Kuwait Club players is challenged by opponents as he goes for goal.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 21: The quarter-finalists in the 39th Arab Clubs Championship for League and Cup Champions, currently taking place at Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Complex Hall, were confirmed following the conclusion of the fourth round of the preliminary stage. In this round, Qatar’s Al-Ahly defeated Yemen’s Al-Qoton 48-23, Egypt’s Al-Ahly Bank won against the UAE’s Maliha 34-23, and Kuwait Club triumphed over Iraq’s Al-Karkh 33-28, while Al-Qadsiya and Iraq’s Al-Hashd ended in a 28-28 draw.

With these results, and before the fifth and final round of the preliminary stage that took place yesterday, "Al-Abyad" topped Group A with a perfect score of six points from three matches. Al-Salmiya followed with four points, while Al-Ahly and Al-Karkh each had three points, securing their spots in the quarter-finals. Al-Qoton finished last in the standings.

In Group B, Iraq's Al-Hashd topped the group with five points, followed by Al-Ahli Bank and Al-Gharafa, both with four points, and Al-Qadsiya with three points, all qualifying for the quarter-finals. The UAE’s Maliha finished last and will face Al-Qoton of Yemen today for ninth and tenth place at 6 p.m.

In tomorrow's quarter-finals, the first-place team in Group A will face the fourth-place team in Group B, the second-place team in Group B will play the third-place team in Group A, the second-place team in Group A will meet the third-place team in Group B, and the first-place team in Group B will compete against the fourth-place team in Group A. The semi-finals for the winners will be held on Tuesday, along with matches to determine positions from fifth to eighth. The tournament will conclude with the final match next Thursday.

 By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff