Qatar Stars League

What Qatar Stars League does

Qatar Stars League (QSL), formally Qatar Stars League Foundation (مؤسسة دوري نجوم قطر), is the top-tier professional football league in Qatar, organized under the governance of the Qatar Football Association. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Doha, the league runs a multi-competition football ecosystem anchored by the Doha Bank Stars League, a 12-club, 22-match-per-team regular season, with ancillary competitions including the Qatar Cup (knockout), the QSL Cup, and the Electronic Qatar Stars League (E-QSL) eSports football product. QSL serves four primary stakeholder groups: football fans and spectators (attending matches and consuming broadcast and digital content), media organizations (chiefly Al Kass Sports Channel as sole official broadcaster), corporate sponsors arranged across title, official, and business tiers (led by Doha Bank, Toyota, Adidas, and TikTok), and academic/community partners such as City University Qatar. The league fields 12 professional clubs including Al Sadd, Al Rayyan, Al Duhail, Qatar SC, Al Arabi, Al Wakrah, Al Gharafa, Al Shamal, Al Ahli, Al Sailiya, Al Shahania, and Umm Salal, attracting international talent such as Akram Afif, Roberto Firmino, and Julian Draxler.

The business operates as an event-driven sports league with no proprietary core technology platform disclosed; supporting technology consists of an owned website (qsl.qa), iOS and Android mobile applications, an online ticketing portal (tickets.qsl.qa) with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Ticketmaster integration, plus active channels across Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and Threads. Revenue is generated through three primary streams: multi-tier sponsorship (title, official, and business), broadcasting rights (Al Kass Sports Channel), and matchday ticket sales (10 QAR general admission, 30 QAR first class). The organization also runs educational and governance products, notably the FIFA-QSL Club Management Programme launched in February 2026 and a Finance Control platform/workshop rollout for clubs ahead of the 2026-2027 season, signaling expansion of QSL's role from match organizer to broader club-management authority.

Name

Qatar Stars League

Legal name

Qatar Stars League Foundation (مؤسسة دوري نجوم قطر)

Website

https://qsl.qa

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Qatar Stars League is the top-tier professional football league in Qatar, operating a 12-club season plus cup and eSports competitions under the Qatar Football Association and serving fans, sponsors, and broadcasters domestically.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Football League

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Event & Tournament Sponsorship (Title/Presenting Sponsors, Official Suppliers) (MPAKALAB)

Keywords

• Professional football league
• Sports event management
• Broadcasting rights licensing
• Sports sponsorship activations
• Matchday ticketing services

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

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Revenue: QSL generates revenue through multiple sponsorship tiers including title sponsor (Doha Bank Stars League), official sponsors (Toyota, Al Kass, Rafeeq, We Make Events), and business sponsors (Adidas, TikTok, The Look Company, AppLab, Qatar Skills, Aspetar, Globerz Entertainment).
2. Ticket Sales: Revenue from matchday ticket sales at 10 Qatari Riyal for general admission and 30 Qatari Riyal for first class seats. Tickets sold through online portal tickets.qsl.qa.
3. Broadcasting Rights: Official broadcast rights held by Al Kass Sports Channel which provides comprehensive coverage of all league matches throughout the season.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Qatar Stars League organizes and operates Qatar's premier professional football competitions, headlined by the Doha Bank Stars League featuring 12 clubs across a 22-match season. The league supplements its core competition with the Qatar Cup (knockout tournament), QSL Cup, and the Electronic Qatar Stars League (E-QSL) esports competition, while generating revenue through broadcasting rights, multi-tier sponsorships, and online ticket sales.

