Al Gharafa Sports Club

What Al Gharafa Sports Club does

Al Gharafa Sports Club (نادي الغرافة الرياضي) is a privately operated multi-sport club headquartered in Doha, Qatar, founded on June 6, 1979, originally as Al-Ittihad Club before being renamed in 2004 to reflect its geographic roots in the Al Gharafa district. The club operates a diversified sports portfolio across six competitive disciplines — football (soccer), basketball, handball, volleyball, table tennis, and futsal — with football as the primary commercial and competitive engine. The first football team competes in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) and participates in AFC Champions League competitions, supported by Al Gharafa Stadium (25,000-seat capacity) and access to multiple Qatari venues including Khalifa International Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium.

The club's business model blends match-day revenue (tickets sold through the QSL ticketing portal), merchandising (championship apparel sold at the club store), and participation in Qatar's state-supported football ecosystem under the oversight of the Ministry of Sports and Youth. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. A youth academy (Fawahid Academy) spanning U7 through U19 age categories forms the talent pipeline, with a core partnership with Paris Saint-Germain Academy granting Al Gharafa exclusive player selection rights. The club is led by President Sheikh Jassim bin Thani Al Thani, supported by Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Thani (Vice President) and Rashid Eissa Al Dosari (General Manager). Recent senior hires — Italian Sporting Director Luca Catani (ex-PSG, Spartak Moscow), British Operations Director Leith Al Nuaimi (ex-Celtic FC), and Portuguese Head Coach Pedro Martins — signal a deliberate professionalization push.

Al Gharafa is among Qatar's most decorated clubs, with 7 Qatar Stars League titles (1992, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010), 9 Amir Cup titles including consecutive wins in 2025 and 2026, 3 Qatar Cup titles (2000, 2010, 2011), and 3 QSL Cup titles (2009-10, 2017-18, 2018-19). The club finished 4th in the 2025-2026 QSL season with 38 points from 22 matches and won the U19 Youth Cup in 2026 with player Ayoup El Aaloui named QSL Best U23 Player for the season. The club markets itself through a comprehensive social media presence (X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat) and its official website algharafa.qa.

Name

Al Gharafa Sports Club

Legal name

Al Gharafa Sports Club

Website

https://algharafa.qa

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Al Gharafa Sports Club is a privately operated multi-sport club in Doha, Qatar, founded 1979, competing in the Qatar Stars League across football, basketball, handball, volleyball, table tennis, and futsal, with a deep youth academy and a recent trophy-winning men's first team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

Keywords

• Professional football club
• Youth sports academy
• Multi-sport athletics
• Sports club operations
• Competitive sports teams

Headquarters

HQ city

Doha

HQ country

Qatar

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Al Gharafa Sports Club is a multi-sport professional club in Doha, Qatar, founded in 1979. It fields competitive teams across football (soccer), basketball, handball, volleyball, table tennis, and futsal, with football being the flagship sport competing in the Qatar Stars League. The club also runs the Fawahid youth academy (U7–U19), sells match tickets via the Qatar Stars League ticketing portal, and operates a championship merchandise store.

Product overview

Al Gharafa Sports Club (نادي الغرافة الرياضي) is a multi-sport club based in Doha, Qatar, founded in 1979. The club operates as a unified sports organization with multiple competitive divisions across football (soccer), basketball, handball, volleyball, table tennis, and futsal. The core product is football, with a professional first team competing in Qatar Stars League, supported by a comprehensive youth academy system. The club offers ticket sales services for match attendance through an integrated ticketing platform. The club's sports portfolio is organized by sport type, with each division having separate teams for seniors and various youth age categories, all operating under the unified Al Gharafa (The Fahooud - The Leopards) brand identity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Al Fahoud (الفهود): The nickname of Al Gharafa Sports Club, meaning 'The Cheetahs', used to refer to the club's teams and fanbase.

Products and services

• Football (Soccer) First Team
• Fawahid Youth Academy
• Basketball Team
• Handball Team
• Volleyball Team
• Table Tennis Team
• Futsal (Sala) Team
• Match Ticket Sales
• Club Championship Merchandise

Quantifiable outcome

• Youth team (U19) won the Youth Cup in 2026, with Ayoup El Aaloui named best player under 23 for 2025-2026 season

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Paris Saint-Germain AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Al Gharafa hosts the Paris Saint-Germain Academy at its training facilities. The agreement stipulates that player selection for the academy is exclusive to Al Gharafa only. This partnership has helped address player shortages in younger age categories and contributed to growing the registered player base across youth levels.
• Qatar Football Association - Development AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAl Gharafa's youth sector coordinates with the Qatar Football Association's Development Administration under the leadership of Captain Fahad Thani. This partnership supports the club's youth development vision aimed at producing players for national teams and the first team.
• Local Schools (Al Gharafa District)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAl Gharafa has established twinning partnerships with schools in the surrounding area of the club. These school partnerships support youth talent identification and provide a pipeline of young players for the club's academy programs across various age categories.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ALGHARAFACLUB
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AlgharafaMedia
• Instagraminstagram.com/algharafaclub
• TikToktiktok.com/@algharafaclub
• Facebookfacebook.com/alghrafasc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/al-gharafa-sports-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Al Gharafa Sports Club