Qatari Second Division

The Qatari Second Division (Arabic: دوري الدرجة الثانية القطري), 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 promotion and relegation with the Qatar Stars League (QSL), the top-tier football league in the country. The QSD seasons, like those of the QSL, run from September to April.

Qatari Second Division

Founded	1979; 46 years ago (1979)
Country	Qatar
Confederation	AFC
Number of clubs	8
Level on pyramid	2
Promotion to	Qatar Stars League
Domestic cup(s)	Sheikh Jassem Cup Qatari Second Division Cup
Current champions	Al-Sailiya SC (5th title) (2024–25)
Most championships	Al-Markhiya (6 titles)
Current: 2024–25 Qatari Second Division

The league's first season was played in 1979 which was won by Al-Ittihad. The club with the most QSD wins is Al-Markhiya which has won 6 QSD titles. According to the league's development strategy, starting with the 2022–23 season, the first-placed club of this league will play a relegation match against the tenth-placed club of the first league to decide which club will participate in the first league next season.^[1] There is no relegation from the second division.^[2]

History

In 1990, the Qatar Football Association dissolved three second division clubs: Al Nasr, Al Tadamon, and Al Nahda. The clubs' players and staff were distributed to first division clubs. As a result, the Qatari Second Division was unofficially dissolved on a temporary basis.^[3] The competition resumed operations in the 1996–97 season.^[4] The first promotion play-off took place in the 1999–00 season, between Second Division champions Muaither SC and the bottom-ranked team of the Qatar Stars League, Al Shamal. Muaither lost the match.^[5]

It was announced on 15 April 2009 that no clubs would be relegated from the top flight in the 2008–09 season, due to expansion reasons, however the announcement was made with only one game remaining.^[6] This meant that the Qatari Second Division would remain with the same number of teams despite the recent formation of Lekhwiya SC and El Jaish SC, while the top flight would expand to 12 teams.

On 6 October 2013 it was announced Qatari Second Division had a sponsorship with Qatargas.^[7]

An annual competition known as the Qatari Second Division Cup is played by all second division clubs.^[8]

Clubs

Champions

Source:^[9]

Club	Champions	Winning years
Al-Markhiya	6	1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2016–17, 2021–22
Al-Sailiya	4	2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2011–12
Al-Gharafa		1979–80, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1986–87
Al-Shamal		1985–86, 2002–03, 2014–15, 2020–21
El-Jaish	3	2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11
Umm-Salal		1997–98, 1999–2000, 2005–06
Al-Kharaitiyat	2	2003–04, 2019–20
Al-Khor		1982–83, 2023–24
Al-Wakrah		1984–85, 2018–19
Al-Rayyan		1988–89, 2014–15
Muaither		2015–16, 2022–23
Al-Shahania	1	2017–18
Al-Mesaimeer		2000–01
Al-Ahli		2012–13
Al-Duhail		2009–10
Al-Nahda		1980–81

2022–23 season

Qatari Second Division
Club	Location	Stadium	Year Formed
Al Bidda SC	Doha		2015
Al Kharaitiyat	Al Kharaitiyat	Al Khor SC Stadium	1996
Al-Khor	Al Khor	Al-Khor SC Stadium	1961
Al-Mesaimeer	Al-Rayyan,	Al-Sailiya SC Stadium	1996
Al-Shahania	Al-Rayyan,	Grand Hamad Stadium	1998
Al-Waab	Al Waab, Doha		2019
Lusail	Lusail, Al Daayen		2014
Muaither SC	Muaither, Al-Rayyan	Thani bin Jassim Stadium	1996

Championship history

Total titles won by town or city

Town or city	Number of titles	Clubs
Al Rayyan	14	Al-Sailiya SC (4), Al-Gharafa SC (4), Al-Rayyan SC (2), Muaither SC (2), Mesaimeer (1), Al-Shahania (1)
Doha	12	Al-Markhiya (6), Al-Jaish (3), Lekhwiya SC (1), Al Ahli (1), Al-Nahda (1)
Umm Salal	5	Umm Salal SC (3), Al Kharaitiyat (2)
Al Shamal	4	Al-Shamal (4)
Al Wakrah	2	Al-Wakrah SC (2)
Al Khor	1	Al-Taawun (Al Khor) (1)

Top scorers

Year		Best scorers	Team	Goals
1998–99		Osama Adam	?	13[10]
2007–08		Gonzalo Gutiérrez	Al Markhiya	15
2008–09		Gonzalo Gutiérrez	Muaither	14
2010–11		Abdulqadir Ilyas	El Jaish	12
2011–12		Michaël N'dri	Al Sailiya	16
2012–13		Jean-Paul Eale Lutula	Muaither	12
2013–14		Ali Ferydoon	Al Shamal	19
2014–15		Rodrigo Tabata	Al Rayyan	20
2015–16		Mahmoud Za'tara	Muaither	20
2016–17		Selemani Ndikumana	Mesaimeer	19
2017–18		Luciano Vázquez	Al Shahaniya	15
2018–19		Mamadou Diawara Omar Ali Nana Poku	Muaither Al Wakrah Al Wakrah	10
2019–20		Rachid Tiberkanine	Al Kharaitiyat	18
2020–21		Baha' Faisal Birahim Gaye	Al Shamal Al Shahaniya	17
2021–22		Rachid Tiberkanine	Al Kharaitiyat	8
2022–23		Alaeddine Ajaraie	Muaither	11
2023–24		Idrissa Thiam Tiago Reis	Mesaimeer	10