The 49th Amir Cup will kick off on January 25 with a match between Al Duhail and Al Ahli, according to the draw held yesterday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Sixteen teams are taking part in the tournament.
In other fixtures, Qatar SC will take on Al Shamal, Al Wakrah will play Al Kharaitiyat and Al Rayyan will face off against Al Markhiya. Elsewhere, Al Gharafa will take on Al Shahaniya, Al Sadd will play Muaither, Al Sailiya have a date with Al Khor while Al Arabi will go head-to-head with Umm Salal. The dates will be confirmed later.
The draw for the tournament was held in the presence of Khaled Mubarak al-Kuwari, Director of Marketing and Communications, QFA; Ali Hassan al-Salat, Head of Communication Department; Ali Hammoud al-Nuaimi, Head of the Competitions Department; and Hamad al-Hajri, member of the Competitions Committee, who conducted the draw ceremony with the participation of club officials.
The draw for the 49th Amir Cup is based on the rankings in the QNB Stars League and the Second Division League of the 2019-2020 season.
Al Duhail, Al Rayyan, Al Sadd, Al Gharafa, Al Sailiya, Al Wakrah, Al Arabi and Qatar SC were placed in Group A as they are the top eight sides from the first division.
Al Ahli, Umm Salal, Al Khor and Al Shahaniya were slotted in Group B along with Al Kharaitiyat, Al Markhiya, Al Shamal and Muaither.
The 2021 Amir Cup is beginning earlier than usual keeping in view the international engagements of the national team.
Last month, Al Sadd beat Al Arabi 2-1 at the brand new Qatar 2022 venue, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, to win the 2020 Amir Cup title.