His Excellency the Minister of Sports and Youth Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani inaugurated the official digital platform for the project documenting the history of Qatari football (1948-present), marking the launch of a landmark national initiative aimed at preserving the legacy of football in Qatar through a modern institutional framework that combines scientific methodology with digital innovation.
The project reflects a firm belief that football in Qatar has long served as a social and cultural pillar that contributed to shaping public consciousness and mirrored the transformations of Qatari society across different historical periods.
In this context, the initiative seeks to transform decades of sporting heritage, milestones, and iconic moments into a credible national archive that preserves the past while ensuring its continuity for future generations.
Speaking during the launch ceremony, the chairman of the Committee for the Documentation and Archiving of Qatari Football History, Ali Dawood, said that the achievement was the result of sustained institutional work that began in August 2020, driven by the conviction that documenting the history of Qatari football is a national responsibility equal in importance to the achievements themselves, as it preserves and sustains them.
He said that the committee focused on collecting, verifying, and archiving a vast body of historical material, including documents, photographs, oral testimonies, and rare footage, all reviewed according to rigorous scientific standards.
Dawood added that documentation, research, and technical teams succeeded in building a comprehensive knowledge base that has been organised, indexed, and digitised to serve as a reliable national reference for researchers, media professionals, and future generations.
He stressed that the accomplishment was the product of integrated teamwork carried out in accordance with the highest standards of quality and governance.
He noted that the committee’s attainment of ISO 9001:2015 certification within a record period for a documentation project reflects its commitment to institutional excellence and sustainable professional practices.
The committee adopted a comprehensive organisational structure comprising specialised teams in historical documentation, oral history, archiving, digitisation, verification, and review to ensure accuracy, governance, and quality outputs.
Its work began with the collection of rare documents, photographs, and video materials, alongside recording testimonies of pioneers and key figures in Qatari football, followed by cross-referenced historical verification, digitisation of content, and the development of an interactive database based on the latest international standards.
The committee stated that the project has reached an advanced stage, noting that the digital platform currently contains nearly 15 terabytes of historical data and content and continues to undergo expansion and updates.
The volume of content is expected to nearly double during upcoming phases as part of a phased strategy designed to ensure the project’s comprehensiveness, sustainability, and status as a living national reference for the history of Qatari football.
The committee also announced the publication of several specialised documentary books as part of the archiving project, covering pivotal milestones in Qatar’s football journey.
These include publications on the early beginnings of football in Qatar, the national team’s participation in the Gulf Cup, and Qatar’s journey in FIFA World Cup tournaments, within a vision aimed at delivering verified knowledge content that combines historical narrative with scientific methodology.
Among the publications is The Story of the Beginning, which documents the formative years of football in Qatar, tracing its emergence within early labour communities before spreading across Doha neighbourhoods and evolving into clubs, teams, and stadiums.
Another publication, Qatar in the Gulf Cup: Legacy and Impact, chronicles Qatar’s participation in the Arabian Gulf Cup since the tournament’s inception, highlighting the technical, organisational, and fan-related transformations that accompanied its football journey within the broader Gulf sporting landscape.
The book Qatar in the World Cup: Journey and Milestones documents the evolution of Qatari football from its early qualification attempts to the historic hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the national team’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The publication offers both historical and analytical perspectives on a long journey marked by ambition, challenges, and achievement.
