Al ain: Al Ain FC of the UAE secured a resounding 4-0 victory over their Saudi Arabian visitors, Al Nassr, in their opening match of the West Zone in the 2026-2027 AFC Champions League. The match, held in Al Ain on Tuesday, saw Hossein Rahimi score twice (5th and 63rd minutes), Soufiane Rahimi add another in the 72nd minute, and Georgios Giakoumakis complete the rout in the 84th minute.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, in other West Zone matches, Uzbekistan’s Neftchi defeated Iraq’s Al Quwa Al Jawiya 1-0 in Fergana, while Qatar’s Al Shamal drew 1-1 with Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad in Doha. The UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli edged out Iran’s Tractor 1-0 in Dubai, and Saudi Arabia’s Al Qadisiyah managed a 2-1 victory over the UAE’s Al Wasl in Dammam. Additionally, Iran’s Esteghlal emerged victorious over Qatar’s Al Sadd with a 3-0 scoreline in Basra, and Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli drew 1-1 with Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in Jeddah.

The second round of the West Zone competitions is scheduled for October 12th and 13th. On the 12th, Pakhtakor will face Al-Qadisiyah in Tashkent, Al-Wasl will play Al-Ahli in Dubai, Tractor will meet Al-Shamal in Muscat, Al-Gharafa will take on Esteghlal in Doha, Al-Nasr will play Neftchi in Riyadh, and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya will meet Al-Ain in Basra. On the 13th, Al-Sadd will play Al-Hilal in Doha, and Al-Ittihad will face Shabab Al-Ahli in Jeddah.

Each team will play eight matches during the league stage, with the top eight clubs from each zone qualifying for the Round of 16. The Round of 16 matches will be held in March 2027, while the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final will be played in a centralized format in Saudi Arabia.