Gold medalists Benifca FC at the recent Aspire Academy U-18 tournament. Gold medalists Benifca FC at the recent Aspire Academy U-18 tournament.

Football is firmly on the event's fixture list at The Torch Doha, which recently welcomed international teams from Bahrain, Benfica, Sevilla and West Bromwich Albion for the second edition of the Aspire Academy International U-18 tournament.

The hotel is located at the heart of the Aspire Zone, Doha’s sport’s city whose stadia and venues hosted the 2006 Asian Games and is expected to be a sport’s hub for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be the Middle East's first World Cup event.

Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, Qatar’s national sports academy that nurtures the development of young athletes, regularly organises and hosts international sports tournaments at the Aspire Zone designed to give youth players exposure to the competitive environment.

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Sherif Sabry, hotel manager at The Torch stated: “We are truly proud to have hosted such high-caliber U-18 football teams. Due to our convenient location in Aspire Zone, we are always ready to accommodate sports delegations.

“We hope to welcome the football teams again, as the hotel and Aspire Zone training facilities have exceeded their expectations.”

The 300m-high Torch has already welcomed top football teams such as Paris Saint-Germain, Germany's FC Schalke ’04 and the Australian national football team.