Asian Champions Al-Ahli Conclude Training Camp with Fulham Draw

Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ahli concluded their preparations for the 2026-27 season with results that fell short of expectations, recording just one victory across their series of friendly matches. They completed their preparations for the new campaign, which begins on 13 August, with a draw against English side Fulham and a defeat to Portuguese club Portimonense.

Al-Ahli and Fulham played out a 1-1 draw on Tuesday in what was the final friendly of the Saudi club’s training camp across Austria and Portugal.

Al-Ahli opened the scoring in the 20th minute through Brazilian striker Ricardo Mathias, who capitalized on one of his side’s opportunities to give them the lead, before Ryan Sessegnon equalized for Fulham shortly before half-time.

The Fulham match came only hours after Al-Ahli had suffered a 2-0 defeat to Portimonense. German coach Matthias Jaissle fielded a different line-up in that encounter, opting to rest most of his regular starters and rely primarily on domestic players, with Brazilian winger Wenderson Galeno the only foreign player involved.

The match against Fulham, meanwhile, saw most of Al-Ahli’s key players return to the line-up, as the coaching staff sought to field a stronger side. Former Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa also took charge for the first time, giving the contest a more competitive feel compared to the Saudi club’s earlier match that same day.

Al-Ahli played six friendly matches during their overseas training camp in Austria and Portugal, but their results proved underwhelming. They began their preparations with an emphatic 8-1 victory over Austrian side Saalfelden, producing an impressive attacking display that gave supporters a positive early impression of the pre-season campaign.

However, that strong start did not continue, as the Saudi side then suffered three consecutive defeats against Germany’s Holstein Kiel and Portuguese clubs Vitória Guimarães and Portimonense. They also drew with Rio Ave and Fulham, ending the camp with one victory, three defeats and two draws.

Although friendly results are not the definitive measure of a team’s readiness, they provide Al-Ahli’s coaching staff with important indications regarding the level of understanding between the players and the condition of both the starting and reserve options ahead of the competitive campaign. Jaissle clearly used the training camp to conduct several experiments, rotate his squad and test different tactical approaches in an attempt to identify the most suitable line-up for the new season.

Following the conclusion of their European training camp, the Al-Ahli squad will return to Jeddah to complete the final stage of preparations in Saudi Arabia before beginning their competitive commitments. Supporters will be hoping to see a more settled and competitive team, particularly after an overseas camp that featured considerable inconsistency in both performances and results and raised several questions about the Asian champions’ readiness ahead of the new season.