FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S Muharraq and Al Khaldiya kick off their preliminary round campaigns today and tomorrow in 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, and it is one level below the AFC Champions League Elite and one above the AFC Challenge League.
Muharraq are in Group B of the opening phase and they go up today against FC Arkadag of Turkmenistan. The away match is scheduled for a 4.45pm kick-off, Bahrain time, at Arkadag Stadium.
Muharraq’s interim head coach Mohammed Adnan Ayoub said yesterday during his pre-game Press conference that his team has prepared the best they can for their opening assignment.
Ayoub acknowledged that Arkadag are a strong side with quality players, and that Muharraq expect a tough challenge. He assured that his players will give their maximum in the contest to come away with a positive result.
Also in their pool are Al Jazira of the UAE and Golgohar Sirjan of Iran, who lock horns at Hisor in Tajikistan.
Meanwhile, Khaldiya are in Group A of this year’s ACL Two. They begin their campaign tomorrow against PFC Nasaf of Uzbekistan.
The match is scheduled for a 7pm kick-off at the National Stadium in Riffa.
Their pool also features Al Wahda of the UAE and Kuwait SC of Kuwait, who lock horns in Abu Dhabi, also tomorrow.
The ACL Two’s group battles – to be played in a home-and-away round-robin format – continue until December 9 before moving into the round of 16, set 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 representatives for the ACL Two’s second straight edition. They earned their berths as the first and second-placed squads, 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.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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