Al-Shorta began its journey in the 2025-2026 AFC Champions League with a positive draw against its guest, Qatar's Al-Sadd, with a score of 1-1, in the match that took place on Monday evening at Al-Zawraa Stadium in Baghdad, as part of the first round of the group stage.

Al-Shorta entered the match with high focus and clear control over the course of play, imposing its attacking style and dominating possession for most of the first half. Dominik Mendy managed to translate the advantage by scoring the first goal in the 28th minute, igniting the stands of Al-Zawraa filled with supporters of the team.

In the second half, Al-Shorta's performance dropped relatively and left larger spaces for the Qatari team, allowing Al-Sadd to take advantage of the situation, with its captain Hassan Al-Haydos scoring the equalizer in the 62nd minute, bringing the match back to square one. Both teams attempted to snatch all three points in the final minutes, but the score remained unchanged until the final whistle.