Al-Arabi SC (Qatar)

Al-Arabi Sports Club (النادي العربي الرياضي) is a Qatari sports club based in the capital city Doha. Founded in 1952, the most prominent team of the club is the football team that competes in the Qatar Stars League. The club's home ground is the 13,000-seat Grand Hamad Stadium, where they have played since their establishment.

Al-Arabi had their first major success in 1978, winning the Emir of Qatar Cup, followed by various titles during the 1980s and 1990s. The club enjoyed their greatest period of success in those two decades, winning 17 major trophies. Domestically, Al-Arabi have won seven league titles, eight Emir of Qatar Cups, one Qatar Crown Prince Cup and six Qatar Sheikh Jassem Cups.

Al-Arabi's regular kit colours are red shirts and shorts with red socks. The club's crest has been changed several times in attempts to re-brand the club and modernise its image. The current crest, featuring a ceremonial falcon, is a modification of the one introduced in the early 1950s. They are known as having the largest fan base in Qatar. The AFC conducted a survey on their official website to determine the most prominent fan base in Qatar, revealing that Al-Arabi secured the top position with 41% of the votes, closely followed by Al-Rayyan in second place. In terms of championships won, they are the second most successful club domestically after Al-Sadd. Al-Arabi is known by various nicknames including "Dream Team", "The Red Devils", and "Century Club".

Foundation (1952–1990)
The club was founded in 1952 under the name "Al-Tahrir", making them the second oldest team in Qatar. In 1957, the club merged with Al-Wehda, a club founded in the same year under the leadership of Mohamed Ali Ahmed Al-Ansari, after playing a friendly. They merged under the name of Al-Wehda. Al-Wehda did not play outside of Qatar nor host any foreign clubs due to its limited budget. In 1972, the club rebranded under their current name, Al-Arabi. The first president of the club was Ahmed Ali Ahmed Al-Ansari.

Al-Arabi was known for having one of the largest fan bases in all of Qatar, as well as in other Gulf states, and was well-known overseas. Their popularity outside of the Middle East was bolstered by their achievements and national team players, until 2003 when it reached its peak with the signing of Argentine legend Gabriel Batistuta.

It placed 14th in the International Federation of Football History & Statistics's 1901–2000 Asian Club of the Century poll.

Golden era (1990–2000)
The 1990s marked the start of a long streak of success for Al-Arabi. The dream team had come to fruition with the likes of Marco Antônio and Richard Owebukeri, who were the top scorers in the league at one point. Perhaps the most significant player was Mubarak Mustafa, who is considered one of the best Qatari footballers in history. The team, impressing many with its versatile squad, took the Qatari league by storm, winning it 5 times out of 10. Not satisfied merely with local success, the team achieved runners-up position in the AFC Champions League in 1995.

They won their first Heir Apparent cup in 1997.

Decline (2000–2011)
The new century saw a significant slump in Al-Arabi's performance. Factors which impacted this may include the departure of Mubarak Mustafa and the increase of competitiveness from local clubs. In the 2002 season, Al-Arabi finished in 7th place, the lowest position since its debut in the Qatar Stars League.

The arrival of Gabriel Batistuta in 2003 saw a glimpse of hope for Al-Arabi as they finished significantly higher in the league than the 2 previous seasons, however they ended up finishing 9th in the league at the end of the 2007 season, a new low. They did not win a single domestic title during this period, and had limited success in international competitions. Furthermore, they suffered their largest-ever defeat against Al-Sadd that season when they were beaten 7–0, which resulted in the sacking of their coach Cabralzinho.

In 2006, due to popular dissent accosting the club president Sheikh Falah bin Jassim, there was an administrative change which resulted in Sheikh Faisal bin Mubarak being elected as president.

Management crisis (2011–present)
The beginning of the 2011–12 season looked bright for Al-Arabi, with the club winning its first domestic silverware in 13 years after defeating Umm Salal SC in the final of the 2011 Sheikh Jassem Cup. However, a string of bad results in the league resulted in the sacking of their coach, Paulo Silas.

They also qualified for the 2012 AFC Champions League, wherein they were the first team to be eliminated. During this period, the club had appointed 3 coaches in a span of 3 months. They infamously made history by being the first team since 2007 to lose every match of the group stage, as well as the first Qatari team to witness such failure. As a result, the club's director of football, Mubarak Mustafa, announced his departure from the club. Furthermore, Dr. Abdullah al-Mal, president of the club, announced his retirement from sports. He was replaced by Hitme bin Ali Al-Hitmi. The fiscal budget of the club was reduced from 15 million riyals to 9 million riyals.

Al-Arabi Fans Club
The Al-Arabi Fans Club was established on 21 October 2015 to help fans think of innovative ways to support the club's different sports teams throughout the season. On the day the fan club was established, the club's management withdrew the number 1 jersey from the first team and awarded it to the club's fans as a symbolic gesture to acknowledge their fans' importance to the club. This was done after Captain Masoud Zeraei waived his right to the number. The move was motivated by the fact that the club enjoys the largest fanbase in Qatar.

