UAE League draw draw… Strong confrontations start from the second round

Today, Thursday, the UAE Professional League held the draw ceremonies for the Professional League and League Cup competitions for the 2026-2027 season, which resulted in balanced matches in the first round of the league, as the defending champion Al Ain opens its campaign against Bani Yas.
The draw was hosted by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the official sponsor of the league championship, the world’s leading company in the field of energy production of all types, the reliable and responsible provider of low-emission energy, and the giant national corporation that has become a prominent landmark in various fields highlighted by its distinctive brand.
The draw was held using “artificial intelligence technology” for the fourth consecutive season, in line with the UAE Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031.
The smart lottery mechanism took into account a number of standards, including commitment to sports integrity, distributing matches based on the standings of the last season 2025-2026, balancing important and popular matches, taking into account the dates of matches in the emirate itself, the external participation of clubs, and not holding more than two matches in the round in the same city on the same day.
The league draw witnessed a separate draw for each round for the second season in a row, as the first round will witness the absence of public confrontations, as Al Ain will play against Bani Yas, Shabab Al Ahly will play against Khor Fakkan, Al Wasl will play United, Al Jazira will play Hatta, Al Wahda will play Ajman, Al Nasr will play Kalba, and Al Sharjah will play Al Dhafra.
As for the strong confrontations, they start from the second round, with Al-Nasr facing Al-Wahda and Al-Sharjah facing Al-Jazira, while the third round will witness the Al-Wasl derby with Shabab Al-Ahly, and in the sixth round the “El Clásico” will be held between Shabab Al-Ahly and Al-Ain, and the tenth round will witness three strong matches bringing together Al-Nasr with Shabab Al-Ahly, Al-Wahda with Al-Wasl, and Al-Jazira with Al-Ain, while the Al-Wasl derby will be held with Al-Nasr in the 13th round.
As for the start of the return stage, the 14th round will witness important confrontations, which are: Al Ain with Bani Yas, Ajman with Al Nasr, United with Sharjah, Al Wahda with Al Dhafra, Al Jazira with Hatta, Shabab Al Ahly with Khor Fakkan, and Al Wasl with Kalba.
On the other hand, the UAE Professional League announced a change in the League Cup competition system, increasing the number of tournament matches from 25 to 49, to be held across four rounds: the preliminary round, then the quarter-finals, then the semi-finals, leading to the final match.
14 teams compete in the preliminary round, with each team playing six matches, three at home and three away from home, and the top eight finishers qualify for the quarter-finals, which is held in a knockout system, with the first-place team meeting the eighth, the second with the seventh, the third with the sixth, and the fourth with the fifth.
The draw for the League Cup resulted in strong confrontations in the preliminary round, as in the first round, Al Jazira played against Al Wahda, Al Wasl played against Al Ain, Al Nasr played against United, Ajman played against Sharjah, Hatta played against Shabab Al Ahly, and Kalba played against Khor Fakkan.

First round matches in the professional league
Al Ain and Bani Yas
Shabab Al-Ahly and Khor Fakkan
Al Wasl and United
Al Jazeera and Hatta
Al Wahda and Ajman
Al-Nasr and Kalba
Sharjah and Al Dhafra

Round 14 matches (opening of the return stage)
Al Ain and Bani Yas
Ajman and Al Nasr
United and Sharjah
Al-Wahda and Al-Dhafra
Al Jazeera and Hatta
Shabab Al-Ahly and Khor Fakkan
Al Wasl and Kalba

Matches in the first round of the League Cup
The island and the unit
Al Wasl and Al Ain
Al-Nasr and United
Ajman and Sharjah
Al Dhafra and Bani Yas
Kalba and Khor Fakkan
Hatta and Shabab Al-Ahly