Qatar reached the peak of footballing glory in 2019 by winning the AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates. In beating Japan 3-1 in the final of the premier tournament, Qatar created many a records. Not to forget the fact that a match earlier they had drubbed the UAE national team 4-0.
Qatar maybe a young nation, but it's footballing history is definitely illustrious. Playing host to the 2022 FIFA World Cup to some extent would be an icing on the cake for this Arabian Gulf nation spanning 11,571 km², with the seeds of football being sown way back in the 1940s.
Soon rapid development and interest in the game saw a stadium being built, with the Doha Stadium becoming the first arena of its kind with a grass pitch in the region. Thought the stadium officially opened in 1962, but competitive amateur games were already in the offing in the early 1950s.
By 1973, the Doha Stadium had already witnessed legendary stars like boxing great Muhammad Ali and Brazil's star footballer Pelé. Some say that the Brazilian striker had picked up his career's first yellow card during a match here, but the legend remains unconfirmed to this day.
Towards the end of the 70s, Qatar had built a new home for its national team - the Khalifa International Stadium. Understandably, the Khalifa International Stadium will play host to the matches through to the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Not to forget, Qatar celebrated its reopening in May 2017 in the presence of a large crowd gathered to witness the final of the Emir Cup.
By the 80s Qatar was already a recognised force in the world of soccer. The landmark event in 1981, when it's national team made a stunning run to the final match of the Under-20 FIFA World Cup in Australia, defeating both Brazil (3-2) and England (2-1) along the way.
Badr Bilal, now 56, remembers the day when he scored the winning goal in the semi-final against England. That bicycle kick was "undoubtedly the greatest moment" of his career.
More illustrious occasions followed. By 1984 Qatar had qualified for its first Olympic Games, drawing 2-2 with France in their opening game of the Los Angeles competition before bowing out in the group stages. Four years later, Qatar went on to host the Asian Cup in football for the first time.
In 1992, Qatar led by legendary Brazilian coach Evaristo de Macedo, reached the quarter-finals of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, losing only to eventual finalists Poland in a closely contested match at Barcelona's home - Nou stadium. The same year, striker Mubarak Mustafa spurred Qatar on to their first triumph in the Gulf Cup in Doha. Qatar did an encore in 2014 claiming the Gulf Cup title against Saudi Arabia.
In 1995, Qatar went on to play host to some of the finest players on the footballing circuit. The event was the FIFA Under-20 World Cup where Argentina and Brazil battled it out in the final in the presence of 65,000 spectators. Argentina prevailed in the game and Qatar went on to win the hearts of the fans.
Not to forget Qatar was making rapid progress in other sports as well. In 2006, it hosted the Asian Games - by far the biggest event consisting of Olympic sports in Asia. During the Asian Games, Qatar won the gold medal in football, defeating Iraq 1-0 in the final.
On 10 December 2010 that the path of Qatar as a sporting destination reached a notch higher when it was confirmed as the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Now with a promising young generation of Qatari footballers receiving their training from the prestigious Aspire Academy, and the 2014 Asia's Under-19 title under its grasp, Qatar is well on it's way to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
