He was succeeded by Moroccan Hussein Ammouta where he spent more than three years during which Ammouta achieved four titles, His first test came in the 2012 Sheikh Jassem Cup. Al Sadd, playing most of their matches with their second team, achieved the runners-up position when they lost to Al Rayyan SC in the final. In the league, his team's form won the appraisal of many pundits, with them winning all of their first nine games, setting a new league record. Sadd were eventually held to a goalless draw by Al Kharaitiyat on 8 December 2012. Al-Sadd won the league on 13 April 2013, one match before the end of the league. It was the first Al-Sadd's championship since 2007. On 28 November 2015, Ferreira was named the head coach of Al Sadd SC, on a six-month deal with the option of a further year. Having won the 2018–19 Qatar Stars League with a game to play, he left the team in May and was replaced by Xavi. On 28 May 2019 it was announced that Xavi would take over as manager of Al Sadd on a two-year contract. Xavi helped the club reach the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League, where they were eliminated by Al-Hilal FC 6–5 on aggregate. In the league, the club finished third. In the 2019–20 season, Xavi led his team to win three domestic trophies, including the league and the Qatar Cup. In the 2020 AFC Champions League, Al Sadd reached the round of 16 but were eliminated 1–0 by Persepolis. During his 97 games in charge of Al Sadd, spanning two and a half years, he led the club to seven trophies. On 3 November 2021, Al Sadd drew 3–3 against Al-Duhail in his final game in-charge. Two days later Al Sadd announced Xavi's move to Barcelona after his release clause was paid.
