Al Sadd Sports Club

1969–1980: Foundation and beginnings

Al Sadd was established in 1969 by Ali bin Hamad Al Attiyah and his relatives; they excelled in playing football, and refused to join other clubs at the time and decided to make their own club. The reason behind the club's name is that Ali bin Hamad Al Attiyah was born and raised in the Al Sadd district of Doha. They consulted with Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was the minister of Youth and Sports at the time, at his residence on Al Rayyan Road. He obliged their request, and the next morning, the youth signed the necessary applications and created a club statue which they presented to Abdulaziz Buwazair, the operating manager of the Supreme Sports Committee, resulting in the formation of Al Sadd Sports Club. Many of the early players and supporters were remnants of Al Ahrar SC, a club which was formed in 1961, also in the district of Al Sadd. The name "Al Ahrar" translates to "the free people", and was chosen to honor the Free Officers Movement led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. It was one of the several early football clubs in Qatar named in honor of a Pan-Arabism movement. By order of ministerial decree, Al Ahrar was merged with another Qatari football club named Al Nasr in 1964. Playing its home matches at the Doha Stadium, Al Ahrar played numerous matches abroad in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Following a mass brawl between Al Ahrar and Al Najah in a 1967–68 Qatari League match attended by Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, the sheikh decided…

As of November 2025.

Domestic

Qatar Stars League Winners (19) (record): 1971–72, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2012–13, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26 Amir of Qatar Cup Winners (19) (record): 1974–75, 1977–78, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2024 Runners-up (11): 1973–74, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1992–93, 2001–02, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2026 Qatar Cup Winners (9) (record): 1998, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2025 Runners-up (4): 2004, 2012, 2013, 2018 Qatar Super Cup / Sheikh Jassim Cup Winners (15) (record): 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2014, 2017, 2019 Runners-up (2): 2012, 2015 Qatari Stars Cup Winners (2): 2010, 2019 Runners-up (1): 2013–14 Continental

AFC Champions League Elite Winners (2): 1988–89, 2011 Asian Cup Winners' Cup Third place (1): 2001–02 Arab Champions League Winners (1): 2001 Arab Cup Winners' Cup Runners-up (1): 1992 GCC Champions League Winners (1): 1991 Qatar-UAE Super Shield Winners (1): 2026 International

Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu Runners-up (1): 2013 FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Medalist (1): 2011 Qualified as host: 2019 Afro-Asian Club Championship Runners-up (1): 1989