Web Summit Founder and CEO Paddy Cosgrave and GCO Director H E Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour bin Jabor Al-Thani addressing the press conference today.
Doha, Qatar: Web Summit Qatar 2026 opens tonight at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC), building on the strong momentum of previous editions and reinforcing Qatar’s position as a growing global hub for technology, innovation and startups.
Addressing a press conference today, February 1, 2026, ahead of the opening night, Director of the Government Communications Office (GCO) H E Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour bin Jabor Al-Thani said the summit has already delivered significant economic returns and is set to achieve even greater impact this year.
“We want to see how this conference generates an economic return for the country, local companies, and all participating companies,” Sheikh Jassim said.
He emphasised that the economic return from previous editions exceeded QR800 million, including more than QR330 million in spending by individuals who travelled to Qatar to attend the summit. More than 66,000 hotel nights were booked, with visitors staying an average of six days.
“These figures will be even higher in 2026, and we will continue building on this momentum,” he said.
Sheikh Jassim said the 2026 edition aims to be larger, more comprehensive and more international, with more than 1,600 startups participating, making it the largest gathering of startups in a single venue in the region.
The summit will also feature more than 600 speakers, investors, media figures and key decision-makers from around the world.
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will deliver the keynote address on the opening night, alongside leading international investors, media figures and startup ecosystem leaders.
“The most prominent Qatari speakers will include H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, in addition to a large number of ministers,” he said.
Also speaking at the press conference, Web Summit Founder and CEO Paddy Cosgrave said the scale of the Doha event has far exceeded initial expectations.
“When we initially committed to Doha, we hoped that in the first year we would bring 5,000 people together and that by the fifth year the event would reach 12,000 attendees,” Cosgrave said. “This year, we’ll have more than 30,000 attendees from all over the world.”
He highlighted the diversity of participation, with attendees and startups representing countries attending in a formal capacity for the first time, including Palestine, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Pakistan and the Netherlands.
“It’s a really very global group. We have more startups on the floor than ever before,” he said, noting that 85 percent of the 1,600 startups participating are from outside Qatar.
Cosgrave added that Web Summit Qatar 2026 will also feature more investors than any previous edition, with an expanded programme of meetups and networking sessions taking place throughout the four-day event. Evening activities, including the Night Summit, have been relocated to the DECC park to accommodate growing interest.
He also highlighted one of the opening night speakers, Issam Hijazi, founder of the social media platform UpScrolled.
“It’s surreal that a startup with fewer than 10 employees has eclipsed some of the world’s biggest tech platforms on app download charts,” Cosgrave said. “Issam is a very passionate and brilliant engineer, and he has a powerful story to tell.”
Web Summit Qatar 2026 officially opens tonight, marking the start of four days of discussions, networking and deal-making as global technology leaders, startups and investors converge in Doha.
