Doha: Week 1 of the 2025-2026 Doha Bank Stars League season will commence tomorrow, Thursday, and will run for three days: two matches a day. This week will kick start with Al Rayyan playing Al Sailiya at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Thursday.
According to Qatar News Agency, Al Rayyan, led by Portuguese coach Artur Jorge, made recent enhancements to their roster, including Brazilian midfielder Gregory da Silva, goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, and Jassem Gaber Elsayed Abdulsallam. The newly-promoted Second Division champions, Al Sailiya, led by national coach Mirghani Al Zain, have bolstered their line-up with notable talents, Dutchman Kylian van der Vaart and Tunisian Youssef Snana, in addition to their player Awab El Awad returning from Spain's Cultural Leonesa.
That same Thursday will see Al Shamal and Al Ahli lock horns at Khalifa International Stadium. Al Shamal, led by coach David Prats, signed Egyptian Akram Tawfiq, Spaniard Alex Collado, and Algerian Abdessamad Bounacer. As for Al Ahli, under Igor Biscan, they will rely on new stars like Frenchman Ibrahima Diallo and Dutchman Michel Vlap, along with local talents: Talal Ali, Suhaib Gannan, Othman Al Yahri, and Khaled Radwan.
Al Thumama Stadium on Friday will see Al Arabi face off Al Wakrah. Al Arabi have had a morale boost, especially after strengthening their ranks with significant signings such as Frenchman Jordan Veretout, Spanish midfielder Pablo Sarabia, and Kenyan striker Michael Olunga. On the other hand, Al Wakrah, under the leadership of their new Spanish coach Vicente Moreno, have successfully strengthened their ranks with several distinguished players including Brazilian Lucas Verissimo, Spaniard Gerard Valentin, Spanish striker Raul de Tomas, Moroccan Amin Zahzouh, Fahad Waad, and Mohamed Emad Omar Aiash.
Friday's second match will be between Al Gharafa and Umm Salal and will take place at Al Bayt Stadium. Al Gharafa, led by Pedro Martins, strengthened their squad with Jamaican player Mason Holgate and Spaniard Alvaro Djalo, while holding on to Ferjani Sassi, Yacine Brahimi, and Joselu. For their part, Umm Salal, under the leadership of Patrice Carteron, strengthened their squad by signing Ivorian Jean Kouassi, Burkinabe Issoufou Dayo, and Ghanaian Michael Baidoo.
Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday will witness the clash between Al Duhail vs Al Shahania. Al Duhail, under the guidance of coach Djamel Belmadi, have made notable acquisitions this summer, which include Algerian Adil Boulbina, Polish player Krzysztof Piatek, Italian Marco Verratti, and Cameroonian Jean-Charles Castelletto. For their part, Al Shahania put Spanish coach Santi Denia at the helm and signed defender Jawad El Jemili, in addition to renewing the contracts of Sierra Leonean Alhassan Koroma and Belgian Francesco Antonucci, while also maintaining Spanish defender Marc Muniesa among their ranks.
Saturday will see the conclusion of Week 1 of the 2025-2026 Doha Bank Stars League season with a match between Al Sadd and Qatar SC, held at Al Sadd club's Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Reigning champions Al Sadd, guided by Spaniard Felix Sanchez, aim to initiate the season robustly, especially after enhancing their roster with the acquisitions of Spaniard Pau Brem, Uruguayan Agustin Soria, and seasoned Brazilian Roberto Firmino. Conversely, Qatar SC under new coach Marquez Lopez, bolstered their line-up with several new additions, most notably Brazilian striker Joao Pedro and Qatar national team striker Ahmed Al Rawi.