Doha, July 2 (QNA) - The Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced Wednesday the format for the 54th edition of HH the Amir's Cup, scheduled to kick off midway through the 2025/2026 sports season.

The QFA said in a statement that the tournament will see the participation of (20) teams: (12) First Division teams and (8) Second Division teams.

The teams will be distributed based on the overall standings of the Qatar Stars League (QSL) and the Second Division League for the 2024-2025 season.

The QFA explained that the preliminary stage will begin with the participation of Second Division teams only, based on the overall standings of the Second Division League for the 2024/2025 season, using a single-match knockout system. (4) Second Division teams will then qualify from the preliminary stage to participate in the draw for the Round of (16).

The draw for the Round of 16 will be held between (16) teams, who will be classified into two groups.

The first group includes the teams ranked first to eighth in the Qatar Stars League for the 2024/2025 season.

The second group includes the teams ranked ninth to twelfth in the Qatar Stars League for the 2024/2025 season, in addition to (4) second division teams that qualified from the preliminary stage.

The Round of 16 matches will be determined by the draw, which will be based on direct matches between the teams from Group A and Group B, in a single-match knockout format.

It is worth noting that Al Gharafa won the 53rd edition of the 2024-2025 HH the Amir Cup for the eighth time in its history, after defeating Al Rayyan 2-1 in the final match held at Khalifa Stadium last May.

Eight teams have taken turns winning the title, with Al Sadd having the lion's share, winning 19 titles.

Al Arabi, 10 titles behind, comes second in the record of titles, having won the title nine times, one title behind Al Gharafa, with eight titles, followed by Al Rayyan, with six titles.

Al Ahli and Al Duhail have won the title four times, Qatar SC twice, and Umm Salal have won the title once. (QNA)