FOOTBALL – Bahrain clubs Muharraq and Al Khaldiya were drawn yesterday in tough groups for the preliminary round of the 2026-27 AFC Champions League (ACL) Two.
The ACL Two is the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) second-tier club competition. It was rebranded from the AFC Cup entering 2024-25.
It is one level below the AFC Champions League Elite and one above the AFC Challenge League.
The group stage draw was conducted by the AFC yesterday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, placing the 32 participating squads – 16 apiece from West Asia and East Asia – into eight groups of four.
In attendance representing the kingdom’s sides were Abdulla Al Buainain and Mohammed Ebrahim Yaseen for Muharraq along with Batoul Al Sayed Abdulla and Jumaa Almahmeed for Khaldiya.
Muharraq are set to compete in Group B alongside Al Jazira of the UAE, Golgohar Sirjan of Iran, and FC Arkadag of Turkmenistan.
Khaldiya will be playing in Group A, which also features Al Wahda of the UAE, Kuwait SC of Kuwait, and PFC Nasaf of Uzbekistan.
Amongst the two other pools featuring West Asian squads, Group C is composed of Al Taawoun FC from Saudi Arabia, Al Rayyan SC of Qatar, Al Faisaly of Jordan, and Al Nahda Club of Oman; while Group D comprises Al Hussein of Jordan, Al Shorta of Iraq, Al Seeb Club of Oman, and East Bengal FC from India.
Muharraq, Kuwait, Nasaf, Faisaly, and Seeb are all former champions in the tournament, which is in its 22nd edition this season.
The thrilling group battles – to be played in a home-and-away round-robin format – kick off on September 15.
They are scheduled to continue until December 9 before moving into the round of 16 between February 9 and 18 in 2027.
The quarter-finals and semis are set for March 2 to 18 and April 6 to 14, respectively, with the final pencilled in for May 15 next year.
Muharraq and Khaldiya are the kingdom’s ACL Two representatives for its second straight edition.
Muharraq and Khaldiya earned their berths as the first and second-placed teams, respectively, from last season’s Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League.
Muharraq were crowned champions but not without a fight from Khaldiya, with the title race going down to the last matchday and being decided by just a single point.
In the 2025-26 ACL Two, both Muharraq and Khaldiya did not make it out of their respective groups.
Muharraq finished third in Group A after winning two, drawing one, and losing three of their six fixtures; while Khaldiya won once, drew thrice, and lost twice in their contests.
Khaldiya also took part in the ACL Two’s inaugural season in its current format in 2024-25, when they made it to the round of 16.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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