Al-Rayyan Sports Club () is a Qatari multi-sports club fielding teams in a number of sports such as

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

, and

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

. It is based at the

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium The new Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (), popularly known as Al-Rayyan Stadium, is an association football stadium located in the district of Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, Qatar, around northwest from the centre of Al Rayyan. It is currently used mostly for f ...

Umm Al Afaei Umm Al Afaei () is a rural district in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al Rayyan. The districts of Umm Leghab and Lehsiniya in Al-Shahaniya Municipality are nearby to the west. Etymology In Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central ...

in the city of

Al Rayyan Al Rayyan (; also spelled ''Ar Rayyan'') is the third-largest municipalities of Qatar, municipality in Qatar. Its primary settlement is the Al Rayyan (city), city of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and is a part of the Do ...

. The club was founded in 1967 after merging the old Rayyan team with ''Nusoor Club''. The official team colours are red and black. They have won numerous titles in all sports, including two Asian championships in basketball, the Arab championship in handball, futsal domestic titles, table tennis, and volleyball, as well as numerous GCC basketball, handball, and volleyball championships. Both the basketball and handball teams have qualified for the world championships. However, the football team gets the most attention from the club officials, media, and fans.

History

1967–1973: Founding

Al Rayyan's history goes back to the mid-1960s when it was known as ''Old Al Rayyan''. Old Al Rayyan, though an amateur football team, competed in matches arranged throughout the whole country, not being limited to the city in which it was based. Their headquarters was in a two-bedroom house, and they played their matches on a football field in a school based in the New Rayyan area. The club relied on donations from the fans during this period. In 1967, Al Rayyan began as a combination of two groups called " new Al Rayyan’sons and old al-Rayyan’son". In 1967, Al-Rayyan started its factory. From 1967 until now, Al-Rayyan has won many trophies not only in soccer even in the rest of the games such as handball, basketball and volleyball. The people who contributed to build Al Rayyan knew that this team would not be a regular team, but it will also represent the culture of the city of Al Rayyan outside of Qatar. In 2008, the club established magazine called SOUT AL RAYYAN (The Voice of Al Rayyan) which is the first magazine that cares about Al Rayyan news, and it is the only team's magazine in Qatar. They applied to be a member club of the

Qatar Football Association The Qatar Football Association () is the governing body of football in Qatar. The QFA was founded in 1960 and is based in Doha, Qatar. It became a member of FIFA in 1963 and of AFC in 1967. The Qatar Football Association organizes the main leag ...

, but were rejected with the QFA proposing that they merge with Al Nusoor, a local sports club also based in Al Rayyan. In 1967, after an announcement by the Al Rayyan Sports Committee that Old Al Rayyan would merge with Al Nusoor, Al Rayyan SC was officially founded. A new headquarters was established to accommodate increased size demands as a result of the merger. The first head coach of Al Rayyan was Ashour Salem, a Sudanese national, who, besides working as a local physical education coach, trained the first team and youth team. In the early years, the club branched out to other sports, notably basketball and handball. As a result of donations from the club supporters, Al Rayyan was able to establish their home grounds in

Doha Stadium Doha Stadium (, ''Etztadion Doḥa''; ) is the current home of Bnei Sakhnin. History Located in the Israeli city of Sakhnin, Doha Stadium was built with public funds largely from the State of Israel and the Qatar National Olympic Committee, ...

, the largest stadium in Qatar at that time.

1973–1988: Early history

The club had success in the

Qatar Stars League The Qatar Stars League (; abbreviated as QSL), known as Ooredoo Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation wi ...

within the first decade of its formation, with the club participating in their first official season in 1972–73. In the 1974–75, after a mass brawl between the fans and players of Al Rayyan and Al Sadd, the QFA relegated Al Rayyan, who were in 2nd place at the time, to the second division. They won back promotion the following season and achieved their first league title 1976. In the 1977 season, the QFA annulled the results of Al Rayyan due to actions which took place in a match against Al Arabi. The perpetrator, who was an Al Arabi player by the name of Yassin Mustafa, was banned permanently from all league matches whereas the two clubs were warned. In 1983, under the leadership of Mohammed Bin Hammam Al Abdulla, a new club headquarters and home stadium were constructed. They won the league with a negative goal difference in 1983–84, making them one of the only 6 teams in the world and the only Qatari team in history to achieve this feat.

1988–2000: Relegation and return to glory

In the 1987–88 season, much to the surprise of critics and fans, they got relegated for the first time in league history. The relegation was preceded by a 0–1 loss to Al Sadd, as Hassan Jowhar scored a header goal which would prove to be the final nail in the coffin of Al Rayyan. They won back promotion to the premier league in their first season in the second division. They would go on to win the league in 1990, the same season they were promoted back to the first division, beating out rivals Al Sadd. They won an additional league title in 1995.

