Qatar's Arab Cup Masterclass: Soft Power Beyond Football

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Zaid Benjamin, a veteran journalist who shifted from traditional media to become one of the Arab world's most-watched digital reporters, has long chronicled Qatar's diplomatic agility and soft-power success. With nearly 400,000 followers relying on his real-time dispatches, he has become an authoritative voice on the country's mediation efforts and its increasingly refined ability to host global events. His latest stop - the Arab Cup in Doha - offered him a front-row view of how Qatar continues to outgrow expectations.

From training grounds to media centres, Benjamin saw a tournament shaped by an unmistakable rise in Qatari organisational talent.“This is not a feeling,” he says in his post on X.“It's a fact supported by numbers. Qataris now form the backbone of these events - disciplined, open, and anchored in a culture that welcomes all Arabs without exception.”

That openness permeates the press tribunes as well. Benjamin's praise for Qatari sports journalists is effusive: their coverage, he notes, is bolder, richer, and more accessible than ever - data-heavy match reports, wide-ranging analysis, and commentary aimed squarely at the region's new generation of readers. Their initiative to honour families attending matches, he says, underscores how Qatar has made the Arab Cup feel like a civic festival as much as a sporting competition.

The stands tell an equally revealing story. Qatar's public has rallied behind its national team but has been just as warm toward other Gulf sides, particularly Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the large, passionate turnout of Sudanese supporters has been one of the tournament's“most beautiful surprises,” offering a reminder of how football in Doha becomes a temporary home for Arab identity at large.

Yet the Arab Cup's significance lies far beyond football. For Qatar, the tournament is another stress test - and another opportunity to prove that few nations in the region can match its event-management muscle. Seamless logistics, efficient transportation, polished fan experience, and an unforced sense of hospitality have become the country's signature. Each tournament becomes a new baseline from which Qatar pushes itself further.

Benjamin believes the lesson for the region is obvious:“There is no shame in learning from Qatar,” he says.“If this is the level today, the next level will be even higher.”

This year's competition also unfolded against a turbulent geopolitical backdrop. Qatar has spent the year navigating one of its most demanding diplomatic roles, particularly in Gaza, while maintaining its international credibility and influence. Yet none of this strained the country's ability to deliver a smooth, compelling Arab Cup - a fact that has not gone unnoticed among visiting media and fans.

For Benjamin, the calm professionalism on display is itself a message: Qatar's rise is not episodic but structural.“In truth,” he says,“this is another moment of success in Qatar's history.”

As the tournament winds down, his final sentiment is directed at the host nation and its people. Qatar, he argues, has invested deeply in Arab football - but its real contribution lies in elevating what the Arab world believes it can achieve together.

Zaid Benjamin traditional media digital reporters Arab Cup in Doha

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