Riffa handed tough Gulf group

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Riffa have been handed a challenging group in the 2026-27 GFF Gulf Club Champions League after yesterday’s draw placed the Bahrain representatives alongside clubs from the UAE, Qatar and Iraq.

The Blues were drawn in Group B with UAE side Al Nasr, Qatar SC and Iraq’s Al Zawraa as they prepare for their return to the regional competition.

Group A features Saudi Arabia’s Neom, Qatar’s Al Duhail, Oman’s Al Shabab and Shaab Hadhramaut, while Saudi side Al Ettifaq headline Group C alongside the UAE’s Ajman, Iraq’s Erbil and Kuwait’s Kazma.

This season marks the largest edition in the competition’s history, with the field expanded from eight to 12 clubs and divided into three groups of four.

Riffa will face each of their three opponents home and away, with the top two clubs from each group advancing automatically to the quarter-finals. The two best third-placed teams will complete the eight-team knockout field, with the subsequent ties contested over two legs.

The tournament kicks off on October 13, with the group stage running until February 17 next year. The quarter-finals are scheduled for March 2 to 17, before the semi-finals and final bring the competition to a close between April 23 and 30.

Riffa will enter their Gulf campaign under Kuwaiti head coach Mohamed Mashaan following a strong finish to the 2025-26 domestic season.

The Bahrain outfit finished third in the Nasser bin Hamad Premier League with 49 points from 22 matches and ended the campaign with silverware after defeating Muharraq on penalties to lift the Khalid bin Hamad Cup. They also reached the King’s Cup final, where they were beaten by the same opponents.

Riffa will be seeking their first Gulf crown, having twice previously finished as runners-up. They placed second behind Kuwait’s Al Arabi in the inaugural edition in 1982 before repeating the feat in 1995, when Kazma took the title.

Sitra represented Bahrain last season but bowed out in the group stage, while Qatar’s Al Rayyan went on to lift the trophy.

Muharraq remain the only Bahraini club to have won the competition, claiming the regional crown in 2012.