2000–2013: League title drought

They inaugurated their home ground,

Ahmed bin Ali Stadium The new Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (), popularly known as Al-Rayyan Stadium, is an association football stadium located in the district of Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, Qatar, around northwest from the centre of Al Rayyan. It is currently used mostly for f ...

, in 2003 during the reign of Sheikh Mishaal Al Thani. The first match held on the grounds was the 2003 Emir Cup finals. The club has not experienced much league success as of late, with the last successful league campaign being in 1994–95; however they finished third in the 2010–11 season under

Paulo Autuori Paulo Autuori de Mello (born 25 August 1956), known as Paulo Autuori, is a Brazilian football executive and coach. He is the current manager of Peruvian club Sporting Cristal. Early life A football fan since early childhood and a futsal player ...

. Nonetheless, they faced great success in the Emir's Cup and Heir Apparent Cup winning eight cups in total in 14 years.

2014–: Return to success

In 2014–15 the club won the

Qatargas League The Qatari Second Division (), QSD or Second Division League, also was known as Qatargas League due to sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the two-tier football league competition in Qatar. Contested by 8 teams, it operates on a system of p ...

and returned to

. On 28 November 2015, Al-Rayyan Broke the record of most consecutive league matches won to 11. On 5 March 2016, after 21 years Al-Rayyan won the league once again, and became the first ever team to win both leagues in two years.

Supporters

Al-Rayyan is one of the most popular clubs in Qatar and is supported throughout the Gulf region, as well as other parts of the world due to their high-profile signings. In 2010, they had the highest attendance in the

. The fan club won the QFA-sanctioned award of "best fans" in the 2008–09 season, and shared the award with

Al Sadd Al Sadd Sports Club () is a Qatari sports club based in the Al Sadd district of the capital city Doha. It is best known for its association football team, which competes in the top level of Qatari football, the Qatar Stars League. Locally, it i ...

in the 2012–13 season.

Rivalries

Al Arabi

Head-to-head

''Since 1994 Updated 26 September 2023''

Al Sadd

Head-to-head

''Since 1995 Updated 22 September 2023''

Al Gharafa

Head-to-head

''Since 1995 Updated 21 September 2023''

Al Duhail

Head-to-head

''Updated 21 September 2023''

Honours

League *

**Champions (8): 1975–76, 1977–78, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1994–95, 2015–16 Cup *

Emir of Qatar Cup Emir of Qatar Cup (), also known as the Emir Cup, but changed to Amir Cup starting in 2019, is an association football tournament played every season by all first and second division teams in Qatar. The tournament is played in a knockout system, ...

**Champions (6): 1998–99, 2003–04, 2005–06,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Qatar Cup The Qatar Cup (formerly known as Qatar Crown Prince Cup) is a tournament in men's football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), go ...

**Champions (4):

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, 2001,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Sheikh Jassim Cup The Sheikh Jassim Cup () is an annual men's super cup competition in Qatari football held between the winner of the Qatar Stars League and the Emir of Qatar Cup. History The inaugural Sheikh Jassim Cup was held in 1977. Prior to the 2014 She ...

**Champions (5): 1992, 2000,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Continental record

Key: PO – ''Play-off round''; 1R/2R – ''First/Second round''; R16 – ''Round of 16''; QF – ''Quarter-final''; SF – ''Semi-final''; ;Notes

Stadium

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (), popularly known as the Al-Rayyan Stadium, is a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...

Al-Rayyan Al Rayyan (; also spelled ''Ar Rayyan'') is the third-largest municipalities of Qatar, municipality in Qatar. Its primary settlement is the Al Rayyan (city), city of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and is a part of the Do ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

which serves as the home stadium for Al Rayyan's football section. It was used as a venue for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

. The construction of the new stadium started in early 2016. This was done by the joint venture between Al-Balagh and

Larsen & Toubro Larsen & Toubro Limited, abbreviated as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate, with interests in industrial technology, heavy industry, engineering, construction, manufacturing, power, information technology, defence and financial se ...

. After the World Cup the stadium will be reduced to 21,000 seats. The new stadium was built for the

, which was hosted by Qatar.

Asian competitions goals

''Statistics correct as March 7, 2023''

Players

''As of

:''

Unregistered players

Out on loan

Technical staff

Last update: August 2023.

First team

Notable players

''This list includes players whom have made significant contributions to their national team and to the club. At least 90 caps for the club or 100 caps for their national team is needed to be considered for inclusion.''

Managerial history

Present and past managers of Al-Rayyan from 1967 (incomplete): * Salem Ashour (1967–??), (1973–??)¹ * Saleh Youssef (ca. 1976)² * Powell (1976–??)³ * Abdul Moneim Al Haj (1981–83) *

Vavá Edvaldo Izidio Neto (12 November 1934 – 19 January 2002), commonly known as Vavá, was a Brazilian professional footballer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest strikers of his generation. Nicknamed "Peito de Aço" (Steel Chest) ...

(1984–85) * Wayne Jones (1985) *

Alan Dicks Alan Dicks (born 29 August 1934) is an English retired football player and manager. He managed Bristol City for thirteen years and managed clubs in four countries on three continents. Career Born in London, he signed for Chelsea at the age o ...

(1985) *

Colin Dobson Colin Dobson (9 May 1940 – 16 February 2023) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside-forward. He also had a long career in coaching and coached domestic and national teams in Arabia. Dobson began his career with Sheff ...

(1985–87) *

(ca. 1989) *

(1989–90) * Abdul Moneim Al Haj (1990) * René Simões (1 July 1990–91) * Luis Alberto (1991–92) * René Simões (1992 – 30 June 1993) * Cabralzinho (1993–94) *

Jørgen E. Larsen Jørgen Erik Larsen (25 July 1945 – 7 February 2020) was a Danish football coach and player. He spent most of his playing career at Herfølge Boldklub, playing 197 games for the club. In 1978, he was named sports director of Herfølge Boldklu ...

(1 July 1994 – 30 June 1995) *

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(1995) *

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(1 July 1995–96) * Eid Mubarak (1996–97) *

Antoni Piechniczek Antoni Krzysztof Piechniczek (born 3 May 1942) is a Polish former professional football manager and player. From 2007 to 2011 he was a senator. Playing career Piechniczek was born in Chorzów. He played for clubs such as Naprzód Lipiny, Legi ...

(1997) *

Zdzisław Podedworny Zdzisław Podedworny (born 13 April 1941) is a Polish former professional Manager (association football), football manager and football player, player. Coaching career Podedworny managed Górnik Zabrze, Olimpia Poznań, GKS Katowice, Ruch Chorz� ...

(1997–98) * Allan Jones (1998) * Roald Poulsen (1998–99) *

(1 July 1999 – 30 June 2000) * Dutra (2000) *

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(2000) * Santos (2000–01) * Paulo Henrique (2001–02) * Amarildo (2002) *

Jean Castaneda Jean Castaneda (born 20 March 1957) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Career Castaneda began his professional career with AS Saint-Étienne in 1975. He also played for the France national team. He earned nin ...

(2002–04) * Bosse Nilsson (2004) *

(1 July 2004 – 30 June 2005) * Ron van den Berg (2005) *

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(26 June 2005 – 15 Nov 2005) * Hassan Hormatallah (Nov 2005–05) *

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(2005–06) *

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(2006 – 30 June 2006) * Pierre Lechantre (2006–07) *

(2 May 2007 – 17 May 2009) *

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(1 July 2009 – 30 June 2010) *

(21 Nov 2009 – 30 June 2011) *

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(Sept 6, 2011 – 3 Nov 2013) * Rastko Stojkovic (2013) * Manuel Jiménez (4 Nov 2013 – 20 May 2015) *

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(20 May 2015 – 3 October 2016) *

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(26 September 2016 – 30 June 2018) *

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(5 July 2018 – 8 October 2018) *

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(10 October 2018 – 5 March 2019 ) * Gilson (6 March 2019 – 30 June 2019) *

(28 May 2019 – 11 December 2020) * Fábio César (10 December 2020 – 18 December 2020) *

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(19 December 2020 – 13 February 2022) * Nicolás Córdova (13 February 2022 – 30 June 2023) *

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(1 July 2023 – 30 June 2024) *

Poya Asbaghi Poya Asbaghi (; ; born 17 July 1985) is a football manager who was most recently the head coach of Qatar Stars League side Al-Rayyan. Early life Asbaghi has stated that his family fled from Iran when he was one year old because of political per ...

(1 July 2024 – 24 September 2024) *

Younes Ali Younes Ali Rahmati (; born 3 January 1983) is a Qatari football coach and a former player who is the currently head coach of Qatar Stars League club Al-Rayyan. He played as a midfielder and was a member of the Qatar national football team. Ali ...

(24 September 2024 – 3 January 2025) * Artur Jorge (3 January 2025 – present)

Administrative managers

* Ashraf Mehdi (1984–85) * Saad Abu El Dahab (1985–) ;Notes *1. Non-professional coach; worked as local physical education teacher. *2. First professional coach. *3. First non-Arab coach.

References

External links

*
Al Rayyan Club
at QFA {{Qatari League Rayyan Association football clubs established in 1967 Multi-sport clubs in Qatar Sport in Al Rayyan 1967 establishments in Qatar