While football is on hold for now, fill the void with these photos that showcase Qatar’s love for the beautiful game.

Last year, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) teamed up Goal Click, the global football storytelling and photography project, to illustrate football culture in Qatar.

The Goal Click Qatar series tells the story of football in Qatar through the eyes and words of more than 30 people from 15 different countries who are living in the next FIFA World Cup™ host nation.

Here’s a selection of our favourite photos:

Keen footballer Helmi Mohammed, an Indian national, captured this shot of his children playing football in the neighbourhood. He said: “I wanted to show how my kids were learning about the game and showing an interest from an early age.”

Professional footballer turned photographer Jassim Buainain took this photograph at Al Janoub Stadium – one of the tournament venues for Qatar 2022.

He said: “Football is the most popular sport in Qatar. Every year, football culture in our country develops. We are all very excited about the World Cup.”

This snap by Moroccan photographer Youssef Loulidi features two of his friends playing football in one of Qatar’s many public parks. He said: “Like every country in the world, in Qatar there are a lot of freestyle football fans. I wanted to capture their love for the game.”

Another photo by Loulidi features the renovated Qatar 2022 venue, Khalifa International Stadium.

He said: “I was able to highlight one of the World Cup stadiums in the background and show that Qatar is ready to host this big event. Qatar is famous for hosting many regional and international sporting events and we look forward to welcoming people from all over the world in 2022.”

The Mexican community leader in Qatar, Yezenia Navarro, snapped this photo of her son Viery kicking a ball around one of the country’s most popular landmarks: Souq Waqif.

She said: “I wanted to show my son and regular people spending time together playing football. Football unites people and families.”

This snap by Kinda Turki, a former Syrian football player and current football coach, was captured during a friendly face-off between Al Sadd girls’ academy and Evolution Sports Qatar.

She said: “I tried to show the meaning of fair play and sportsmanship.”

The photographer behind this picture-perfect moment is Michael Richardson, a master coach with the Qatar 2022 legacy programme, Generation Amazing. Featuring workers celebrating victory following a match in Asian City, Richardson’s photos show the true spirit of football.

He said: “I tried to show the pure joy people can reach when watching a football game – one that is not a top-level game, nor does it have top-level athletes in. I wanted to show how the game of football is used to bring people together in victory and defeat.”

Richardson added: “I also wanted to show how two people can sit together enjoying the atmosphere of a game of football being played but not engaging in the game at all. It breeds an environment and atmosphere of excitement and positive energy.”

To learn more about Goal Click, visit https://www.goal-click.com/.