Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia will have to begin their Club Continental Cup campaign earlier than last season, after being drawn into a play-off tie against the champions of Oceania in August.
The Jeddah club, who are appearing in the revamped tournament for a second successive year, reached the quarter-finals in the previous edition but exited after defeat to Egypt’s Pyramids in the Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup clash.
This time, according to Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Ahli – known as “Al-Raqi” – must negotiate an additional qualifying round if they are to return to the latter stages of the intercontinental competition.
Early play-off date confirmed
Al-Ahli will open their campaign on 26 August in a play-off billed as a qualifier for the Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup match, where they will meet the winners of Oceania’s club championship.
Victory in that game would send the Saudi side into the quarter-finals, but failure would see their continental journey end at the first hurdle.
Should they progress, Al-Ahli are scheduled to face South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns on 19 September. Sundowns are the reigning CAF Champions League winners and one of the strongest club sides on the African continent.
The winner of the quarter-final between Al-Ahli and Sundowns will qualify for the semi-finals of the Club Continental Cup.
Al-Ahli target continued overseas success
Al-Ahli’s management and supporters will view the extended route as both a challenge and an opportunity to reinforce the club’s growing reputation on the global stage.
The Saudi club return to the Club Continental Cup on the back of significant success in Asia, having won the AFC Elite Champions League title in consecutive seasons.
That double triumph at Asian elite level secured their entry into this new-look competition and underlined their status among the continent’s leading clubs.
With the expanded fixture list, Al-Ahli will need to balance domestic commitments with a potentially demanding international schedule, particularly if they advance deep into the competition.
Third edition of revamped tournament
This season marks the third staging of the Club Continental Cup in its current format, which brings together leading club champions from different confederations.
European giants Real Madrid claimed the title in 2024, before French champions Paris Saint-Germain lifted the trophy last year.
The participation of Al-Ahli, Mamelodi Sundowns and the Oceania champions underscores the tournament’s ambition to showcase elite clubs from across world football, beyond the traditional European powerhouses.
For Al-Ahli, the prospect of facing a high-calibre opponent such as Sundowns as early as the quarter-finals underlines the difficulty of their path. However, their back-to-back AFC Elite Champions League titles suggest they will be among the sides to watch once the competition begins.
With fixtures now set and the route to the semi-finals clearly mapped out, attention in Saudi Arabia will turn to how Al-Ahli strengthen and prepare for what could be one of the most demanding – and potentially rewarding – campaigns in the club’s recent history.
