Qatar Cup 2026: Al Rayyan Reach the Final Following Win Over Al Shamal

Doha, Qatar - September 01, 2026 – Al Rayyan advanced to the final of the 2026 Qatar Cup after edging past Al Shamal 5-4 on penalties in their semifinal clash at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday evening, following a 3-3 draw at the end of regulation time.

Goals Shared in Thrilling Regulation Time

France's Wesley Said struck twice for Al Shamal, finding the net in the 27th and 63rd minutes, while Tunisia's Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane added another in the 54th minute. Al Rayyan hit back through Brazil's Roger Guedes, who scored in the 24th and 74th minutes — the latter from the penalty spot — before Belgium's Julien De Sart snatched a dramatic equalizer deep into stoppage time, in the 90+6th minute, to send the match to penalties.

Al Rayyan Prevail in Penalty Shootout

In the shootout, De Sart, Brazil's Wesley Ribeiro, Ahmed Al Rawi, Guedes, and Portugal's Andre Amaro all converted their spot-kicks for Al Rayyan, with only Brazil's Gregore Favero missing. For Al Shamal, Spain's Alex Collado, Algeria's Nassim Ben Aissa, Musab Khader, and Abdelkarim Hassan found the net, while Fahad Waad and Ben Romdhane failed to convert.

Al Sadd Awaits in the Final

Al Rayyan will now face Al Sadd in the Qatar Cup final, scheduled for December 11 at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Al Sadd had earlier booked their spot in the final with a 2-1 win over Al Gharafa.

Source: QNA