The 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League will start on Saturday, 11th September, 2021.

Al Gharafa face Al Shamal, Umm Salal face Al Rayyan and Qatar SC face Al Ahli on the opening day.

On Sunday, Al Khor face Al Duhail, Al Wakrah face Al Arabi and Al Sadd face Al Sailiya.

All signs indicate a strong as well as positive start to the league as all teams have high ambitions and goals in the new season, which requires great efforts and teamwork, especially since the league calendar is hectic as the tournament has to be completed by mid-March, 2022, so that the national team members can be relieved of club duties with effect from 1st April, 2022.

Clubs’ preparations

All teams completed their preparations through training camps, during which they played friendly matches to test the readiness of players.

The overseas professional players, who did international duty for their countries recently, and the Qatar national team and Olympic team players, who played in international competitions, will join their clubs’ ranks.

These times will be an opportunity for coaches to correct some mistakes committed in friendly matches during European camp, Doha camp and also in the first round of 2021-2022 season Ooredoo Cup last weekend.

Some teams are still working on recruiting professional players, as Al Rayyan still need one foreign professional and Al Gharafa two. They are the only two clubs that have not completed the contracts of their foreign professionals so far.

New deals

In order to strengthen the ranks with players of distinguished levels, a number of clubs signed outstanding Qatari players, most notably Mohammed Alaaeldin (Al Rayyan to Al Duhail) and Ahmed Yasser (Al Rayyan to Al Duhail). Al Arabi recruited Abdulqadir Ilyas and Hamed Ismail, while Sebastian Soria returned to Qatar SC.

Holders Al Sadd retained the services of four of their professionals – Algerian Baghdad Bounedjah, Spaniard Santi Cazorla, Brazilian Guilherme Torres, and South Korean Jung Woo-Young. The Wolves replaced South Korean Nam Tae-Hee with Ghanaian striker Andre Ayew.

Al Duhail made big changes at the level of foreign professionals by signing three players – Tunisian Ferjani Sassi and Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld, while Nam rejoined the side following his stint in Al Sadd. The Red Knights retained Paulo Edmilson for the fourth consecutive season and Kenyan striker Michael Olunga.

Al Rayyan decided to retain four professional players – Yacine Brahimi, Cameroonian Franck Kom, Ivorian Yohan Boli and Iranian Shojae Khalilzadeh. The Lions need another overseas player.

Al Gharafa newly signed Algerian Mehdi Tahrat, while his compatriot Sofianne Hanni and Ivorian Jonathan Kodjia continued. The Cheetahs need to recruit two more professionals.

Al Ahli made major changes to the ranks of professional players by signing four new players – Serb Marko Jevtovic, Iranian Hussein Kanaani, Nigerian Patrick Eze and Moroccan Soufiane Bouftini. The Brigadiers retained the services of Paraguayan Hernan Perez.

Qatar SC made two top deals – Spanish midfielder Javi Martinez and Algerian defender Djamel Benlamri – in addition to signing Belgian Isaac Mbenza to replace Nigerian Anthony Okpotu, who suffered an ankle injury. The Kings retained Algerian Youcef Bleili and Iraqi Bashar Resan.

Al Arabi kept their professional player quartet of Tunisian Yousef Msakni, Iranian Mehrdad Mohammadi, Spaniard Marc Muniesa and Icelander Aron Gunnarsson, and newly signed Gabonese Aaron Boupendza. They offloaded Algerian Ayoub Azzi.

Al Sailiya retained the services of only two foreign professionals – Iranian Ramin Rezaien and Senegalese Serigne Mbodji, and newly signed Tunisian defender Nassim Hnid, Moroccan midfielder Driss Fettouhi and Norwegian striker Adama Diomande.

Al Wakrah kept three of their foreign professionals, namely Algerian striker Mohamed Benyettou, Malian midfielder Ousmane Coulibaly and Brazilian Lucas Mendes, and roped in Iranian Omid Ebrahimi from Al Ahli and Angolan Gelson Dalla.

Umm Salal made drastic changes on the front of foreign professionals while retaining only two of them – Moses Orkuma (Nigeria) and Ayman Abdennour (Tunisia). Those who newly in are Yaseen Al Bakhit (Jordan), Isael da Silva (Brazil) and Aymen Hussein (Iraq).

Al Khor retained four of their foreign professionals –  Rafael Vaz (Brazil), Pierre Michel-Lasogga (Germany), Giannis Fetfatzidid (Greece) and Ismail Al Haddad (Morocco). They recruited South Korean Koo Ja-Cheol from Al Gharafa.

Three professionals continued with Al Shamal – Dutchman Jeremy de Nooijer, and Jordanians Baha Faisal and Khalil Zaid Bani Attiah. They buttressed their ranks with two new professionals – Argentinian defender Matias Nani and Colombian striker Jeison Medina Escobar.