UAE placed in First Tier for third Gulf Club Champions League

Doha [Qatar], June 4: The Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation has set 9th September 2026 as the date for the draw of the third edition of the Gulf Club Champions League, which will run from 13th October 2026 to 30th April 2027.
The federation said it had approved an expansion of the tournament from eight to 12 clubs for the 2026-27 edition.
Under the ranking-based allocation system, the United Arab Emirates Football Association is placed in the First Tier alongside the football associations of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iraq, with each association receiving two slots in the competition. The Second Tier comprises the football associations of Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Yemen, with each receiving one slot.
The federation has invited its member associations to nominate the clubs that will represent them in the competition.
It said that nominated clubs must be among the highest-ranked teams in their respective domestic leagues, after excluding clubs participating in AFC competitions during the same season.
Source: Emirates News Agency