Iwuala doubtful for Al-Arabi’s league opener against Kuwait Club

Nigerian forward Anayo Iwuala is a doubt for Al-Arabi's upcoming Zain Premier League match against Kuwait Club. Iwuala suffered an injury during Al-Arabi's 4-1 AFC Champions League Two playoff loss to East Bengal on August 12. The injury forced him off the field and has caused him to miss recent team training sessions as he undergoes treatment.

In other team news, Al-Salmiya has secured Syrian midfielder Mahmoud Al-Aswad for an additional two seasons. Al-Aswad joined the club last season and impressed with his performances, earning him the contract extension. He is now one of five foreign players on Al-Salmiya's roster, alongside Gabonese David Sambissa, Congolese Tresor Tshibwabwa, Uzbek Shahzod Azmiddinov, and Bahraini Abdullah Yusuf. Al-Salmiya is set to begin its league campaign against Al-Nasr on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Kazma is preparing for the Gulf Champions League draw, scheduled to take place today at the Gulf Football Federation headquarters in Doha. This edition will be the largest yet, featuring 12 participating clubs, an increase from the previous eight. The group stage is slated to commence on October 13, with matches played in a home-and-away format. Clubs have been allocated into four pots based on AFC's 2026-27 club rankings, with the draw determining three groups of four teams, ensuring no clubs from the same country are placed together. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be contested over two legs.