UAE Pro League 2026-27 Starts With Al Ain Comeback
The UAE Pro League 2026-27 season has started with plenty of goals and an early surprise for defending champions Al Ain.
Al Ain looked close to suffering a major setback after falling 2-0 behind against Baniyas. Youssoufou Niakate scored twice in the first half to put Baniyas in a strong position.
Al Ain responded before half-time when Soufiane Rahimi converted a penalty. His brother Houssine Rahimi then equalised in the 81st minute before scoring again in stoppage time. Kaku added another goal to complete a 4-2 comeback.
The result also extended Al Ain’s impressive unbeaten run. The club had not lost a Pro League match since March 2025 before the new season began.
Pirlo’s UAE League Debut Ends in Defeat
Andrea Pirlo had a very different start to the new campaign. The Italian football legend is managing newly promoted United FC, which played its first-ever UAE Pro League match against Al Wasl in a Dubai derby.
United FC scored its first top-flight goal through Adel Wajdan, but Al Wasl took control and finished with a 5-1 victory. Renato Junior opened the scoring, while an own goal from Nagoro Dao helped Al Wasl regain the lead after United had briefly levelled. Ali Saleh and a Serginho brace completed the win.
Elsewhere, Sharjah opened its campaign with a 3-1 win at Al Dhafra, while Shabab Al Ahli produced a 5-1 victory over Khorfakkan. Al Jazira also began with a 2-0 win against Hatta.
With several big clubs already making strong starts, the opening weekend has set up an interesting UAE Pro League 2026-27 season.
