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 was 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.
Al-Ahli Saudi FC vs. Auckland FC Result and Match Review
In 35-degree heat at 9 o’clock at night in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Auckland FC took on Al-Ahli Saudi FC for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Woud had a great game, standing up to the occasion with some great saves.
Logan Rogerson had a great opportunity in the first half but his shot on goal was blocked by the goalie. Logan did look up first to see if there was someone to pass to but there was nobody there. He also had a great header that got saved by the keeper.
In the 63rd minute Saleh Abu Al-Shamat scored the only goal of the match, pretty much with his first touch as he had only just come on a minute or so before.
Sam Cosgrove was a brilliant defender, heading almost all the balls away from the Saudi corners and I was also surprised by the amount of running he did more than usual. However, a studs-up tackle near the end of the match meant he was sent off with a red card. This means he is likely to miss out on at least the first match of the A-League.
You could tell just how knackered the players were playing in that heat but they still gave it their all. I think Al Ahli expected to win the match much more easily but the grit of the Auckland FC players took them by surprise.
Final score: Al Ahli Saudi FC 1 — Auckland FC 0.
Auckland FC have now been eliminated from the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2026 and Al Ahli Saudi FC will go on to play against Mamelodi Sundowns FC in South Africa for the next round.
More details about the next match: Mamelodi Sundowns FC vs. Al Ahli Saudi FC
Some Match Statistics …
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)
