Doha: The sixth Asian Communities Football Tournament (ACFT) draw ceremony took place yesterday, Saturday December 23 in Al Bidda Tower, the Qatar Football Association’s (QFA) headquarters.

The ACFT tournament this year features the participation of twelve Asian community teams divided into two groups of six who will battle out on the field to win the title.

Organised by the QFA, the ACFT is a community tournament which brings together various Asian communities residing in Qatar, and encourages them to play more football in a fun competitive environment.

The draw results are as follows:

Group A:
1. Jordan
2. India
3. Philippines
4. Malaysia
5. Sri Lanka
6. Korea Republic

Group B:
1. Singapore
2. Japan
3. Lebanon
4. Indonesia
5. Bangladesh
6. Nepal

The draw was conducted by Khalid Al Rumaihi, member of the Sub-Leagues Committee at QFA, QFA officials and was attended by the twelve participating teams’ community leaders.

The tournament is set for kick-off on Thursday January 11, 2018 while the opening ceremony will take place on Friday January 12, 2018 at 7:30pm. Matches will be played on Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm and 9:20pm.

The tournament will run until Friday March 30 with the final match taking place at 7pm.

Last year’s tournament was won by Jordan after they beat Lebanon 1-0 in the final match that took place at Al Ahli Stadium, allowing them to be crowned champions for a second time, which made them the team with most titles won. Last year’s final match and closing ceremony was attended by Lebanon’s Ambassador to Qatar H.E. Hassan Najm, and Jordan’s Charge d’Affaires and Minister Plenipotentiary H.E. Soufian Al Qudah.

Commenting on the occasion, Hilal Al Mohannadi, Chairman of the Sub-Leagues Committee said: “We are very excited to launch the sixth edition of this exciting tournament. The ACFT demonstrates QFA’s objective which is to organise a tournament that acts as an effective tool to help support integration and positive community engagement amongst the various communities in Qatar through football. It also provides an opportunity for community teams to display their talents at an organised football tournament officiated by the QFA referees.”

The tournament will follow the traditional format of twelve teams split into two groups where they will play group stage matches, followed with the top four teams of each group qualifying for the knockout stage.

The ACFT was launched in sports season 2012-2013 and saw the participation of six teams. In its’ first edition, the tournament saw huge success and as a result, the following editions witnessed an increase in the number of participating teams as more communities expressed huge interest in being part of this exciting community tournament.

The ACFT is sponsored by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy as the official strategic partner, Nike as the official supplier, and Al Kass Sports Channels as the official broadcaster.