Al-Qadsiah is the Only Saudi Arabian Representative to Win in the AFC Champions League Elite Opener

Dammam, MINA – The 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite season kicked off on Monday. Al-Qadsiah was the only Saudi Arabian representative to secure a victory in the day’s matches.

According to Arab News, six matches in the West Region phase took place, with narrow victories dominating the results as fatigued players prepared for this weekend’s international break.

The club arguably feeling the heaviest impact of this relentless schedule is the reigning ACL champion, Al-Ahli, which finished its opening match against Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor with a 1-1 draw at home.

Television analyst Obeidallah Al-Essi stated that, based on his research, Al-Ahli has played more matches than any other team in the world since the start of the season.

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Earlier that day, Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana hosted Iraq’s Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in the tournament’s opening match of the season. The visitors failed to break down the hosts’ defense, and Neftchi secured a 1-0 victory thanks to a winning goal from Zoran Marusic in the 83rd minute.

Al-Ittihad traveled to Doha to face Al-Shamal. The latter, making their debut in the competition, took the lead in the 63rd minute through Baghdad Bounedjah. The match appeared headed for a defeat for “The Tigers,” but Georginio Wijnaldum scored an equalizer in the dying seconds of stoppage time, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

In Dubai, a 22nd-minute goal by Yuri Cesar was enough for last season’s semifinalists, Shabab Al-Ahli, to claim a narrow 1-0 victory over Iran’s Tractor.

Another Iranian representative, Esteghlal, recorded the biggest win of the day by defeating Qatar’s Al-Sadd 3-0 at the Al-Basra International Stadium in Iraq. Finally, Al-Qadsiah’s debut in this competition got off to a fantastic start as they defeated the United Arab Emirates club Al-Wasl 2–1 in Dammam. This victory reinforces Al-Qadsiah’s ambition to go far in the tournament.

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On Tuesday, Al-Nassr will travel to the UAE for a fierce match against Al-Ain at 19:00 Saudi time, followed by Al-Hilal hosting Al-Gharafa at 21:15. []

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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