January 20 – Qatar has built out the Finalissima between the Champions of South America and Europe – Argentina and Spain – into a Football Festival that will see five other matches played.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Serbia and hosts Qatar will each play two matches between March 26-31.
Anchored around the Finalissima, matches will form part of World Cup 2026 warm up schedules and include Egypt playing Spain and Qatar against Argentina after the two global giants have competed in the Finalissima.
This is the second time the Finalissima in its current guise has been played between the Conmebol and European champions. Argentina beat Italy 3-0 in the first edition in 2022 at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, LOC Chairman for Football Events, said: “Hosting the Qatar Football Festival reflects our commitment to delivering world-class experiences and reaffirms Qatar’s position as a trusted partner in global football.”
Three of the six games will be played at the 89,000 capacity Lusail Stadium, the venue for the 2022 World Cup final and the 2024 Asian Cup final. Spain and Argentina will play all their games there.
The Ahmad bin Ali and Jassim bin Hamad stadiums will each host two games.
Tickets go on sale from February 25 at roadtoqatar.qa, while Visit Qatar, the official marketing and promotional arm of Qatar Tourism, and Qatar Airways, is offering exclusive travel packages from February 1.
“We look forward to welcoming players and fans from around the world as we prepare to host the world’s biggest football stars ahead of the FIFA World Cup. We are honoured to open our doors once again to the global football community,” said Al Thani.
Match schedule
- 26 March: Egypt v Saudi Arabia – Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
- 26 March: Qatar v Serbia – Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
- 27 March: Finalissima – Argentina v Spain – Lusail Stadium
- 30 March: Egypt v Spain – Lusail Stadium
- 30 March: Saudi Arabia v Serbia – Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
- 31 March: Qatar v Argentina – Lusail Stadium
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