A file photo of Kuwait Club and Al-Arabi players in action.

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 23: Kuwait Club and Al-Arabi are set to begin their campaigns in the Challenge League on Saturday. Al-Arabi will face Lebanon’s Al-Safa at 1:00 PM at Dolin Omarzakov Stadium in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in the opening round of Group C, while Kuwait Club will host Al-Ansar of Lebanon at 7:00 PM at Jaber Mubarak Stadium, opening Group B play.

The tournament follows a single round-robin format at centralized venues, with the group winners from the West region advancing to the quarterfinals, along with the best second-placed team.

Al-Arabi returns to the tournament for the second consecutive season, after being eliminated in the semifinals last year. The team is aiming for direct qualification from Kyrgyzstan, but faces a tough challenge in its opener against Al-Safa, the 2024-2025 Lebanese league runners-up, marking their first continental appearance since reaching the Round of 16 in the 2014 AFC Cup.

This will be the second meeting between the two sides, with Al-Arabi having won 2-1 in their previous encounter in 2009 during the AFC Cup.

Also in Group C, Muras United, founded in 2023, will play its first continental match after a strong season that saw it capture its second Kyrgyzstan Cup title. They face Tajik side Regar-TadAZ, a three-time champion (2005, 2008, 2009) seeking a record fourth title in their fifth appearance, having also won the 2024 Tajikistan Cup.

Kuwait Club aims to build on its excellent form this season, currently leading the Zain Premier League with 13 points from five unbeaten matches.

This is Kuwait Club’s debut in the Challenge League, following last season’s participation in the AFC Champions League 2, where it exited at the group stage. The team seeks a strong start, though it faces a challenging test against Al-Ansar, who recently claimed its 15th Lebanese league title after a four-year gap.

The two sides previously met in 2022, ending in a 1-1 draw in the AFC Cup.

In Group B, Al-Seeb of Oman will take on Bangladesh’s Bashundhara Kings at 4:00 PM at Jaber Mubarak Stadium. Bashundhara Kings are the four-time national cup winners (2024-2025) and finished third in the Bangladeshi league.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff