Qatar SC

Qatar Sports Club (نادي قطر الرياضي) is a sports club based in Doha, Qatar. It is best known for its football team which competes in the Qatar Stars League. The club was founded in 1961 with the merger of two Qatari football clubs, Al-Oruba and Al-Nasour.

They play their home games in the Qatar SC Stadium, which can accommodate 13,000 spectators. The club has recently diversified into sports other than football with an athletics division having been established, competing in sprinting, long jump and javelin throwing. The club adopted its current name, Qatar SC, in 1981.

Formation (1972)
In 1972, Al-Oruba merged with Al-Nasour to form a new football club named Al-Esteqlal. Former player Saad Mohammed Saleh was selected as the first coach. Al Esteqlal was one of the strongest clubs right from its establishment, winning its first official Q-League season in 1972–73. The next year, in 1974, Al Sadd hired head coach Hassan Othman from the club in addition to 14 of its players, including Hassan Mattar and Mubarak Anber, much to the dismay of club president Hamad bin Suhaim. During this period, transfers could be made unconditionally in Qatari football. Despite the resounding difficulties arising from the transfer fiasco, the club continued with its success, winning the 1976–77 season and supplying the national team with some of its most prominent players.

1981–present: Qatar SC
Al Esteqlal was renamed Qatar SC in 1981. However, it gradually faded into obscurity for the next 2 decades, with the league being dominated by Al Arabi, Al Sadd, and Al Rayyan. The club won the Qatar Crown Prince Cup in 2002 and also won the 2002–03 league season by three points. They won the Crown Prince Cup the same year, and again in 2009. The club was relegated to Qatari Second Division after the 2015-16 season, but were promoted back to the top division the next season.

Name history

 * 1972: The club was founded by a merger of Al-Oruba and Al Nasour, and was named Al Esteqlal
 * 1981: The club was renamed Qatar Sports Club

Stadium
Qatar SC play their matches at Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, which is located in Doha's seaside district of Al Dafna. It is a multi-purpose stadium, featuring an athletics field, a gym, a shopping centre and a mosque, among other facilities. The stadium has a capacity of 13,000 seats. An Iranian student named Yaser GhasemianZoeram designed the stadium of this club for renovation, which was met with a unique reception in Qatar.

Besides local football matches, the stadium also hosts a number of tournaments such as Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix and some of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup matches.

Players
As of Qatar Stars League:

Honours

 * Qatar Stars League
 * Champions (8): 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970-71, 1972–73, 1976–77, 2002–03
 * Emir of Qatar Cup
 * Champions (8): 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72,1973–74, 1975–76
 * Qatar Crown Prince Cup
 * Champions (3): 2002, 2004, 2009
 * Qatar Sheikh Jassem Cup
 * Champions (4): 1983, 1984, 1987, 1995
 * Qatari Stars Cup/QNB Cup
 * Champions (1): 2014

Records and statistics
Last update: 15 March 2023. Players whose names are in bold are still active with the club.''

Recent seasons

 * {|class="wikitable"

!Season !Division !Pos. !Pl. !W !D !L !GS !GA !P !Emir Cup
 * -bgcolor="#efefef"
 * 1996–97
 * 1D
 * align=right|7
 * align=right|16||align=right|4||align=right|3||align=right|9
 * align=right|19||align=right|19||align=right|15
 * Round 1
 * 1997–98
 * 1D
 * align=right |6
 * align=right|16||align=right|5||align=right|4||align=right|7
 * align=right|17||align=right|22||align=right|19
 * Round 1
 * 1998–99
 * 1D
 * align=right |6
 * align=right|16||align=right|5||align=right|2||align=right|9
 * align=right|16||align=right|27||align=right|17
 * Round 1
 * 1999–2000
 * 1D
 * align=right |7
 * align=right|16||align=right|4||align=right|6||align=right|6
 * align=right|14||align=right|24||align=right|18
 * Quarter-finals
 * 2000–01
 * 1D
 * align=right |8
 * align=right|16||align=right|4||align=right|2||align=right|10
 * align=right|18||align=right|27||align=right|14
 * Round 2
 * 2001–02
 * 1D
 * align=right bgcolor=silver |2
 * align=right|16||align=right|9||align=right|2||align=right|5
 * align=right|30||align=right|17||align=right|29
 * Semifinals
 * 2002–03
 * 1D
 * align=right bgcolor=gold |1
 * align=right|18||align=right|10||align=right|5||align=right|3
 * align=right|24||align=right|10||align=right|34
 * Semifinals
 * 2003–04
 * 1D
 * align=right bgcolor=silver |2
 * align=right|18||align=right|10||align=right|4||align=right|4
 * align=right|31||align=right|17||align=right|34
 * bgcolor=silver|Runners-up
 * 2004–05
 * 1D
 * align=right |4
 * align=right|27||align=right|14||align=right|3||align=right|10
 * align=right|40||align=right|34||align=right|45
 * Quarter-finals
 * 2005–06
 * 1D
 * align=right bgcolor=silver |2
 * align=right|27||align=right|14||align=right|7||align=right|6
 * align=right|49||align=right|34||align=right|49
 * Semifinals
 * 2006–07
 * 1D
 * align=right|6
 * align=right|27||align=right|10||align=right|4||align=right|13
 * align=right|35||align=right|36||align=right|34
 * Quarter-finals
 * 2007–08
 * 1D
 * align=right |4
 * align=right|27||align=right|14||align=right|4||align=right|9
 * align=right|53||align=right|38||align=right|46
 * Semifinals
 * 2008–09
 * 1D
 * align=right |4
 * align=right|27||align=right|11||align=right|10||align=right|6
 * align=right|42||align=right|36||align=right|43
 * Semifinals
 * 2009–10
 * 1D
 * align=right |4
 * align=right|22||align=right|11||align=right|5||align=right|6
 * align=right|32||align=right|23||align=right|38
 * Semifinals
 * 2010–11
 * 1D
 * align=right|5
 * align=right|22||align=right|11||align=right|7||align=right|4
 * align=right|40||align=right|26||align=right|40
 * Quarter-finals
 * 2011–12
 * 1D
 * align=right|10
 * align=right|22||align=right|6||align=right|6||align=right|10
 * align=right|32||align=right|46||align=right|24
 * Round 3
 * }
 * Semifinals
 * 2010–11
 * 1D
 * align=right|5
 * align=right|22||align=right|11||align=right|7||align=right|4
 * align=right|40||align=right|26||align=right|40
 * Quarter-finals
 * 2011–12
 * 1D
 * align=right|10
 * align=right|22||align=right|6||align=right|6||align=right|10
 * align=right|32||align=right|46||align=right|24
 * Round 3
 * }
 * Round 3
 * }

Performance in AFC competitions

 * AFC Champions League: 1 appearance
 * 2003–04: Group Stage