Texas A&M, QU reach University League final

Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq) is set to play defending champions Qatar University (QU) in the final of the fifth University League today. The match will kick off at 8pm at Qatar Foundation’s (QF’s) Recreation Center, Pitch 1.
In addition, the third-place playoff will be played before the final at 7pm, and will see Qatar Aeronautical College (QAC), who lost to Tamuq 3-1 in the semi-finals last weekend, take on Carnegie Mellon University (CMU-Q), who lost to QU 1-0 in the other semi.
This was the first time that Tamuq made it to the final of the University League, which was launched in 2013. QU, on the other hand, has reached and won all four previous finals.
Hilal al-Mohannadi, chairman of the Sub-Leagues Committee, Qatar Football Association (QFA), said: “We are very happy to see a different kind of final this year considering that the last three editions have featured Qatar University and Qatar Aeronautical College. Seeing Texas A&M University at Qatar qualify for the final for the very first time shows that the players have developed greatly. I wish all the teams best of luck this Thursday and I look forward to witnessing great sportsmanship on the field.”
Nine colleges and universities participated in this year’s league. The universities were divided into two groups in the draw which took place in October, with five teams in Group A and four teams in Group B. Defending champions QU were in group B with College of North Atlantic – Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and QAC, while group A featured Tamuq, Georgetown University in Qatar, Academic Bridge Program, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, and CMU-Q.
The competition is sponsored by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy as the official strategic partner, Ooredoo as the official telecommunication partner, Qatar National Bank as the exclusive financial partner, Nike as the official supplier, and Al Kass Sports Channels as the official broadcaster.
The University League, a joint initiative launched in 2013 by the QFA and QF, aims to spread a love for football at the youth level and raise awareness about the importance of community-based sports initiatives and the positive impact they have on the community.