Abu Dhabi, UAE – All eyes will be on the highly anticipated clash between Al Wahda of the UAE and Al Duhail of Qatar in the Challenge Shield tournament on Friday, January 23. This encounter extends beyond the on-field battle, becoming a tactical duel between two coaches at vastly different stages of their careers.
Al Wahda, the winner of the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Professional Cup last season, will meet Al Duhail, the runner-up in the Qatari league in the same season, at Al Nahyan Stadium.
Al Wahda enters the match under the leadership of Portuguese coach Dimas Teixeira, who is temporarily taking over the technical duties following the departure of Jose Morais, in a real test of his coaching abilities and his capacity to manage an official match of this magnitude.
Al Wahda enters the match under the leadership of Portuguese coach Dimas Teixeira, who is temporarily taking over the technical duties following the departure of Jose Morais, in a real test of his coaching abilities and his ability to manage an official match of this magnitude.
On the other side, Al-Duhail will face the challenge led by Algerian Djamel Belmadi, who returned to take over the technical leadership of the team since July 2025, relying on a distinguished coaching record at the club and national team levels.
Belmadi previously led Lekhwiya (formerly Al-Duhail) to four league titles, in addition to winning the Emir Cup twice and the Qatar Cup. He also achieved continental and international success, most notably guiding the Algerian national team to victory in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, and winning the African Coach of the Year award that same year.
The Al Wahda vs Al Duhail match in the Challenge Shield has a special character, as it is a technical test for a coach looking to establish himself, in the face of a veteran coach who is used to managing big matches, which makes the 90 minutes open to all tactical scenarios.
