Holders Al Duhail will start their Ooredoo Cup title defence with an important clash against Al Shamal in the first round in Group B on Sunday, September 10, 2023, at the Grand Hamad Stadium. The kick-off is at 6.30pm.

Each team endeavours to win and secure the maximum points at the onset of their campaign in order to establish a robust commencement that also affirms the commendable form exhibited by both teams in the league.

Al Duhail presently occupy the third place in league standings with seven points, same as Al Gharafa and Al Sadd, and two points behind league leaders Al Rayyan. They defeated Al Ahli 2-1 in the first round and had an emphatic 4-1 victory over Muaither in the second round. They, however, drew 3-3 with Al Arabi in the third round.

Al Duhail were crowned champions of the 2022-2023 season Ooredoo Cup after defeating Umm Salal with a lone goal in the final.

The team relies on a number of prominent names, including foreign and local professionals, but the coach will try to give the opportunity to the largest number of players to rely on in the league to enhance the strength of the team.

Al Shamal, under coach Poya Asbaghi, exhibited exceptional performances in the league championship. The team secured two points by drawing with Al Arabi 1-1 and Al Wakrah 2-2 in the first and second round respectively. In the third round, they narrowly lost 3-4 against Al Rayyan.

The team also includes a number of distinguished players who have presented strong levels this season so far.