Iraqi club Erbil started their journey in the Gulf Champions League for football clubs on Wednesday evening with a thrilling loss to their host, Ajman from the UAE.
The match took place at Rashid bin Saeed Stadium in the UAE at 7 PM Baghdad time and ended in favor of Ajman with a score of 5-4.
The first half concluded with Erbil leading Ajman 3-2, with Milwin Nathan opening the scoring for Erbil in the 14th minute, before Victor Henrique equalized for Ajman in the 19th minute. However, Amer Jamous restored the lead for the Iraqi team in the 20th minute, and Nathan added the third goal in the 25th minute. Henrique narrowed the gap for Ajman in the 38th minute, ending the first half with Erbil in front.
In the second half, Ajman equalized through Walid Azaro, before Eviani Kelvin put Erbil back in the lead by scoring the fourth goal in the 67th minute. However, Ajman quickly equalized again with a goal from Bilal Youssef in the 70th minute, and then Victor Henrique scored the fifth goal from a penalty in the 74th minute, turning the match in favor of the UAE team.
The group stage of the tournament commenced on October 13, 2026, in a home-and-away format, and will continue until February 17, 2027.
The quarter-final matches are scheduled to take place between March 2 and 17, 2027, while the semi-finals and the final match will be held from April 23 to 30, 2027.
The draw placed Erbil in Group C along with Saudi Arabia's Al-Ettifaq, UAE's Ajman, and Kuwait's Kazma, while Iraq's Al-Zawraa was placed in Group B along with Qatar's Al-Rayyan, UAE's Al-Nassr, and Bahrain's Al-Rifaa.
The top team from each group and the runner-up, as well as the two best third-placed teams, will qualify for the quarter-finals.
Qatar's Al-Rayyan was crowned the champion of the previous edition after defeating Saudi Arabia's Al-Shabab in the final match.