Al-Arabi loses to Pyramids... Kuwait to face English Portsmouth

Al-Arabi’s first football team suffered a 3-1 defeat against Egyptian side Pyramids in a friendly match held on Tuesday in Turkey, serving as preparation for their upcoming clash against Indian side East Bengal on the 12th, in the playoff round for the main stage of the 2026 AFC Asian Cup.

After Pyramids took the lead through Abdelrahman Magdy, Al-Arabi pressed hard and managed to equalize through their Ethiopian professional Kenan Maliko in the 35th minute of the first half.

In the second half, the Egyptian side scored two more goals through Ahmed Atef Gatta and Mustafa Zico, ending the match with a 3-1 victory over Al-Arabi.

Meanwhile, Al-Kuwait’s first football team will face English side Portsmouth at 3:00 PM today, Wednesday, as part of their current training camp in London. This fixture comes during the penultimate phase of preparations for the 2026–2027 season.

This is Al-Kuwait’s second match in their English camp, having previously faced Milton Keynes on Friday, losing 1-0.

The technical staff, led by Portuguese coach Alexandre Santos, plans to field different lineups in each half, similar to the first match.

Santos places great emphasis on today’s match to assess the players’ technical and physical levels, as well as their understanding of the coaching staff’s instructions, especially since Portsmouth competes in the English Premier League.

Despite the strength of the opponent, the coach aims to avoid the mistakes made by the players in the Milton Keynes match.

Santos attaches great importance to the physical aspect of training, with players still undergoing daily gym sessions. This has prompted the coach to implement daily recovery training to prevent fatigue and exhaustion.

In other news, the youth team concluded their training today at their camp in Cairo, Egypt, in preparation for their first friendly match scheduled for tomorrow evening against El Obour Club.

Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of Football Operations Jaber Al-Zanki, along with Deputy Head Masoud Mokhtar, hold daily meetings with the players to provide ongoing instructions, emphasizing the need to perform at a decent level in the upcoming season and secure a high position in the league standings.

Al-Zanki confirmed that the team’s squad is now complete in Cairo, following the recent signing of five Brazilian players: Martinelli, Marcelo Lima, Michel Anelge, Giovanni Silva, and Matthew Toto. In a phone interview with "Al-Jarida," he added that Brazilian coach Wagner has arrived and officially begun his duties.

In a separate development, a delegation from Al-Tadhamon’s first football team will depart the country today, Wednesday, heading to Cairo for a training camp.