The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is the annual club football tournament organized by FIFA, featuring the reigning club champions from all six confederations.
The first fixture of the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup is between the champion of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the champion of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
Auckland FC (OFC Champion) will take on Al-Ahli Saudi FC (AFC Champion) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 26 August 2026 (local time).
⚽️ Al-Ahli Saudi FC vs. Auckland FC
📆 27 August 2026, 6am NZT
🏟️ King Abdullah Sport City Stadium – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Outside of the two local friendlies matches this past week, this will be the first competitive match for Auckland FC’s new coach Pedro Moreira.
Whoever wins this match will go on to face South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns FC in Pretoria in September.
Who is Al-Ahli Saudi FC?
Al-Ahli (also known as Al Ahli or Al-Ahli Saudi FC) was founded in 1937 in the heart of the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Al-Ahli has won the AFC Champions League Elite twice.
- AFC Champions League Elite Winners 2025/26 – beat Machida Zelvia (Japan) 1–0 in extra time.
- AFC Champions League Elite Winners 2024/25 – beat Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) 2-0.
Al-Ahli (or Al-Ahly) translates from Arabic to mean The National. It is a very common name for sports clubs across the Arab world with the name being used for teams in no less than nine countries.
Al-Ahli’s connection with Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff
Did you know that Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff have both worn the Al-Ahli kit in a match?
No, they never officially signed professional contracts for a season, they did however make one-off appearances for the Saudi club.
In May 1984, Johan Cruyff was a special guest player for Al Ahli Saudi FC during a post-season friendly match against Feyenoord. Ironically, Cruyff had just finished his final season as a professional player in Feyenoord where he had just won Dutch Footballer of the year. The match ended in a 2-2 draw with Cruyff scoring a goal and getting an assist.
On 12 November 1987, Diego Maradona was a guest player for Al-Ahli in a friendly match against Danish Club Brøndby to celebrate Al-Ahli’s 50th anniversary. Al-Ahli won the match 5-2 with Maradona scoring two goals with three assists. Yes, he was involved in all goals!
Head Coach: Marino Pušić (Since 6 August 2026)
