Emir Cup Live Scores, Fixtures and Results

Emir Cup, officially the Amir of Qatar Cup since 2019, is Qatar’s premier men’s association football knockout competition. Organised by the Qatar Football Association (QFA), it brings together clubs from the Qatar Stars League and the Second Division to decide the country’s national cup champion.

A national cup with a long-standing role

The competition was launched in the 1972–73 season, with Al Ahli winning the inaugural edition. It has since become the traditional climax of Qatar’s domestic football calendar and one of the country’s most significant sporting occasions. The cup is more than a contest between league positions: it is designed to unite clubs from different levels of the football pyramid and give teams from the Second Division a route into high-profile knockout football.

The tournament was originally reserved for first-division clubs. Its expansion to include Second Division sides in 1999 broadened participation and created additional opportunities for developing clubs and players. Although the competition’s modern official identity is the Amir of Qatar Cup, the historical name Emir Cup remains widely recognised.

Governance, purpose and participants

The QFA is responsible for the competition’s regulations, draw arrangements, scheduling and overall administration. Its central purpose is to crown Qatar’s national cup champion while celebrating the country’s football culture. The final traditionally carries particular ceremonial importance, with the winning team receiving the trophy from His Highness the Amir.

Entry is open to clubs from the Qatar Stars League, Qatar’s top division, and the Second Division. The exact number of participating teams and the entry route can vary by edition. In recent formats, 20 clubs have taken part: 12 from the First Division and eight from the Second Division. Second Division teams have commonly begun in a preliminary knockout phase, with successful sides advancing to the main draw.

Single-elimination format

The Emir Cup is a single-leg knockout competition. A recent structure has used a preliminary round before the Round of 16, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. Once a club enters the main draw, each tie is decided by one match rather than over two legs, making every fixture a direct elimination contest.

Recent draw arrangements have divided teams into groups for seeding purposes. The highest-ranked Qatar Stars League clubs have generally been placed in one group, while lower-ranked top-flight sides and Second Division qualifiers have formed another. These classifications help determine the Round of 16 pairings, but they do not alter the fundamental objective: win the match and progress.

Matches are commonly staged at major Qatari venues, including neutral grounds and prominent national stadiums. This venue policy gives the later rounds a showcase character and allows the final to serve as a major event in the country’s sporting calendar.

Match rules and tie-breaks

Each match consists of two 45-minute halves, with the usual half-time interval and stoppage time. Tie-breaking procedures have not been identical in every edition or stage. In recent competitions, some matches have gone directly to a penalty shootout when level after 90 minutes, particularly where the regulations have removed extra time to manage the end-of-season workload. Other editions or preliminary-stage regulations have provided for 30 minutes of extra time, followed by penalties if required.

Substitution limits are also determined by the regulations for the relevant season. Teams have typically been allowed a named substitutes’ bench with three or five permitted substitutions, depending on the edition and the applicable competition rules. These details should therefore be read in the context of the specific season rather than treated as permanent features of the tournament.

Calendar position and sporting stakes

The cup usually occupies the closing phase of the Qatari football season. Preliminary and Round of 16 matches may begin in the latter part of the campaign, often during April or, in some schedules, earlier in the year. The final is traditionally played in May, providing a high-profile conclusion to the domestic season.

Winning the Amir of Qatar Cup brings national prestige and a place in the country’s football history. The champion has traditionally also gained access to Asian club competition, subject to the qualification rules in force for the relevant season. The competition has a distinctive trophy tradition as well: a club that wins three successive titles, or reaches the applicable threshold of four total victories under the trophy rules, may earn the right to retain the original trophy permanently.

Al-Sadd SC is the competition’s most successful club, while Al-Arabi SC is also among its historic leading teams. Their records reflect the cup’s importance within Qatar’s football landscape, but the single-match format continually leaves room for lower-ranked clubs to challenge established powers. That combination of national prestige, broad eligibility and sudden-death knockout pressure gives the Emir Cup its enduring character.