by the Qatar Stars League (QSL) and sponsored by Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), highlighted Qatar’s ‘football for all’ commitment.

The sixth edition of the tournament was the biggest to date, with 640 players representing 32 teams, including 12 contractors working on 2022 FIFA World Cup projects and seven engaged with the SC’s Generation Amazing programme.

Nakheel were crowned in the presence of Minister of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs HE Dr Issa bin Saad Al Nuaimi, SC Secretary General Hassan Al Thawadi, Assistant Secretary General for Tournament Affairs Nasser Al Khater, Head of Advisory Group and Projects Khalid Al Kubaisi, Qatar Football Association General Secretary Mansour Al Ansari, QSL’s Marketing and Communications Acting Executive Director Hassan Al Kuwari and Spanish superstar and Al Sadd captain Xavi Hernandez.

In an electrifying final, both Nakheel and Doha Pest Control were spurred on by a loudly-cheering crowd, with the former on the offensive right from the word go.

Nakheel lived up to their billing of being the favourites. They duly took the lead in the 10th minute through Abdelkarim Ousman, who slotted home a rebound off the goalkeeper.

The play was mostly confined to the Doha Pest Control area. Their first chance came towards the end of first half in the form of a corner kick.

Doha Pest Control put up a better performance in the second half, but Nakheel were too strong an opponent.

Othmane Bendahan doubled Nakheel’s lead in the 46th minute to make it a true delight for them on a grand night.

Al Kuwari opined the Workers’ Cup had grown significantly since 2013 to become a major football event.

“The QSL is proud to support a tournament which uses the power of football to support positive social changes in the country. The Workers’ Cup continues to go from strength to strength and is now a much-anticipated annual event,” said Al Kuwari.

“We look forward to continuing our Workers’ Cup journey with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy as we support the delivery of the 2022 World Cup and its associated legacy projects,” he added.

Nakheel reached the final by defeating ALYSJ 4-2 on penalties after the teams were level 1-1 at full time.

Doha Pest Control too entered the title clash through penalties, putting it across last year’s runners-up Al Asmakh F.M. 8-7 when they played out a 1-1 draw after 50 minutes of regulation time.

The semifinals were played on 9th March, quarterfinals on 2nd March and pre-quarterfinals on 23rd February.

ALYSJ finished in the third position with an easy 3-0 win over Al Asmakh in the play-off held on 16th March.

Matches were played on Fridays in the tournament that started on 2nd February. Entry was free for the public. Al Sadd Stadium also hosted the matches.

The tournament’s main objective was to promote a culture of sport and healthy lifestyle in the community of migrant workers engaged in various projects across the State of Qatar, especially those related to the infrastructure of 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The full list of fixtures, scores and more information on the tournament can be found at www.workerscup.com.