English Premier League
Saudi Pro League schedule forces Al Ahli to cancel Abha pre-season friendly
Al Ahli have cancelled their planned seventh and final pre-season friendly against Abha after the release of the 2026-27 Saudi Pro League fixtures put the two sides on an early collision course in the new campaign.
The Jeddah club had been due to face Abha on 6 August, shortly after returning from their overseas training camp in Austria, in what was scheduled to be the last warm-up match before the start of the new season.
However, Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiah reported that officials from both clubs agreed to call off the game once the league calendar for the new campaign was confirmed.
The fixtures list for the 2026-27 season paired Al Ahli with Abha on 22 August in the second round of the Saudi Pro League, known commercially as the Roshn Saudi League, meaning the sides would have met twice in less than three weeks.
With both clubs keen to avoid facing each other in such quick succession, the decision was taken to scrap the friendly and instead look for alternative opposition.
Search for new opposition
Al Ahli and Abha are now working to arrange different opponents for what will be their final pre-season outings before the league season begins.
The cancelled fixture would have been Al Ahli’s seventh friendly of the summer and their only home warm-up game following the conclusion of their training camp in Austria.
Mixed pre-season for Al Ahli
Al Ahli have already completed six friendlies during their Austrian camp, recording just one victory.
That sole win was a comprehensive 8-0 success over Austrian side Saalfelden.
The team, nicknamed “Al-Raqi”, lost three matches during the camp – against German club Holstein Kiel and Portuguese pair Vitoria Guimaraes and Portimonense.
They also drew two games, sharing positive results with Portuguese side Rio Ave and English club Fulham.
Domestic and continental ambitions
Al Ahli head into the 2026-27 season aiming to end a long wait for the Saudi Pro League title, a trophy they have not lifted since 2016.
At the same time, the club are targeting the defence of their AFC Champions League Elite crown, having won the continental competition in each of the past two seasons.
