Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli faces Sundowns for the Africa-Asia-Pacific title
Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli will face a major continental test on Saturday, September 19, 2026, when it visits South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria. The match will decide the Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup title in the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and give the winner a place in the tournament’s final stage.
The match will be played at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, marking another away fixture for Al Ahli after it began its campaign with a 1-0 victory over New Zealand’s Auckland FC in Jeddah. The Saudi side enters the match as the AFC Champions League Elite titleholder, while Sundowns represent Africa as the CAF Champions League winners.
A match carrying a title and a qualification berth
The importance of the match goes beyond qualification. FIFA explains that the winner will be crowned champion of the Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup before advancing to the latter stages of the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup. The winner will then face a new challenge in the Challenge Cup on the path to the final, where European champions Paris Saint-Germain await.
Al Ahli secured its place in the showdown with Sundowns after overcoming Auckland through Saleh Abu Al-Shamat’s 63rd-minute goal in the match played in Jeddah on August 26. FIFA said the Saudi side deserved the victory after clearly dominating the game and creating several chances, allowing it to continue its campaign in the tournament.
A new-look Al Ahli against the African champions
The match comes at a stage when Al Ahli has undergone significant technical and personnel changes. The team is led by coach Marino Pusic, while several new players joined the squad during the summer, including Portugal’s Francisco Trincão, Armenia’s Eduard Spertsyan, Ukraine’s Artem Bondarenko and France’s Ibrahim Diaby.
In its pre-match report, FIFA noted that Trincão and Spertsyan had made influential starts with Al Ahli this season, while Ivan Toney and Galeno continue to shoulder a large share of the attacking responsibility. The match will also mark Al Ahli’s first appearance away from home in the Intercontinental Cup, adding a different challenge against the African champions and their fans in Pretoria.
Al Ahli vs. Sundowns: Match time
According to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s schedule, the match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahli will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, kicking off at 4 p.m. Saudi time. The fixture is attracting significant interest in Saudi Arabia, particularly as Al Ahli carries the hopes of Saudi and Asian football in its bid to advance toward the decisive rounds of the tournament.
Al Ahli will need to deal carefully with the pressure from the home side while maintaining a balance between attacking buildup and defensive solidity. Sundowns, meanwhile, enter the match with the benefit of continental experience and home advantage, making this a genuine test of the Saudi team’s ability to compete away from Jeddah.
The road to the final
Victory in Pretoria will not mean direct qualification for the final, but it will place the winner in the last stage of the road. Under the tournament format, the winner of this match will later face the winner of the Americas path in the Challenge Cup. The team that advances from that stage will qualify to meet Paris Saint-Germain in the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup final.
