The 12th edition of the “Ramadan Sports Festival 2026,” organized by Aspire Zone Foundation, will kick off on Sunday evening, February 22, 2026, the festival has established itself as one of Qatar’s leading Ramadan sporting events. The festival will start from February 22 to March 6, 2026, daily from 8:00 PM until midnight, featuring a comprehensive program of championships and activities across the Foundation’s various venues.
The festival is organized in line with the Foundation’s strategy to promote physical activity and encourage a healthy lifestyle during the holy month. It offers a fully integrated sporting experience that combines fair competition with community engagement, reflecting the sporting and humanitarian values that Aspire Zone has upheld since its inception.
Spanning 12 consecutive days, the festival includes 11 sports and fitness events targeting various age groups and interests, highlighting diversity and openness to both competitive and community-based sports.
The program features football tournaments — “Embassies” and “Aspetar” — in addition to basketball competitions for men, women, and youth; table tennis for people with disabilities; swimming competitions at the Hamad Aquatic Center; Aspire Academy’s beach volleyball championship on the Academy’s outdoor courts; a women’s padel tournament at Padel In courts; and a women’s futsal championship.
The program also includes the Night Family Run, organized in cooperation with the Qatar Sports for All Federation at Aspire Park, adding a strong community dimension that encourages family participation and reinforces the concept of sport as a way of life.
The opening chapter of the festival will feature the “Embassies” football tournament at Pitch No. 5, from February 22 to March 6, with the participation of 24 teams divided into eight groups, reflecting remarkable cultural diversity and international representation.
Group One includes South America, Tanzania, and Senegal; Group Two includes South Africa, Spain, and Oman; Group Three includes Chad, Jordan, and Mali; Group Four includes Finland, Algeria, and India; Group Five includes Syria, Ghana, and Thailand; Group Six includes Togo, Russia, and Iraq; Group Seven includes Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia; and Group Eight includes Iran, Egypt, and Malaysia.
The opening day will feature three strong matches: South America vs. Tanzania at 9:00 PM (Group One), followed by South Africa vs. Spain at 10:00 PM (Group Two), and Chad vs. Jordan at 11:00 PM (Group Three).
The preliminary round matches will continue until March 1. The Round of 16 will take place on March 2 and 3, followed by the quarterfinals on March 4 and the semifinals on March 5. The championship will conclude with the final match on March 6 in a highly anticipated Ramadan evening for football fans.
In this context, Mr. Nasser Abdullah Al Hajri, Chief Marketing officer at Aspire Zone Foundation, expressed his pride in the festival’s continued success for the twelfth year, emphasizing that the new edition builds on a legacy of ongoing achievement.
Al Hajri said: “At Aspire Zone Foundation, we take pride in the Ramadan Sports Festival becoming an annual gathering point for different segments of the community in a refined sporting atmosphere that reflects the spirit of the holy month. Organizing the twelfth consecutive edition embodies our strategic commitment to promoting physical activity and establishing a healthy lifestyle, not only during Ramadan but throughout the year.”
He added: “This year, we ensured a diverse program featuring 11 sports and fitness events to guarantee broader participation across different segments of society — men, women, youth, people with disabilities, and families. Our goal is for Aspire Zone to remain an open space for all and a platform where sport meets community and humanitarian values.”
Al Hajri concluded by affirming that the festival reflects the Foundation’s vision of investing in people before places, stating: “We believe that sport is a universal language that unites nations. The Ramadan Sports Festival is a living embodiment of this concept, bringing together diverse cultures under the umbrella of fair competition and mutual respect. We look forward to an exceptional edition that further strengthens the festival’s position as one of Qatar’s premier Ramadan events.”
Aspire Zone Foundation remains committed to providing an integrated sporting environment in terms of infrastructure, organization, and technical standards, ensuring an outstanding experience for participants and spectators alike, and reinforcing the festival’s status as a key annual event in Qatar’s Ramadan sports calendar.