Stadium
Grand Hamad Stadium (استاد حمد الكبير), also known as the Al-Arabi Sports Club Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Doha, Qatar. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the home ground of football club Al-Arabi SC. The stadium can accommodate 13,000 people. The stadium was used extensively during the 2006 Asian Games, and was a venue for several different sports, including football, table tennis, rugby sevens and fencing. The Iraq national football team played its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) games at the ground. The stadium was also used as a home venue for the Qatar national football team during its 2014 FIFA World qualification (AFC) campaign, but in 2023 the team moved to Al-Thumama Stadium due to its larger capacity of 44,400.

Al-Rayyan
Al-Rayyan and Al-Arabi are often considered the clubs with the most passionate sets of fans in Qatar. For this, their clash is known as the "Fans Derby".

Head-to-head
From 1994 to 2017.

Al-Sadd
Al-Arabi's clashes with Al-Sadd are considered the season's biggest as they are contested by Qatar's two most successful teams. For some fans, winning this derby is more noteworthy than winning the league itself. The derby is an important component of the country's culture.

Al-Arabi always regarded itself as the club of Qatar's working class, in contrast to the more upper-class support base of Al-Sadd. The social-class divide between the two fanbases eventually diminished.

Memorable matches
Bold indicates a win.

Head-to-head
From 1996 to 2017.

International

 * Asian Club Championship
 * Runners-up (1): 1994–95

Regional

 * Qatar–UAE Super Cup
 * Winners (1): 2023–24

Domestic

 * Qatar Stars League
 * Champions (7): 1982–83, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97
 * Emir of Qatar Cup
 * Champions (9): 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1992–93, 2022–23
 * Qatar Crown Prince Cup
 * Champions (1): 1997
 * Qatar FA Cup 
 * Champions (1) : 2021–22
 * Qatar Sheikh Jassem Cup
 * Champions (6): 1980, 1982, 1994, 2008, 2010, 2011

Performance in AFC competitions

 * Asian Club Championship: 5 appearances
 * 1987: Group stage (Top 8)
 * 1993: Qualifying – 1st round
 * 1995: Runners-up
 * 1996: Group stage (Top 8)
 * 1999: First Round


 * Asian Cup Winners' Cup: 2 appearances
 * 1990–91: Second Round
 * 1993–94: Semi-final


 * AFC Champions League: 2 appearance
 * 2012: Group stage
 * 2023: 2nd Qualifying Round

Performance in AGCFF competitions

 * Gulf Club Champions Cup: 11 appearances
 * 1983: Group stage
 * 1986: Runners-up
 * 1993: 3rd place
 * 1995: 3rd place
 * 1996: 6th place
 * 1998: 5th place
 * 1999: 4th place
 * 2002: Group stage
 * 2006: Group stage
 * 2011: Quarter-finals
 * 2015: Group stage

Performance in UAFA competitions

 * Arab Cup Winners' Cup: 2 appearances
 * 1991: Group stage
 * 1995: Group stage


 * Arab Club Champions Cup: 2 appearances
 * 1987: Group stage
 * 1992: Runners-up

Club staff

 * Technical and administrative staff

Last updated: April 2019.

Managerial history
Present and past managers of Al-Arabi (incomplete):

(* denotes caretaker role)

Al-Arabi (1972–present)

