Al-Hilal draw Al-Ain as AFC Champions League Elite sets heavyweight Gulf clashes | OneFootball

The 2026-2027 AFC Champions League Elite draw in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday set up a slate of Gulf blockbusters, headlined by Al-Hilal against Al-Ain in a reprise of last season’s semi-final. The competition’s league phase has been expanded to 32 clubs.

Al-Nassr face Qatar’s Al-Sadd and Al-Ahli meet the UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli, with Saudi sides clustered in the West region. According to Goal.com, their paths are largely parallel, pitching them against the same Qatari, Emirati and Uzbek opposition.

Round one is on 14-15 September 2026, round two on 12-13 October, and round three on 26-27 October. Round four follows on 2-3 November, round five on 23-24 November, then round six on 7-8 December, before a pause. Play resumes on 8-9 February 2027, with the eighth and decisive round on 15-16 February.

Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad are all slated to face Al-Ain, Al-Wasl, Shabab Al-Ahli, Al-Sadd, Al-Gharafa, Al-Shamal, Neftchi and Pakhtakor in the league phase. The West region was split across four paths.

The eight-round league phase will determine direct qualification for the knockouts, which will then decide the new champion.

Source: Goal.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”