Fixtures

Qatar Stars League 01/10 17:30 12 Al Sadd vs Al-Shamal SC - View
AFC Champions League Elite 02/03 16:00 7 Al Sadd vs Al Ahli Jeddah - View
AFC Champions League Elite 02/17 14:00 8 Pakhtakor Tashkent vs Al Sadd - View

Results

Qatar Stars League 12/07 12:00 11 [3] Al-Ahli Doha v Al-Sadd SC [2] D 2-2
AFC Champions League Elite 12/02 18:00 6 [3] Al-Nassr Riyadh v Al-Sadd SC [5] W 1-2
AFC Champions League Elite 11/26 16:00 5 [4] Al-Sadd SC v Al Hilal Riyadh [3] D 1-1
Qatar Stars League 11/22 13:00 10 [12] Al-Khor SC v Al-Sadd SC [2] W 2-5
AFC Champions League Elite 11/04 14:00 4 [5] Al Wasl SC v Al-Sadd SC [3] D 1-1
Qatar Stars League 10/31 16:30 9 [2] Al-Sadd SC v Al-Rayyan SC [8] W 2-1
Qatar Stars League 10/27 14:30 8 [5] Al-Wakrah SC v Al-Sadd SC [3] W 0-3
AFC Champions League Elite 10/21 16:00 3 [3] Al-Sadd SC v Persepolis [8] W 1-0
Qatar Stars League 10/18 16:30 7 [5] Al-Sadd SC v Al-Shahaniya SC [10] W 4-2
AFC Champions League Elite 09/30 16:00 2 [5] Al-Sadd SC v Esteghlal Tehran [1] W 2-0
Qatar Stars League 09/26 17:00 6 [7] Al-Sadd SC v Al Gharafa [4] W 4-2
Qatar Stars League 09/21 15:00 5 [1] Al Duhail v Al-Sadd SC [3] L 5-1

Stats

 TotalHomeAway
Matches played 36 15 21
Wins 20 11 9
Draws 11 3 8
Losses 5 1 4
Goals for 80 36 44
Goals against 46 17 29
Clean sheets 12 6 6
Failed to score 4 1 3

Wikipedia - Al Sadd SC

Al Sadd Sports Club (Arabic: نادي السد الرياضي) is a Qatari sports club based in the Al Sadd district of the capital city Doha. It is best known for its association football team, which competes in the top level of Qatari football, the Qatar Stars League. Locally, it is known primarily by the nickname "Al Zaeem", which translates to "The Leader". It is known as the best team in Qatar and is the only Qatari team that has won the AFC Champions League in Asia. In addition to football, the club has teams for handball, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, and athletics. Al Sadd is the most successful sports club in the country, and holds a national record of 64 official football championships.

The origin of Al Sadd's conception began with Al-Attiyah family members who excelled in football but did not wish to join any of the existing football clubs. After consulting the minister of Youth and Sports, the family, led by Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, decided to found the club on 21 October 1969 in Qatar's capital city, Doha.

In the 1989 season, they became the first Arab club side to triumph in the Asian Club Championship by defeating Al Rasheed of Iraq on an aggregate of away goals. Twenty-two years later, they won the 2011 AFC Champions League and earned a spot in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup, in which Al Sadd finished third. They also earned a spot in the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup automatically as host club, in which Al Sadd finished sixth.

History

1969–1980: Foundation and beginnings

Badr Bilal played for the club from 1979 to 1991.

Al Sadd was established in 1969 by Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah and his relatives; they excelled in playing football, and refused to join other clubs at the time and decided to make their own club. The reason behind the club's name is that Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah was born and raised in Al-Sadd area.

Moreover, they consulted with Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who was the minister of Youth and Sports at the time, at his residence on Al Rayyan Road. He obliged their request, and the next morning, the youth signed the necessary applications and created a club statue which they presented to Abdulaziz Buwazair, the operating manager of the Supreme Sports Committee, resulting in the formation of Al Sadd Sports Club.

Many of the early players and supporters were remnants of Al Ahrar SC, a club which was formed in 1961 in the district of Al Sadd. The name "Al Ahrar" translates to "the free people", and was chosen to honor the Free Officers Movement led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. It was one of the several early football clubs in Qatar named in honor of a Pan-Arabism movement. By order of ministerial decree, Al Ahrar was merged with another Qatari football club named Al Nasr in 1964. Playing its home matches at the Doha Stadium, Al Ahrar played numerous matches abroad in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Following a mass brawl between Al Ahrar and Al Najah in a 1967–68 Qatari League match attended by Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the sheikh decided to "permanently and immediately" shut down the club and redistribute its players to other teams, paving the way to the formation of Al Sadd's early squad. The main founder of Al-Sadd, Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, states that he and the other founders watched all of Al Ahrar's matches as a youth, and that its closure inspired he and his friends to draft plans for their own team.

