Muscat: Al-Seeb and Al-Nahda clubs are gearing up to kick off their participation in the AFC Champions League Two football competition tomorrow, Wednesday, marking the commencement of the first round of the group stage, as fixtures begin today.
According to Oman News Agency, Al-Nahda will face Saudi Arabia's Al-Taawoun in Group C at 8:00 p.m. Oman time at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher. Meanwhile, Qatar's Al-Rayyan is set to play against Jordan's Al-Faisaly in the same group at 10:15 p.m. Oman time at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan.
In Group D action, Al-Seeb is scheduled to take on Iraq's Al-Shorta at 10:15 p.m. Oman time at Al-Zawraa Stadium in Baghdad. Concurrently, Jordan's Al-Hussein will meet India's East Bengal at 8:00 p.m. at Amman International Stadium.
The two teams have intensified their preparations for the competition, which is the continent's second-tier club tournament. This tournament, previously known as the AFC Cup, has adopted its current name since the 2024-2025 season and is now in its twenty-second edition.
The competition format allows the top two teams from each of the eight groups, divided equally between the West and East regions, to progress to the round of 16. Matches are played on a home-and-away league basis and are set to conclude on 9 December 2026.
Following the group stage, the round-of-16 matches are scheduled from 9 to 18 February 2027, with quarter-finals from 2 to 18 March 2027, and semi-finals from 6 to 14 April 2027. The final will be held on 15 May 2027.
Al-Nahda has been preparing rigorously, having entered an internal training camp in Muscat ahead of their match against Al-Taawoun. This marks Al-Nahda's fifth participation in the tournament and the second consecutive time, as they qualified after winning their second title in the HM the Sultan's Cup football competition during the 2025-2026 season. The team aims to exceed their semi-final appearance in the 2023-2024 season.
On the other hand, Al-Seeb, the reigning league champions, arranged a training camp in Baghdad, where they arrived last Sunday with all players participating in preparation for the match. Al-Seeb achieved prominence by being crowned champions of the competition in 2022.