On the night of the Asian Cup quarter-final decider, hosts Qatar and Iran will engage in a thrilling battle for a ticket to the final. Journalists made a special trip to the Aspire Sports United Center in Doha to witness the Qatar team's preparations for the match and catch Cahill, who serves as the Qatar FA's technical director, in action.
The 250-hectare Aspire Sports Complex is an integrated sports kingdom with a variety of world-class stadiums, sports medicine facilities and a youth training academy. The uniquely shaped Aspire Tower and the Khalifa International Stadium, which is hosting the Asian Cup, have become local landmarks. The neighboring Hamad Aquatic Center will soon host the 2024 World Swimming Championships.
Back in 2019 when Qatar won the AFC Asian Cup for the first time, many of the team's players at the time, such as Akram Afeef and Emores Ali, came from the Aspire Football Academy. Today, these former schoolboys have grown into star players in the Qatar team. During this year's Asian Cup, both Qatar and Saudi Arabia trained at the Aspire Sports United Center.