In their initial year of establishment, Hamad bin Mubarak Al Attiyah, coached the club and the team trained on a football pitch in a local high school. While the founder of Al-Sadd club, Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, was overseeing the club's performance and making crucial decisions. Al Sadd's initial popularity was owed in part due to its affiliation with the Al Attiyah tribe, a prominent local tribe, and its close affiliation with then-recently dissolved Al Ahrar club.

The club won the first-ever league title in 1971–72. However, this was one year before the league was officially recognized. Thus, they won their first official QSL title in 1973–74. Sadd, along with Al Arabi and Al Rayyan, went on to dominate Qatari football in the 70s and the 80s by winning many Qatari League trophies and Emir Cups. Youssef Saad, a Sudanese forward who played for the club since its inception, was the first ever professional player to officially join the ranks of Al Sadd. In 1974, while Al Sadd was still in its infancy, they dubiously transferred 14 players, including Mubarak Anber and Hassan Mattar, and head coach Hassan Othman from Al Esteqlal (later to be known as Qatar SC), much to the dismay of club président Hamad bin Suhaim. Transfers could be made unconditionally during this time, meaning Esteqlal's protests were in vain. This was a major factor in them winning their first cup championship the next year in 1975. They defeated Al Ahli 4–3 in a tightly contested match under the leadership of Hassan Osman in order to claim the Emir Cup. Their goals came from Youssef Saad, who scored a brace, and Ali Bahzad and Abdullah Zaini. To this day, it is the joint-largest score in an Emir Cup final match.

They won the first ever Sheikh Jassim Cup held in 1977–78, as well as winning it two more times in the next two years. In 1978–79, the club succeeded in achieving their first domestic double by winning both, the Sheikh Jassim Cup and the league, accomplishing the same feat the next season.

1980–2000: First international success

In 1981–82, they won the Emir Cup and Sheikh Jassim Cup, once again under the reigns of Hassan Osman. During this period, Badr Bilal and Hassan Mattar, both of whom were top scorers in the league at one point, led the team to victories in both of the finals. Al Sadd also succeeded in setting a domestic record by defeating Al-Shamal SC 16–2, the largest recorded win in a professional football match in the country's history. They nearly completed a domestic triple in 1987 but lost 2–0 to Al Ahli in the Emir Cup final that year.

They were the first team to play against English side Cheadle Town on their home grounds, Park Road Stadium, under the leadership of Jimmy Meadows in 1982. They were victorious by a 4–1 margin. In August 1985, Al Sadd shifted their headquarters to a new building equipped with modern furnishings and facilities.

Al Sadd won their Champions League debut in 1988 (then known as Asian Club Championship), where they secured the top position in their group. They faced Al-Rasheed of Iraq in the final, defeating them on away goals, thus fending the Iraqis off in order to claim the title of the first Arab team to ever win the championship. The victorious team was largely made up locals, with the exception of Lebanese Wassef Soufi and Iranian Amir Ghalenoii, who did not participate in the final due to the Iran–Iraq War. In addition to winning the Asian Champions League, they won the Sheikh Jassim Cup and the league on that year. They were the first team to play in Iran after the Iran–Iraq War, losing 1–0 to Esteghlal in an ACC match in 1991. The 1990s were a lean phase for Al Sadd, regarding the league. They could not win even one league championship during that period. However, they did manage to open their account in the Heir Apparent Trophy and also won the Gulf Club Champions Cup in 1991.

2000–2010: New century, new possibilities

Fossati helped the club achieve a domestic quadruple.

The new millennium opened up a new era for Al Sadd. They returned to winning ways in the Qatari League, won many Emir Cups and Heir Apparent trophies. They also managed a triple crown in regional football by winning the Arab Champions League in 2001.

They recorded the largest-ever win in the Sheikh Jassim Cup in 2006, when they defeated Muaither 21–0. At the time, it was the largest victory margin ever recorded in any football match in the GCC.

In 2007, under the command of Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati, they achieved a quadruple by winning all four domestic cups. They were the first Qatari team to do so, and had also set a league record for the highest winning streak by winning 10 leagues games in a row. In addition, they made a record signing in Qatari football by paying $22 million for the Argentinian Mauro Zárate the same year. In 2010, they were the second team to ever win the QNB Cup by defeating Umm Salal in the final.

2010–2012: Second Fossatti era

Al Sadd was placed in the qualifying play-offs of the 2011 Champions League, courtesy of the disqualification of Vietnamese teams due to the non-submission of documents. They beat Al-Ittihad of Syria and Indian club, Dempo SC, 5–1 and 2–0 respectively, to acquire a spot in the group stage. Al Sadd, who were the definite underdogs, overcame the odds and topped their group to play against Al-Shabab, whom they beat 1–0.

