History of Al-Hilal and Al-Gharafa encounters in AFC Champions League

Al-Hilal are set to relive their past successes against Al Gharafa ahead of the anticipated match between them on Tuesday at the Kingdom Arena, as part of the first round of the western zone of the AFC Champions League Elite 2026-2027.

Al-Hilal enter the match searching for a strong start in the tournament, hoping to regain the Asian title that has eluded them since their last victory in 2021, and to bolster their efforts to win the trophy for the fifth time.

The match comes amid Al-Hilal's desire to overcome the disappointment of the last two editions, after the team finished the league stage at the top each time, but did not continue their journey in the way that their fans expected.

Al-Hilal have a clear advantage in their previous encounters with Al Gharafa, having faced each other six times in the AFC Champions League Elite under the old format. During these matches, the Saudi team secured four victories, one draw, and one defeat.

Al-Hilal scored 18 goals during those encounters, compared to nine goals conceded, confirming their numerical superiority over their Qatari rival ahead of their continental meeting.

The two teams first faced each other in September 2010, with Al-Hilal winning 3-0 at home, before Al Rayyan responded with a 4-2 victory in the return match in the Qatari capital.

In the 2011 edition, Al-Hilal asserted its dominance again by overcoming Al Riyadh with a goal to nil in Doha, then repeated the victory with two clean goals during the return match in Al Riyadh.

The competition continued in the 2012 edition, when the Doha match ended in a 3-3 draw, before Al-Hilal secured the second match in their favor with a score of 2-1.

The two teams returned to the AFC Champions League Elite for the 2024-2025 season, and Al-Hilal managed to win with a clean three-goal victory at the Kingdom Arena during the league stage.

Al-Hilal continued their dominance in the following edition, after winning against Al Gharafa 2-1 in Qatar, in the fourth round of the western zone of the AFC Champions League Elite 2025-2026.

Al-Hilal have a psychological advantage ahead of Tuesday's match, but previous encounters will not determine the outcome as both sides aim for a successful start in the new edition.