A file photo of Kuwait Club players celebrating.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 17: Kuwait Club kicks off its AFC Champions League 2 campaign with a match against Uzbekistan’s Nasaf Qarshi at 7:00 pm at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, marking the first round of Group 4 action. Simultaneously, the Kuwait Club will face Shabab Al-Ahli from the UAE and Al-Hussein Irbid from Jordan at Rashid Stadium in Dubai, UAE. Kuwait Club earned its spot in the AFC Champions League 2 after a 1-0 victory over Bahrain’s Al-Ahli in the qualifying play-off match held at Khalifa International Stadium in mid-August.

The tournament features 8 groups (4 in the West Zone and 4 in the East), each consisting of 4 clubs. The group stage will be played in a two-legged format from September 17 to December 5. The top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 16, scheduled for February 2025, followed by the quarterfinals in March and semifinals in April. The tournament will conclude with a single-match final on May 17, 2025.

The AFC has allocated substantial prizes for the tournament, with participating group-stage teams receiving no less than $300,000. The tournament champion will earn approximately $3.28 million. Kuwait Club has extensive experience in Asian competitions, having won the Federation Cup three times. However, it was eliminated in the group stage of recent editions. Kuwait Club is currently enjoying a period of stability in domestic competition, leading the Zain Premier League with a perfect record after four rounds. The team is well on its way to retaining the league title for the fourth consecutive season, and the 20th time in its history (a record).

Under Montenegrin coach Nebojsa Jovovic, Kuwait Club boasts several standout players, including professionals Yahya Jabrane and Ayman Abu Al-Fath from Morocco, Tunisian Yassin Al-Khenisi, Bahraini Mohammed Marhoon (who scored the winning goal against Al-Ahli of Bahrain), and Arsen "Malik" Zola from Congo. The team also has experienced local talent capable of delivering a strong performance, including Mishari Ghannam, Yousef Nasser, Sami Al-Sanea, Fahad Hamoud, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Ali Hussein, Reda Hani, Faisal Zayed, Fahad Al-Hajri, and Amr Abdel Fattah.

Last season, Kuwait Club exited the group stage of the AFC Cup after finishing third in its group, which included Iraq’s Al-Kahraba, Jordan’s Al-Wehdat, and Syria’s Aleppo, accumulating seven points with a win over Al-Wehdat and five draws. On the other hand, Nasaf Qarshi currently leads the Uzbek League by 9 points but has yet to claim a league title in its history.

By Hassan Musa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff