Al-Tahadi Draw: Balanced for Al-Qadsia, Tough for Al-Arabi

The draw for the AFC Challenge League, held yesterday morning in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, placed Al-Qadsieh in Group 3 alongside Bangladeshi club Fortis, Tajikistan’s Regar-TadAZ, and India’s FC Goa. Al-Qadsieh is scheduled to host its group stage matches from September 17 to 23 next month. The team will open its campaign against Fortis on September 17, face Regar-TadAZ on September 20 in the second round, and conclude its group stage fixtures on September 23 against Indian side Goa.

In a related development, Al-Qadsieh’s management has formed a special committee to oversee the administrative and financial aspects of the hosting arrangements, in coordination with the Kuwait Football Association, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the General Commission for Youth and Sports. The committee’s tasks include ensuring the success of the hosting duties, facilitating the arrival of delegations, referees, and tournament officials, selecting training venues, and arranging accommodation, catering, and transportation for the participating teams.

Meanwhile, Al-Ahli was drawn in Group 2, dubbed the “tough” group, which features Lebanese club Al-Najma, Tajikistan’s Istiklol, and Syria’s Al-Hamraa Al-Fida. Al-Ahli is scheduled to host the Istiklol matches for the group stage, which will be played in a single-match, centralized format from September 17 to 23 next month.

The draw for Group 1 of the West Asia region also took place, placing Lebanese side Al-Ansar and Syria’s Al-Hilal Al-Hasaka alongside Turkmenistan’s Ahal and Bhutan’s Paro, who will host the group. The top four teams from West Asia will advance to the quarter-finals, comprising the winner of each group and the best runner-up among the three groups.

The quarter-final and semi-final ties will be played over two legs, with the first legs scheduled between March 3 and 18, and the second legs between April 7 and 15. The final will be held on May 8.

In other news, Al-Ahli officially announced the signing of player Youssef Al-Khubaizi from Al-Kuwait Club. Al-Khubaizi brings extensive experience and is adept at playing in both the defensive midfield (“anchor”) and center-back positions. Al-Ahli will open its campaign in the Zain Premier League next Tuesday against last season’s champions, Al-Kuwait.