 * 🇶🇦 🇸🇩 Salah Daf'Allah (1972) (player–manager)
 * 🇪🇬 Wagdi Jamal (1975–76)
 * 🇶🇦 Jaber Yusif Al-Jassim (1976–78)
 * 🇶🇦 🇮🇶 Abdul Ameer Zainal (1978)
 * 🇧🇷 Silas Gonçalves de Oliveira (1978–80)
 * 🇶🇦 🇪🇬 Hassan Mokhtar (1980)
 * 🇧🇷 Procópio Cardoso (1981–83)
 * 🇧🇷 João Francisco (1983–84)
 * 🇧🇷 Sebastião (1984)
 * 🇧🇷 Cabralzinho (1984–86)
 * 🇧🇷 Sebastião (1986–??)
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Joseph Bowie (1988–89)
 * 🇧🇷 Luis Alberto (1989–91)
 * 🇧🇷 Oswaldo de Oliveira (1991–92)
 * 🇧🇷 Zé Mário (1992)
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Colin Addison (1992–93)
 * 🇧🇷 Zé Mário (1993)
 * 🇧🇷 René Simões (1993–94)
 * 🇧🇷 Oswaldo de Oliveira (1994–95)
 * 🇧🇷 Cláudio Galbo Garcia (1995–96)
 * 🇶🇦 Abdullah Saad (1996)
 * Džemaludin Mušović (1996–97)
 * 🇩🇪 Ernst (1997–98)
 * 🇧🇷 Ferdinando Teixeira (1998)
 * 🇶🇦 Abdullah Saad (1998)
 * 🇧🇷 Ednaldo Patricio (1998)
 * 🇺🇦 Anatoliy Azarenkov (1998–99)
 * 🇧🇷 José Paulo Rubim (1999)
 * 🇧🇷 Ednaldo Patricio (1999)
 * 🇩🇰 Roald Poulsen (1999)
 * Fuad Muzurović (1999)
 * 🇶🇦 Abdullah Saad (1999–00)
 * 🇨🇱 Luis Santibáñez (2000)
 * 🇮🇶 Adnan Dirjal (2000–01)
 * 🇧🇷 Procópio Cardoso (2001)
 * 🇶🇦 Abdullah Saad* (2001–02)
 * 🇷🇸 Slobodan Santrač (2002–03)
 * 🇧🇷 Carlos Roberto Pereira (2003)
 * 🇧🇷 Cabralzinho (July 2003 – Nov 2003)
 * 🇩🇪 Wolfgang Sidka (16 Nov 2003 – 30 June 2005)
 * 🇷🇴 Ilie Balaci (June 2005 – July 2006)
 * 🇫🇷 Henri Michel (1 July 2006 – 21 Oct 2006)
 * 🇶🇦 Abdullah Saad* (Oct 2006 – Nov 2006)
 * 🇭🇷 Srećko Juričić (1 Nov 2006 – 31 Dec 2006)
 * 🇵🇹 José Romão (Feb 2007 – March 2008)
 * 🇧🇷 Adilson Fernandes (March 2008 – April 2008)
 * 🇧🇷 Zé Mário (July 2008 – Dec 2008)
 * 🇧🇷 Luiz Carlos* (Dec 2008 – Jan 2009)
 * 🇩🇪 Uli Stielike (5 Jan 2009 – 30 July 2010)
 * 🇧🇷 Péricles Chamusca (1 July 2010 – 3 June 2011)
 * 🇧🇷 Paulo Silas (9 June 2011 – 3 Jan 2012)
 * 🇶🇦 Abdullah Saad* (1 Jan 2012 – 19 March 2012)
 * 🇫🇷 Pierre Lechantre (19 March 2012 – 27 Sept 2012)
 * 🇲🇦 Abdelaziz Bennij* (Sept 2012 – Oct 2012)
 * 🇪🇬 Hassan Shehata (6 Oct 2012 – 6 Dec 2012)
 * 🇲🇦 Abdelaziz Bennij (Dec 2012 – June 2013)
 * 🇩🇪 Uli Stielike (5 June 2013 – Feb 2014)
 * 🇧🇷 Paulo César Gusmão (Feb 2014 – 5 June 2014)
 * 🇷🇴 Dan Petrescu (5 June 2014 – 1 Dec 2014)
 * 🇺🇾 Daniel Carreño (1 Dec 2014 – 1 June 2015)
 * 🇮🇹 Gianfranco Zola (11 July 2015 – 27 June 2016)
 * 🇺🇾 Gerardo Pelusso (28 June 2016 – 1 November 2016)
 * 🇩🇿 Kamal Akhlaf (2 November 2016 – 15 November 2016)
 * 🇧🇷 Edison Aguirre (16 November 2016 – 19 January 2017)
 * 🇧🇷 Oswaldo de Oliveira (20 January 2017 – 3 June 2017)
 * 🇹🇳 Kais Yâakoubi (9 July 2017 – 9 November 2017)
 * 🇭🇷 Luka Bonačić (10 November 2017 – 8 October 2018)
 * 🇹🇳 Hatem Almoadab (9 October 2018 – 9 December 2018)
 * 🇮🇸 Heimir Hallgrímsson (10 December 2018 – 30 Jun 2021)
 * 🇶🇦 Younes Ali (1 July 2021 – )

Presidents

 * 🇶🇦 Muqbal bin Ali Al-Hitmi (1972–76)
 * 🇶🇦 Abdulrahman Al Jaber Muftah (1976–78)
 * 🇶🇦 Sultan Khaled Al-Suwaidi (1978–88)
 * 🇶🇦 Dr. Abdullah Yusuf Al-Mal (1988–00)
 * 🇶🇦 Sheikh Jassim bin Fahad bin Jassim Al-Thani (2000–01)
 * 🇶🇦 Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Jaber Al-Thani (2001–02)
 * 🇶🇦 Sheikh Falah bin Jassim Al-Thani (2002–06)
 * 🇶🇦 Sheikh Faisal bin Mubarak Al-Thani (2006–09)
 * 🇶🇦 Dr. Abdullah Yusuf Al-Mal (2009–12)
 * 🇶🇦 Hitmi bin Ali Al-Hitmi (2012–2016)
 * 🇶🇦 Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Jaber Al-Thani (2016–2020)
 * 🇶🇦 Sheikh Tamim bin Fahad bin Jaber Al-Thani (2020–)