Workers' Cup features teams of employees from around Qatar
This year's the biggest yet, featuring 32 sides
Final to be the last match played at Al Thumama site, which will host a 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™ stadium
The final of the Workers’ Cup’s fifth edition is set to feature two sides involved in Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Qatar 2022 projects.
Favourites Nakheel Landscapes, who upset 2016 champions Taleb Group in the quarter-finals of the tournament sponsored by the SC, will take on Al Asmakh Facilities Management at Qatar Sports Club Stadium in Doha.
“It is a matter of great pride for my team and the whole organisation to be in the final of this great competition,” Nakheel Landscapes coach Sami Majzoub told sc.qa.
The Qatar Star Leagues-sponsored competition was decided by penalty shootouts in both 2015 and 2016, with fans no doubt hoping for more drama this year.
Both teams have shown an impressive ability to find the back of the net. Al Asmakh Facilities Management recorded an incredible 20-0 win against Al Balagh earlier in the cup, having opened their tournament with an 8-0 victory.
Nakheel Landscapes, who have 3,500 employees and an 18-year history in Qatar’s landscaping sector, also began the Workers’ Cup 2017 with an 8-0 win – in front of almost 6,000 fans.
However, there have been some closer games for the team since, including a penalty shootout win over 2016 semi-finalists Larsen & Toubro.
The final will be preceded by the third place play-off and the final of the Plate Shield, a knockout tournament for the 16 teams who finished third and fourth in their groups.
The 80-match Workers’ Cup was contested by 32 teams this year – eight more than in 2016 – with over 600 football-loving workers from around the world showcasing their football skills. 15 of these teams have a connection with the SC – with four involved in the organisation’s flagship corporate social responsibility programme, Generation Amazing.
The Workers’ Cup has emerged as an integral part of Qatar’s domestic football calendar, with the final day last year on 8 May drawing a crowd of 11,000 to Al Ahli Stadium.
This year’s edition will enter local history books as it included the last football match to be played at the QFA Technical Fields in Al Thumama. The next match in Al Thumama will take place once the locality’s brand new 2022 FIFA World Cup™ stadium is ready.