Product overview

Qatar Stars League (QSL) operates a multi-competition football league ecosystem centered on the Doha Bank Stars League as its primary professional football competition featuring 12 clubs. The organization manages additional competitions including Qatar Cup and QSL Cup, plus the Electronic Qatar Stars League (E-QSL) for eSports. Supporting products include official Adidas match balls, a mobile application for iOS and Android, digital photo and video galleries, and an online ticketing platform. The league is structured with 12 professional clubs competing across 22 match weeks with standings, top scorer tracking, and seasonal awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Doha Bank Stars League: Main professional football league competition
• Qatar Cup
• QSL Cup
• E-QSL (Electronic Qatar Stars League)

Products and services

• Doha Bank Stars League The primary professional football league of Qatar featuring 12 clubs competing in a 22-match season format with standings, fixtures, results, and top scorer rankings.
• Qatar Cup

Quantifiable outcome

• QSL 2025-2026 season attracted top international players including Akram Afif (Best Player), Roberto Firmino, and Julian Draxler
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• City University QatarminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026Academic partnership for National Sports Day celebration at the university's Lusail campus. QSL partnered to host sports activities including a 5x5 mini match between Doha Bank Stars League clubs and university students, aiming to encourage student attendance at matches.
• Doha BankflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Doha Bank serves as the Title Sponsor of the league, with the competition officially named 'Doha Bank Stars League'. This is the primary naming rights partnership for the league's top-tier football competition.
• AdidascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdidas is the official match ball partner, designing and producing the official ball exclusively for QSL's 2025-26 season. The ball features colors inspired by the Qatari flag with gold representing desert sands.
• Al Kass Sports ChannelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAl Kass Sports Channel is the official broadcaster of all QSL matches, providing comprehensive coverage of the league throughout the season. They are the sole official broadcast partner.
• Toyota QatarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial sponsor providing automotive partnership to the league.
• RafeeqminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial sponsor of the league.
• We Make EventsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent management and services sponsor.
• AlkaliveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness sponsor and digital content partner.
• TikTokminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media and marketing partner for digital engagement.
• The Look CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative and branding services partner.
• AspetarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSports medicine and healthcare partner for athlete services.
• TicketmasterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTicketing platform partner for match ticket distribution.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• J1 League: The J1 League is Japan's top professional football league, organized as a multi-competition system with extensive broadcast and sponsorship revenue. Comparable as a broad Asian-market incumbent with established commercial infrastructure.
• Major League Soccer: Major League Soccer is a mature North American professional football league with international star recruitment (Beckham-era legacy) and significant broadcast/sponsorship revenue. It serves as a broader incumbent benchmark for QSL's growth trajectory and commercial playbook.

Regional players

• Iraqi Premier League: The Iraqi Premier League is the top-tier football league in Iraq, operating in the same Middle East regional context as QSL. While smaller in commercial scale, it competes for similar regional broadcasting audiences and Arab-world fan attention.
• Kuwait Premier League: The Kuwait Premier League is Kuwait's top professional football league. As another Gulf state league with similar population size, league structure, and Arab-world broadcast audience overlap, it provides a regional benchmark.
• Oman Professional League: The Oman Professional League is the top football league in Oman, a fellow Gulf state. It shares QSL's small-population domestic market profile, modest international footprint, and similar governance by a national football association.
• Bahrain Premier League: The Bahrain Premier League operates as the top football league in Bahrain — a Gulf neighbor with comparable small-market dynamics, league structure, and limited international broadcast reach. Comparable in scale and commercial profile to QSL.

Direct peers

• UAE Pro League: The UAE Pro League is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates. It operates in the same Gulf region with comparable club structures, sponsorship-driven revenue models, and talent recruitment strategies, making it a direct structural peer to QSL.
• Saudi Pro League: The Saudi Pro League is the top-tier professional football league in Saudi Arabia, operating under a similar state-backed model with heavy international star recruitment (Ronaldo, Benzema, etc.). It is the most directly comparable regional peer given shared Gulf ecosystem, sponsorship structures, and competition for marquee players.
• Egyptian Premier League: The Egyptian Premier League is the top professional football league in Egypt, the most-watched domestic league in the Arab world. It shares QSL's regional audience, sponsorship-driven economics, and feeder role to European leagues.

Emerging players

• Indian Super League: The Indian Super League is a developing top-tier football league in India, reliant on marquee international signings and media partnerships to drive growth. It shares QSL's reliance on star power as a commercial lever, but operates in a vastly larger potential domestic market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/qsl_en
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/QatarStarsLeague
• Facebookfacebook.com/QSL
• Instagraminstagram.com/qsl
• TikToktiktok.com/@qsl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qatar-stars-league-qsl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Qatar Stars League