A bird’s-eye view of the Aspire Academy, the Torch Doha and the iconic Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
Doha will be playing host to at least 15 football teams in the lead-up to the AFC Asian Cup - the region’s premier national team event.
With less than a month to go before the start of Asia’s showpiece football event, Doha will also be abuzz with football activity when Qatar completes its international friendly series against four teams.
In the coming days, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, China, the Philippines and Vietnam will use the state-of-the-art facilities at Doha’s Aspire zone and play friendly matches as they prepare for the January 5 – February 9 tournament.
Pakistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and the Iraqi Olympic team will also use Qatar’s globally renowned facilities during the same period.
In addition to the Asian giants, the Swedish national team, ranked 14th in the FIFA computer, will also be based in Doha from January as they prepare well for the upcoming matches.
Finland will also take part in a training camp here in Doha making the use of Qatar’s favourable weather conditions in December and January when they play a friendly match against the Swedish men.
Finland have announced that they will use the facilities at the Aspire Zone during their preparatory camp.
Meanwhile, Algeria who are gearing up for the African Cup of Nations Cup, will also conduct a training camp in Doha. They will meet the hosts Qatar in a friendly match as coach Felix Sanchez and his men rev-up their preparations ahead of the 2019 Asian Cup campaign.
The presence of such a big number of international teams is a sign that Doha has already become the most favoured destination for international clubs and teams for the purpose of setting up winter sports camps.
The ideal weather, world-class ports facilities, highest standards of hospitality and the capability to host international events make Qatar the perfect stopover around this time of the year.
The Qatar Football Association (QFA) will host the preparation camps and friendly matches for the visiting teams while the football fans get the opportunity to witness Asian stars in action at Qatari stadiums.
On Sunday, Yemen will take on Tajikistan in a friendly encounter at the Qatar Sports Club Stadium. The match will kick off at 6.00pm.
On December 15, Yemen will meet Pakistan in another friendly. The Pakistani national team will also take on Qatar Military XI on December 19. Kyrgyzstan and Jordan will meet on December 20 and the match will be followed by the Yemen – Palestine clash.
Pakistan will take on Iraqi Olympic team on December 22. Two days later, Iraq’s first team will meet their Chinese counterpart. On the same day, Iran and Palestine will also play in a friendly match.
On December 25, Pakistan will meet neighbours Afghanistan. Iraq will clash with Palestine on December 28 and China will take on Jordan on the same day. Yemen meets Afghanistan on the next day. Kyrgyzstan and Palestine will meet on December 31, followed by the Philippines - Vietnam clash which will conclude the international friendlies.
The presence of all international teams is due to the bilateral agreements between the QFA and regional or Asian football bodies and it has played a huge role in lifting Doha’s image as the ‘Sports Capital’ of the world.
In addition to national teams, Doha, which hosts more than 80 championships each year, has also been a regular stop for some of the biggest European clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga champions.
