Al Ahli’s Saudi Pro League title ambitions were dealt a setback on Wednesday evening when the Jeddah club was held to a 1-1 draw by Al Fayha at Al Majmaa City Sports Complex, in a round 29 fixture that proved far more difficult than anticipated.
With Ivan Toney, Riyad Mahrez, Frank Kessié and Edouard Mendy all in the starting lineup, Al Ahli carried the quality to extend their title push. Instead, both teams traded goals to share the spoils, leaving the Jeddah side on 65 points — level with Al Hilal in second place but still five points adrift of league leaders Al Nassr.
A Costly Slip at a Crucial Moment
The result came at a moment when every point carries maximum weight. Al Ahli needed a win to maintain the pressure on Al Nassr at the summit, but Al Fayha showed considerable discipline in absorbing pressure and finding their way back into the contest when it mattered.
Toney, the league’s leading scorer with 24 goals to his name, worked tirelessly throughout the evening and remained the focal point of the Al Ahli attack. Yet the clinical finishing that has defined his impressive campaign was harder to conjure against a defensive structure determined to frustrate. Mahrez offered creative movement from wider areas, providing moments of quality that spoke to his undeniable class, without the decisive contribution his side craved.
The 1-1 result extended Al Ahli’s wait to close the five-point gap on Al Nassr, with fewer than ten rounds of the season remaining. The title race now demands near-perfection from Matthias Jaissle’s side across the run-in if they are to challenge for top honours.
Continental Stage Awaits in Jeddah
While the domestic picture tightened, attention across Saudi football is already shifting toward the AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026, scheduled to take place from April 16 to 25 at King Abdullah Sports City.
Al Ahli have been drawn against Qatari club Al Duhail in the quarterfinal of the centralised knockout tournament, staged entirely in the Kingdom’s coastal city. The format, bringing all remaining knockout-stage clubs to a single host venue, represents a significant showcase for Saudi Arabia’s football infrastructure and its growing ambition within Asian club competition.
Al Ahli enter the continental knockout round as the reigning AFC Champions League champions, having claimed the title last season. Their campaign this time around saw them finish second in the league stage standings, advancing alongside Al Hilal — who topped the 12-team table unbeaten with 22 points — and Al Ittihad, who qualified through the round of 16.
The presence of three Saudi clubs in the quarterfinals, all competing in Jeddah, marks a defining statement about the level of investment and talent the Kingdom has attracted to its domestic game under Vision 2030. For Al Ahli and their supporters, the next two weeks will demand every ounce of focus, ambition and quality the squad possesses — both at home and on the continental stage.
