In appreciation of the Qatari sporting heritage, which includes a number of golden generation stars who had a clear imprint on the football scene in the State of Qatar, the stadiums that host the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025™️ matches have been renamed to bear the names of Qatari football legends, in honor of their illustrious sporting careers and shedding light on the rich history of Qatari football, in a way that inspires the new generation of emerging stars.
Below we review the Qatari football legends who were chosen to rename the eight stadiums that will host the 2025 Qatar Youth World Cup matches:
*Stadium No. 1 – Mohamed Ghanem Stadium
Mohamed Ghanem is considered one of the most talented football players in the history of Qatar, and his name rose to prominence in the 1970s when he was chosen as the best player in the third edition of the Gulf Cup, which was held in Kuwait in 1974. At the club level, Mohamed Ghanem played for Al-Ahly Club and was the first captain to lift the His Highness the Emir’s Championship Cup in 1972, when he led his team to victory over Al-Rayyan with a score of 6-1 at the historic Doha Stadium.
*Stadium No. 2 – Ibrahim Khalfan Stadium
Ibrahim Khalfan is famous for being an artist on and off the field, as he played with the Qatari national team in various age groups. One of Khalfan’s most prominent performances was his leadership of the Al-Anabi national team to reach second place in the 1981 World Youth Cup. Khalfan, who was a player in the Qatari club Al-Arabi, was the engineer in the midfield as he led his club to the podium with three consecutive Emir Cup titles between the years 1977 and 1979.
Stadium No. 3 – Badr Bilal Stadium
Former striker Badr Bilal is considered a member of the Qatari national team, who excelled in the Youth World Cup in 1981 and achieved second place in the tournament. He also played a decisive role in leading Al Sadd Sports Club to the podium with the AFC Champions League title in 1989, scoring several goals during the tournament.
Stadium No. 4 – Khaled Salman Stadium
Khaled Salman is known as one of the most prominent Qatari football players. He scored a famous hat-trick against Brazil in the 1981 World Youth Championship, ensuring that Qatar reached the final. He also participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics, scoring two goals against France. Salman also led Al-Sadd Sports Club to its first title in the AFC Champions League in 1989.
Stadium No. 5 – Khaled Ballan Stadium
The late star Khaled Ballan witnessed a distinguished start with the Qatari national team in the 1970 Gulf Cup, which was held in Bahrain, where he won the title of best player in the tournament. Blanc played throughout the 1970s and spent his entire football career at Qatar Sports Club (formerly Al Esteghlal Club), winning the Qatari League title several times.
Stadium No. 6 – Mansour Moftah Stadium
Mansour Muftah is considered one of the best scorers in the history of the Qatari and Arab Gulf national teams, as he became the first player to win the Arab Golden Shoe Award twice in the 1981-1982 and 1985-1986 seasons. He is also famous as the historic top scorer in the Emir Cup and the Sheikh Jassim Cup, and was nicknamed “The Fox” for his speed and unique skills. With the record number of goals he scored, amounting to 317 goals in 324 matches with his club and with Al-Anabi, the Qatar Stars League top scorer award was renamed the “Mansour Muftah Award” in recognition of his distinguished contribution to Qatari football.
Stadium No. 8 – Mahmoud Sufi Stadium
The late star Mahmoud Sufi is referred to as the best Qatari scorer in the history of World Cup qualifying matches, with 12 goals in 20 matches. Sophie played a pivotal role in leading the Qatari national team to its first title in the Arabian Gulf Cup in 1992. Sophie played for many Qatari clubs, and won the title of best scorer in different seasons.
Stadium No. 9 – Adel Malallah Stadium
The star Adel Malallah is considered one of the most prominent Qatari football defenders, as he participated with the Qatari national team in many major tournaments during the 1980s, including the Arabian Gulf Cup, the Summer Olympics, and the Asian Cup. Mal Allah played for the Qatari club Al-Ahly throughout his football career, and contributed to the club winning several Emir Cup titles. The State of Qatar will host the World Junior Championship from November 3 to 27, 2025. The 104 matches will be held in these eight stadiums, while the final match will be held at Khalifa International Stadium, which is also located in Aspire Zone.
“TMRW›S GOAT” official song
FIFA has collaborated with two of the most famous emerging faces in the international music scene to produce the official song of the U-17 World Cup, with Egyptian Nour and Nigerian Yarden creating this catchy anthem titled “TMRW›S GOAT”.
The official song of the tournament will be performed in more than one language, as it will serve as an inspiring piece for players and fans during the upcoming football festival, which will be held starting tomorrow.
The Egyptian artist commented on the launch of the official song by saying: “My participation in TMRW’S GOAT was a special experience in every sense of the word. At its core, the FIFA U-17 World Cup revolves around the idea of giving young players a platform to dream of achieving big things, and creating opportunities to create something new and inspiring. Working with Yarden showed me the power of inspiration when worlds intersect and creativity meets, as the song carries within it that same enthusiastic spirit, and I hope that this energy will be present in the minds of the young players – and in the minds of everyone who listens to it – and that they will make it their source of strength and inspiration.”