Al Ahli reach Intercontinental Cup final after narrow Auckland City win

Al Ahli Saudi FC have reached the final of the Three Continents Cup after beating Auckland City 1-0 in the 2026 Intercontinental Cup.

The Asian champions will face African champions Mamelodi Sundowns in the final, with the match set to decide the winner of the opening Three Continents Cup and determine which side advances to the Challenge Cup.

The final will be played in Pretoria, South Africa, on 19 September.

The match between Al Ahli Saudi FC and Auckland City was held at Alinma Stadium in Saudi Arabia, with Egyptian referee Amin Omar in charge.

Omar was assisted by Mahmoud Abouelregal and Ahmed Hossam Taha, while Mahmoud Nagy served as fourth official. Mahmoud Ashour was the video assistant referee, with Tarek Magdy appointed as his assistant.

The winner of the Three Continents Cup will meet the winner of the Americas derby in the Challenge Cup. The date for that match has not yet been confirmed.

Paris Saint-Germain, the European champions, are waiting to face the Challenge Cup winners in the final of the 2026 Intercontinental Cup, which will decide the overall champions of the competition.

Al Ahli edge tight contest

Al Ahli created the first clear opportunity after 16 minutes when Galeno tested Auckland City, but the goalkeeper dealt with the effort comfortably.

The New Zealand side responded two minutes later through Logan Rogerson, whose attempt was saved by Edouard Mendy.

Eduard Spertsyan then came close to breaking the deadlock for Al Ahli in the 40th minute. He drove into the penalty area, but Auckland goalkeeper Michael Woud reacted well to divert the ball behind for a corner.

Spertsyan went close again shortly before half-time when his direct free-kick in the third minute of added time flew over the crossbar.

Amin Omar declined to award Al Ahli a penalty after Galeno went down in the area in the 58th minute.

The decisive moment arrived five minutes later. Saleh Abu Al-Shamat had only just come on when he collected a pass from Spertsyan and sent a low shot between Woud’s legs to give Al Ahli the lead in the 63rd minute.

Abu Al-Shamat almost added a second five minutes later, but his effort went narrowly wide of the right-hand post.

Auckland City’s task became even harder when Sam Cosgrove was shown a red card by Omar for a strong challenge.

Al Ahli held on to secure victory and their place in the final, where they will meet Mamelodi Sundowns for the first title in the Three Continents Cup.