Gulf Times
Football giants and the defending champions Al Duhail will face Al Kharaitiyat in their Round of 16 clash of the Amir Cup, the country’s most revered football tournament.
The draw for the Round of 16 matches of the Amir Cup was held in the presence of Qatar Football Association (QFA) President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani yesterday.
The drawing ceremony was presented by Ali al-Salat, Head of the Media Department of QFA while the draw was conducted by Ali Hammoud al-Nuaimi, Head of the Competitions Department of QFA.
Meanwhile, in other matches, Al Sadd were drawn to play Al Markhiya while Al Gharafa have been slotted to face Qatar SC.
Also, Al Sailiya will take on Al Rayyan while Al Arabi will meet Al Shamal.
Yesterday’s draw also pitted Al Ahli against Muaither, and Umm Salal vs Al Khor.
In other matches, Al Wakrah will clash against Al Shahaniya while Al Gharafa will take on Qatar SC.
Al Ahli Chairman Abdullah al-Mulla yesterday said that the draw for the Amir Cup put his team ‘on a difficult path’.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency, he said that the draw has given big teams like Al Ahli, Al Rayyan, Al Arabi and Al Duhail to do battle for a place in the final.
He said the four teams have 22 Amir Cup titles against their names and as a result ‘competition among them will be very strong’. He said Al Ahli are looking to reclaim the title. He added that his team will use QNB Stars League matches as preparation for the Amir Cup.
He warned that Amir Cup matches tend to throw surprises so the team must be careful when they meet Muaither in the last-16. He hoped that Al Ahli ‘can give a good account of themselves in this year’s competition’.
The draw for the 51st Amir Cup is based – according to its mechanism – on the ranking of the teams and their positions in the QNB Stars League and the Second Division in the 2021/2022 season. The participating teams were classified into two groups for Round of 16.
The first level included category (A) the first eight teams in the final standings of the QNB Stars League for the last season namely Al Sadd, Al Duhail, Al Wakrah, Al Arabi, Al Gharafa, Umm Salal, Al Ahli and Al Rayyan.
The Round of 16 fixtures of the Amir Cup 2023
Umm Salal vs Al Khor
Al Sadd vs Al Markhiya
Al Wakra vs Al Shahaniya
Al Gharafa vs Qatar SC
Al Rayyan vs Al Sailiya
Al Duhail vs Al Kharaitiyat
Al Ahli vs Muaither
Al Arabi vs Al Shamal