With the start of the Doha Bank Stars League competitions for the 2026-2027 sports season, scheduled for August 20, the clubs have increased their preparations for the new season, amid wide movement in player lists, between new deals and the departure of a number of players, in an attempt to rebuild the ranks and enhance competition opportunities. In addition to coaching changes in some of these clubs before the official start.
The club lists reveal remarkable changes that varied from one team to another, as Al-Shamal witnessed the largest change movement with a total of 21 names between the arrivals and departures, followed by Lusail with 19 names, then Al-Arabi with 15, while the rest of the changes were distributed among the league clubs according to their technical needs.
The north is the most mobile
Al-Shamal is at the top of the clubs in terms of total change movement, after it signed 10 players, compared to the departure of 11 players.
The list of arrivals included: Wesley Saeed, Ali Assad, Hussein Behzad, Abdul Karim Hassan, Saud Al Khater, Adel Badr, Ahmed Sayyar, Coulibaly, Harimat, and Federico Payas.
On the other hand, Omid Ibrahimi, Youssef Sinana, Ibrahim Majed, Omar Bari, Muhammad Musa, Adel Alawi, Jassim Muhammad, Ali Qadri, Abdul Rahman Jumaa, Naeem Al-Saliti, and Bao Brim left the team.
Lucille…and the first appearance
Lusail comes in second place with a total of 19 changes, with 8 players coming and 11 departing, as the team prepares for its first experience in the Stars League.
Lusail signed Khaled Muhammad, Ali Malallah, Amir Hassan, Hossam Kamal, Omid Ibrahimi, Khaled Walid, Nayef Al-Hadrami, and the Spaniard Rodrigo Mourinho.
While Saleh Al-Yazidi, Mohamed Shaaban, Ahmed Jaser, Yassin Lafarid, Amir Rostai, Yahya Naderani, Argentine Franco Rosso, Mohamed Khaled, Mohamed Ayyash, Ali Nemati, and George Stojanovsky departed from him.
The Arab rearranges the papers
Al-Arabi witnessed major changes amounting to 15 players, bringing in 6 players, compared to the departure of 9 players. The list of arrivals includes Youssef Sinana, Osama Tannan, Khattab Bouabida, Salem Al-Hajri, Lotfi Majer, and Amid Mahajna.
While the team left Ikembe, Yazan Al-Naimat, Ahmed Moein, Abdullah Marafi, Muhammad Saeed, Youssef Muftah, Musa Farawi, Abdullah Al-Sulaiti, and Gerard Hernandez.
This move reflects Al-Arabi’s desire to rearrange its ranks, in search of a squad more capable of achieving its goals in the new season.
Al-Gharafa: 9 departures and one arrival
As for Al-Gharafa, it witnessed a major movement towards departure, as 9 players left the team, in exchange for one contract according to the list, which is Al-Rashidi.
The list of those who departed included Al-Janahi, Aron, Joselu, Claude Amin, Andre, Mathias Norman, Alvaro, Rabah, and Nani. Since the Italian club Milan has announced the departure of international midfielder Ismail Bin Youssef from its ranks, but Al-Gharafa has not yet officially announced this deal.
Al Rayyan.. 13 changes
Al Rayyan made 13 changes to its roster, with 5 players arriving and 8 players departing.
Al Rayyan signed Ahmed Al Janhi, Jassim Al Sharshani, Youssef Ayman, Diego Amaro, and Daoud Diakite. While Moreno, Tamim Mansour, Yassin Malouj, Adel Badr, Simo, Nayef Al-Hadrami, Muhammad Siraj, and Amid Mahajna departed.
Al-Sadd…technical changes
Al-Sadd witnessed changes at the level of players and technical staff, as the list of arrivals included Lucescu and Abu Bakr Mohammed, in exchange for the departure of Romain Saiss, Ali Asad, Mancini, and Bao Brim, with a total of 6 changes.
Al Sadd hopes that the new changes will help it continue its strong presence and compete for titles in the new season. Also, Al-Sadd have not yet officially announced the deal that was circulated in the media only to include Moroccan international defender Nayef Akrad from Olympique Marseille.
Al-Wakrah.. 6 changes
The change movement in Al Wakrah was relatively limited, with a total of 6 changes, as the team signed Rabah Yahya, Simo, and Tamim Mansour, in exchange for the departure of Abdul Karim Hassan, Saud Al Khater, and Asim Madabo.
Al-Duhail.. 12 changes
Al-Duhail witnessed a total of 12 changes, with 3 players arriving and 9 players departing.
The arrivals are Fahd Younis, Omar Sekou, and Asim Madibo, while Youssef Ayman, Benjamin Borrego, Lotfi Majer, Amir Hassan, Khaled Muhammad, Bautista Burque, Luis Martin, Suhaib Janan, and Muhammad Ayyash left.
Al Sailiya.. 13 changes
Al Sailiya made 13 changes, bringing in 7 players, compared to the departure of 6 players.
The list of arrivals included Andrei Siahputra, Mathias Nani, Ahmed Moein, Moatasem Al-Bistami, Abdulaziz Al-Bakri, Ibrahim Majed, and Bautista Burque. While Diego Amaro, Omar Yahya, Youssef Sinana, Fahd Younis, and Michael Antonio passed away.
Al Shahaniya… 11 changes
Al Shahaniya’s changes included 11 names, with 8 arriving and 3 departing. The list of arrivals included coach Younis Ali, Amin Allah Mahrezi, Hassan Al-Gharib, Muhammad Saeed, Muhammad Siraj, Abdullah Al-Sulaiti, in addition to Adel, Othman, Qadri and Alaa. While Daoud Suleiman, Simo, and Lotfi Majer passed away.
Qatar.. 10 changes
As for Qatar Club, it made 10 changes, signing 4 players: Bruno Tabata, Abdullah Marafi, Bao Brim, and Albert Luque.
On the other hand, Kimpembe, Yann Mathias, Ahmed Sayyar, Moatasem Al-Bistami, Franco Rosso, and Nizar Al-Rashdan departed.
Al-Ahly.. 14 changes
Al-Ahly witnessed a wide movement of 14 changes, with 6 coming and 8 departing.
The list of arrivals included coach Borja Jimenez, Don O’Neill, Suhaib Janan, Luiz Martin, Benjamin, and Yosfar Lins.
While coach Younis Ali, Khaled Al-Sheikh, Abdul Rahman Mustafa, Othman Al-Yahri, Nasser Al-Nasr, Hilal Muhammad, Khaled Muhammad, and Omar Sekou passed away.
New season and new faces
These numbers confirm that the preparation period for the new season witnessed great movement in the transfer market and the restructuring of rosters, as some clubs moved towards comprehensive change, while others preferred to maintain a greater degree of stability. The stadium alone remains the judge of the success of these changes. The new names may give the teams additional strength, but harmony and speed of adaptation will be the most important factor when the competition begins and the journey of searching for the title and advanced positions begins.