The Asian Football Confederation announced, on Sunday, the postponement of the confrontation between Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia and Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates, which was scheduled to be held on Monday, October 26, 2026, at King Saud University Stadium in the capital, Riyadh, as part of the league stage competitions for the Western Region in the AFC Elite Champions League.
The Continental Federation explained, in an official statement issued from its headquarters in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, that the match will be held at a later date, provided that the new date and timing of the start of the confrontation will be determined and announced at the appropriate time.
Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Saudi Football Federation, in coordination with Al-Nasr Club, completed all the necessary and usual arrangements and equipment to receive the UAE Al-Wasl delegation, and provided all requirements related to the team’s arrival in the capital, Riyadh, including official permits for its arrival and organizational and logistical procedures, in preparation for the confrontation scheduled for Monday in the elite AFC Champions League competitions.
The refereeing team and the match observer assigned by the Asian Football Confederation arrived in Riyadh, while the Emirati Al-Wasl delegation did not arrive until Sunday afternoon.
The Al Hilal team delegation arrived in the Qatari capital, Doha, after spending one additional day in the city of Dammam, following the team’s confrontation with Al-Qadisiyah on Friday.
The team will conduct a training session this evening (Sunday) in Doha, in preparation for facing Al-Shamal of Qatar next Tuesday, in the third round of the AFC Elite Champions League.
Italian Simone Inzaghi, the team’s coach and one of the players, will hold a press conference at Al-Bayt Stadium at 7:15 pm tomorrow, Monday. To talk about the match, the team will hold its last training session at eight o’clock in the evening on the same day.
Al Hilal occupies third place in the group stage of West Asia with 6 points, a difference of points from Al Ain of the Emirates and Esteghlal of Iran.
Croatian Marino Pusic, Al-Ahly coach, confirmed that his team aspires to continue its series of positive results when it faces Al-Gharafa of Qatar, stressing that continental matches carry special challenges. Especially when it is held in front of local fans.
Pusic said during the press conference preceding the confrontation: “Every continental match is special and carries within it many details, and the matches that we play on our home soil give us great motivation for the presence of our fans, and we look forward to victory, but we know that it will not be easy in any way.”
In response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about how to deal with and analyze the opponent in light of the constant pressure of matches, the Al-Ahly coach explained that every official match represents an opportunity for the team to provide distinguished levels, adding: “As usual, every official match is an opportunity to stand out as a team and provide high performance. As you can see, we are delivering a series of positive results and we look forward to completing them tomorrow.”
He added: “Our analysis is not limited to watching video clips; “But it also depends on our continued development as a group, and we see the results of that daily, and we look forward to continuing the series of positive results.”
For his part, Brazilian Roger Ibanez, Al-Ahly's defender, stressed the importance of achieving victory and presenting a technical level befitting the team's ambitions, stressing that preparations for the confrontation began by studying the opponent and preparing for the course of the match.
Ibanez said: “We started our preparations by knowing the opposing team, and we are looking forward to winning and achieving the three points at a high level,” expressing his hope for a large audience presence, stressing that Al-Ahly fans represent player No. 12, and always stand by the team.
In response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about Al-Ahly’s ambition to achieve the continental title for the third time in a row, Ibanez said: “When we play in such tournaments, our goal is to achieve them, as is the case in all the tournaments in which we participate. But we know that it is a difficult tournament, and it requires us to sacrifice in every match, provide high performance and exert great effort, and God willing, we will achieve it.”
