Al Ahli's start to the 2026-27 season has raised serious questions about the club's direction under coach Marino Bousic. After finishing third in the Saudi Pro League last season and losing Riyad Mahrez in the summer, the team has shown none of the consistency that brought back-to-back AFC Champions League Elite titles under Matias Jaissle. Seven league games in, they sit sixth with 12 points, four behind the top five, having already lost to Abha and Al Hezm at home this term before recovering with a 3-1 win over Al Hezm in Matchday 7 thanks to goals from Francisco Trincao and a brace from Ivan Toni. Toni leads the league scoring charts with 10 goals, which is a genuine bright spot in an otherwise turbulent picture.

The continental campaign began no more convincingly. A late equaliser from Firas Al-Buraikan salvaged a 1-1 draw against Pakhtakor on Matchday 1 of the AFC Champions League Elite, a result that did little to ease concerns about Bousic's tactical approach. The club's defence of a third straight Asian title already looks fragile.

Attention now turns to an immediate and very different challenge. Al Ahli travel to Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria to face Mamelodi Sundowns in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup on 19 September, a fixture that will test the squad's depth and resilience at a moment when confidence is clearly not at its peak.