Al Arabi and Al Shamal will kick off their 2026-2027 season Doha Bank Stars League campaign at the Al Thumama Stadium on Friday, August 21, at 7.30pm. Undoubtedly, both teams would be keen on a winning start and looking to make significant gains in right earnest.

Al Arabi enter the clash seeking a result which could propel them to be in contention among the top after having finished the last season in seventh place with 32 points. 

The slid in performance the last season had prompted the club management to make extensive changes to the squad ahead of the new season.

Al Arabi are led by Romanian coach Cosmin Contra, who continues his tenure with the team and hopes to capitalize on the pre-season training and the recent changes to build on a more balanced and competitive unit. 

Al Arabi’s squad underwent significant changes during the transfer window with 15 changes, bringing in six players and seeing nine depart. Their new signings include Moroccan Oussama Tannane, Tunisian Youssef Snana and Palestinian Ameed Mahajneh besides local recruits Lotfi Majder, Khatab Bouabida and Salem Al Hajri. They join the existing crux of Michael Olunga, Rodri Sanchez, Isaac Lihadji, Pablo Sarabia, Gerard Romero, Alexis Perez, Ahmed Fathy, and goalkeepers Jassim Al Hail and Yousef Hassan.

Al Arabi held their pre-season training camp in Estepona, Spain, from July 19-August 7, playing five friendlies of varying difficulty. Coach Contra used these matches to assess the new players and to build team cohesion.

Al Shamal on the other hand enter the new season having established themselves as strong contenders the last season finishing second in the Doha Bank Stars League with 40 points, achieving 12 wins, four draws and six losses. They were in contention for the title till the final round of an exciting league season.

Spaniard David Prats continues to lead Al Shamal after guiding them in an exceptional season. He also bagged Qatar Football Association’s Best Coach award last season. Now, he faces an even bigger challenge in maintaining his team’s success while preparing for the club's first-ever continental campaign in the AFC Champions League Elite.

Al Shamal have also made a big overhaul of their squad, with an initial 21-man change. Ten players have joined, while 11 have departed, reflecting the club’s desire to strengthen the team more and to prepare for the demands of both domestic and continental competitions.

Al Shamal’s new arrivals include Wesley Saied, Ali Asad, Hussain Bahzad, Abdelkarim Hassan, Saoud Al Khater, Adel Badr, Ahmed Sayyar, Ibrahim Coulibaly, Mohamed Rabie Hrimat and Federico Bais. 

Al Shamal’s procurement continued before the start of season with the club announcing the signings of Tunisian international Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane and Senegalese Mouhamed Dabo, further strengthening the team.

Al Shamal had their re-season training camp in Mierlo, The Netherlands, and during which they played four friendly matches against Al Wasl of the UAE, Al Khaleej of Saudi Arabia, Lommel SK of Belgium, and OFI Crete FC of Greece, after adjustments were made to the initially announced schedule.

The Al Arabi-Al Shamal game promises to be thrilling, with ‘The Dream Team’ hoping for a fruitful season having made significant changes to their squad while Al Shamal are aiming to prove that their last season's runners-up finish was no fluke, demonstrating that belong at the highest level and are preparing to write a new chapter in their history on the domestic and Asian stage.