FIFA renews partnership with QSL and QFA to boost football development

- FIFA President Gianni Infantino signs Memorandum of Understanding with His Excellency Jassim bin Rashid Al  Buenain, President of QFA and QSL

- Ceremony took place at Lusail Stadium ahead of the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 final

- Partnership aims to raise standards of professional club management and administration

As part of its efforts to make football truly global and enable more clubs, leagues and players from all around the world to compete at the highest level, FIFA has renewed its partnership with the Qatar Stars League (QSL) and Qatar Football Association (QFA).

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with His Excellency Jassim bin Rashid Al  Buenain, President of QFA and QSL, to continue their drive to raise standards of professional club management and administration across all first and second division clubs in QSL.

Mr. Infantino said, “I was delighted to sign a renewed Memorandum of Understanding with QSL and QFA, further strengthening a strategic partnership that continues to raise professional standards in club football. My sincere thanks to His Excellency Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain and his teams for their outstanding support, organisation and hosting of major FIFA events this year, including the FIFA Arab Cup, FIFA Intercontinental Cup and FIFA Under-17 World Cup.”

FIFA President continued, “Through education programmes, knowledge exchange and enhanced support for player well-being, we’re working together to help talented individuals and ambitious clubs thrive in a more competitive and sustainable global football ecosystem.”

Qatar’s leadership in hosting major tournaments and its commitment to innovation continue to make it a key contributor to the golden new era of global club football.

His Excellency Al Buenain said, “We’re pleased with the extension of the agreement between FIFA and QSL, as it represents an important step that reflects the strength of cooperation between both sides. This partnership covers several areas, including the strategic development of football across its technical and administrative aspects, as well as leveraging the region’s passion for the game to promote peace and highlight the noble values of football worldwide.”

The next stage of the collaboration between FIFA, QFA and QSL will focus on the Educational Programmes Project. Through this agreement, FIFA will provide bespoke support in a wide range of fields, including exchange and educational programmes for club managers and agents, as well as mental health and overall wellbeing support systems for players. These will focus not only on theoretical aspects, but also on their application from a practical perspective.

The signing, which extends an MoU first signed in 2022, took place on Qatar National Day at the Lusail Stadium ahead of the final of FIFA Arab Cup 2025 between Jordan and Morocco. It also marked three years to the day since Argentina won their third FIFA World Cup title after their enthralling win over France in the final of 2022 tournament at the same venue.

It may ne noted that QSL, in collaboration with FIFA, hosted a series of events and specialized programmes in club management and football governance in Doha in December, 2025. Thy events included the FIFA Essential Courses in Club Management on December 10 and 11, 2025, and FIFA Club Management Summit, held as part of FIFA Club Management Diploma programme from December 12 to 19, 2025.

These programmes aimed to enhance the administrative and executive capabilities of club staff and develop concepts of governance, strategic planning and financial sustainability, in line with international best practices. The events witnessed wide participation from club officials and international experts and achieved remarkable success in terms of attendance and interactive content, underscoring QSL’s commitment towards support the development of professional football and building the institutional capacity of clubs in co-operation with FIFA.