FOOTBALL – MUHARRAQ will be at home while Al Khaldiya will play away in their opening matches next month in the group stage of the 2025-26 AFC Champions League (ACL) Two.
The ACL Two is the second-tier club championship of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) – one level below the AFC Champions League Elite and one above the AFC Challenge League.
Muharraq and Khaldiya are amongst a 32-strong cast representing 22 member associations from across the continent who will be playing in a home-and-away round-robin format.
Muharraq are in Group A for this first phase alongside Al Wehdat of Jordan, Esteghlal of Iran, and Al Wasl FC of the UAE; while Khaldiya are in Group B with Al Ahli SC of Qatar, FC Arkadag of Turkmenistan, and PFC Andijon of Uzbekistan.
Both Bahraini sides kick off their tournament campaigns on September 17, according to the match schedule released by the AFC. Muharraq will face Wehdat at Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium in Arad that evening, while Khaldiya will take on Ahli at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.
Following their opening assignment, Muharraq will then play Esteghlal away on October 1, Wasl at home on October 22, Wehdat away on October 29, Wasl away on November 5, and then Esteghlal at home on December 24.
For Khaldiya, their second game will be against Arkadag at home on October 1, away against Andijon on October 22, at home against Ahli on October 29, at home against Andijon on November 5, and away against Arkadag on December 24.
The two groups are part of the ACL Two’s West Asia region, which also features Group C hopefuls Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan SC of Iran, Al Hussein of Jordan, Mohun Bagan Super Giant of India, and Ahal FC of Turkmenistan; as well as Group D sides Al Nassr Club of Saudi Arabia, Al Zawraa SC of Iraq, FC Istiklol of Tajikistan, and FC Goa of India.
Groups E to H feature four East Asian clubs apiece. They are from China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia.
Following the preliminaries, the top two from each group move on to the ACL Two’s round of 16, which will be held between February 10 and 19 in 2026. The quarter-finals and semis will then take place in March and April, respectively, with the final pencilled in for May 16.
Muharraq are competing in this season’s ACL Two as champions of the 2024-25 Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier League, while Khaldiya have their berth as winners of the 2024-25 His Majesty the King’s Cup. The two sides are currently in Türkiye conducting their respective pre-season training camps.
Muharraq are set to participate in the ACL Two in its new form for the first time, while Khaldiya are returning for a second straight season.
Muharraq are the only former winners of the competition in this year’s field. They claimed the title in both 2008 and 2021, when the tournament was still known as the AFC Cup.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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