Nasser Al-Khelaifi

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Al-Khelaifi was born in Doha to an Arab family. He graduated with an Economics Degree from Qatar University and got his master's degree from the University of Piraeus. He befriended the current Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, when they were 14 and eight years old respectively, through tennis. As a tennis professional, he was the second most successful member of the Qatar Davis Cup team after Sultan Khalfan, playing 43 times between 1992 and 2002. He reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 995 in late 2002. He became president of the Qatar Tennis Federation in November 2008. In 2011, he was elected vice-president of the Asian Tennis Federation for West Asia. He became chairman of Qatar Sports Investments in June 2011. Following QSi's acquisition of Paris Saint-Germain in June 2011, he became chairman of the board and CEO of the club. He became president and CEO of PSG on 7 October 2011. In November 2013, he was made minister without portfolio in the Qatari government. On 31 December 2013, Al Jazeera Sport's global operations were rebranded as beIN Sports. He has been a member of the UEFA Executive Committee since 2019. He was elected chairman of European Football Clubs in 2021, and became its representative on the FIFA Council in 2025.

In Their Own Story

The winter of 2013–14 marked a turning point as PSG finished top of Ligue 1 with a record-breaking 89 points. Al-Khelaifi watched his squad, bolstered by Zlatan Ibrahimović's goalscoring, dominate the domestic league while reaching another Champions League quarter-final. Although they fell to Chelsea on away goals again, the foundation was solidified. Years later, in June 2025, the narrative shifted from near-misses to historic triumph. Following PSG's first-ever UEFA Champions League victory on June 1, Al-Khelaifi stood at a crossroads. With the Parc des Princes deemed insufficient by city standards and refusing sale, he publicly considered relocating the club to Massy or Poissy. This decision highlighted the tension between maximizing revenue through a larger venue and preserving the historic identity of PSG within Paris, especially as rivals like Paris FC gained momentum in the capital.

Reader's Guide

Al-Khelaifi's tenure at PSG saw the club win Ligue 1 in the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons, with a record 89 points in the latter. The club reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in 2012–13 (losing to Barcelona on away goals), 2013–14 (losing to Chelsea on away goals), and 2018–19 (losing to Manchester United on away goals after leading 2-0 in the first leg). In June 2012, QSi acquired Paris Handball Club and merged it with PSG; PSG Handball has won LNH Division 1 five times since 2012 and reached the EHF Champions League final in 2016–17. Al-Khelaifi was recognized by ESPN as the seventh most influential individual in world football in 2015, and a France Football ranking in May 2020 positioned him as the most influential personality in the sport. In October 2017, Swiss courts opened an investigation against him for suspicion of private corruption in the allocation of television rights for the World Cups 2026 and 2030. On 30 October 2020, he was cleared of charges of aggravated criminal mismanagement but found guilty of forging documents related to World Cup television rights and fined 24,000 Swiss francs. In February 2020, he was charged by Swiss federal prosecutors in connection with a bribery investigation linked to World Cup television rights, but stated he was cleared and the case was dismissed. On 9 March 2022, after PSG's loss to Real Madrid, Al-Khelaifi allegedly assaulted a linesman and threatened a Madrid employee; UEFA found PSG guilty of unsporting conduct but did not assign any punishment to Al-Khelaifi. On 5 February 2025, he was charged with complicity in the alleged buying of a vote related to a 2018 dispute within Lagardère Group; he denies any involvement. Weeks later, a media campaign targeting him gained momentum after a March 2025 episode of Complément d'enquête alleging financial misconduct.

Did You Know?

• Al-Khelaifi played tennis against former French Open champion Thomas Muster in St. Pölten in 1996, losing in the first round.
• He won the GCC Team Tournament as a tennis player.
• Al-Khelaifi became the first Arab to hold a position on the UEFA Executive Committee in 2019.
• He was elected chairman of European Football Clubs in 2021.