The quarter-final against Sepahan would mark the first sign of controversy for the club. Sepahan had initially won the first-leg match against Al Sadd 1–0; however, after the match, Al Sadd lodged a formal complaint to the AFC as Sepahan had fielded an ineligible player, Rahman Ahmadi, who previously received two yellow cards in the tournament with his former club. The match was overturned 3–0 in favor of Al Sadd, virtually ensuring the club a place in the semi-finals.

They later faced Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a highly publicized semi-final. Suwon were favorites to win after knocking last year's runners-up, Zob Ahan, out of the running. The first-leg match was played in Suwon, South Korea. In the 70th minute of the match, Mamadou Niang of Al Sadd had a deflected shot veer past the goalkeeper, settling the score 1–0. Ten minutes later, a Suwon player was inadvertently kicked in the head by an Al Sadd defender, prompting Suwon to kick the ball out of play. While the injured Suwon player was being tended to, Niang sprinted past the keeper to score a second goal, infuriating the Suwon players. The chaos was elevated when a Suwon fan had run onto the pitch, sparking a mass melee which involved both coaching staff and players. After the fight was brought to a halt, the referee sent off a player from each team while Niang later got a red card and Al Sadd's Korean defender Lee Jung-soo had walked off the pitch in frustration.

The melee prompted official investigation from the AFC, who suspended three players from both teams for six games. Al Sadd lost the second leg 1–0, though this allowed them to advance to the final with a 2–1 aggregate to face Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Al Sadd later received the nickname "Al-Badd" from the Korean media as a result of their semi-final confrontations.

Al Sadd celebrate after winning 2011 AFC Champions League.

They won the 2011 AFC Champions League Final against Jeonbuk, 4–2 on penalties. This earned them a spot in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup.

To date, this is the best result achieved by a Qatari team in the AFC Champions League under its new format. Al Sadd also became the first team to reach the AFC Champions League knockout stage after starting their campaign in the play-offs in February. Furthermore, Al Sadd was crowned "AFC Club of the Year" in 2011 by AFC after their Champions League conquest. Championship 2011 in honor of the club's owner changed the team logo and stars to commemorate the AFC Champions League 1988.2011 was etched on the shirt Wolves.

During the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup, Al Sadd was eliminated in the semi-final stage by Barcelona, which set up a third-place meeting between them and Kashiwa Reysol. This was the first time two clubs from the same confederation faced off each other in a third-place match. Al Sadd won the encounter on penalties in order to be the first West Asian club to claim the bronze medal in the FIFA Club World Cup.

2012–present: Post-ACL champions

Al Sadd against Persepolis in 2018 AFC Champions League

After the departure of Fossati, former Al-Sadd midfielder Hussein Amotta was named as the new coach in May 2012. The Moroccan had finished as the Qatar League top scorer during his four-year stay at the club from 1997 to 2001. He was working as the club's technical director prior to being promoted to the top job.

Just days before Amouta's appointment, Al-Sadd announced the high-profile signing of former Real Madrid captain Raúl, who arrived on a free transfer from Schalke 04.

Managed by Amouta and led by new captain Raúl, Al Sadd set a league record for the best start to the league season ever by winning all of their first nine games, shattering the previous record set by Al Gharafa, who had won seven. The team went on to break Lekhwiya's two-year dominance by winning the 2012–13 Qatar Stars League title, five years after their last triumph in the competition.

Al-Sadd faltered in the next two seasons, however, finishing third and second in 2013–14 and 2014–15 respectively, as Lekhwiya returned to win back-to-back titles once again. In 2015, Al-Sadd achieved the coup of signing Barcelona's storied Spanish international Xavi. In 2019 he ended his career as a professional player at the club to start there his career as football manager.

With Qatar as the host of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup when announced by the FIFA Council on 3 June 2019, Al Sadd SC automatically qualified as the host club team.

With Xavi as manager, Al-Sadd won six cups and one championship title between 2019 and 2021. Xavi departed in 2021 to fill the managerial role at his boyhood club Barcelona.

Al Sadd Sports Club, commonly known as Al Sadd, is a professional soccer team based in Doha, Qatar. The club was founded in 1969 and has since become one of the most successful and popular teams in Qatar.

Al Sadd has a rich history of success, having won numerous domestic league titles, Emir Cups, and Qatar Cups. The team has also achieved success on the international stage, winning the AFC Champions League in 2011 and finishing as runners-up in the FIFA Club World Cup in the same year.

The team's colors are maroon and white, and they play their home matches at the iconic Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, also known as Al Sadd Stadium. The team is known for its passionate fan base and fierce rivalries with other Qatari clubs.

Al Sadd boasts a talented roster of players, both domestic and international, who are known for their skill, determination, and teamwork on the field. The team is coached by a highly experienced and respected coaching staff who strive to bring out the best in their players and lead them to victory.

Overall, Al Sadd is a powerhouse in Qatari soccer, with a proud history, dedicated fan base, and a commitment to excellence on and off the field.