Egyptian Al-Ahly and Saudi Al-Hilal contend for the "leadership" of Arab football at the club level, as each dominates its country in terms of domestic and continental titles, and both are among the most popular clubs in the Arab world.
**Al-Ahly**
Al-Ahly was established in 1907 and officially opened in 1909, with its first football team formed in 1911. Al-Ahly won its first league championship in 1948 and its first continental title in 1982. The club has won the league title 43 times, the Egypt Cup 39 times, the Egyptian Super Cup 14 times, the African Champions League 12 times, the Confederation Cup once, and the African Super Cup 38 times.
**Al-Hilal**
Al-Hilal was established in 1957 and was initially named "Olympic Club" before being renamed "Al-Hilal" by King Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who favored the name over "Al-Wahda" and "Al-Yamamah," as stated by the club on its official website. Al-Hilal won its first local title by clinching the King’s Cup in 1962 and secured its first league title in the inaugural season of 1976-1977, later going on to win a total of 65 titles in football. The club has won the Saudi league 19 times and the Asian Club Championship (Asian Champions League from 1967 to 2002) twice, as well as winning the rebranded Asian Champions League twice.
**Head-to-Head Encounters**
The exact record of head-to-head encounters between the two teams remains unclear, but it is confirmed that they met in 1995 in the Arab Club Champions' Elite Tournament, where Al-Ahly won 1-0. They faced off again in the Arab Champions League in 1996, with Al-Ahly winning 2-1. Al-Hilal recorded a 1-0 victory during the International Friendship Tournament in 1998, and they played a friendly match in 2013 that ended in a 1-1 draw. Al-Ahly had a significant victory in their most recent meeting, winning 4-0 in the third-place match at the Club World Cup in 2022.
**World Cup Achievements**
Al-Hilal's best achievement in the Club World Cup was reaching the final in 2022, where they were defeated by Real Madrid 5-3. On the other hand, Al-Ahly has finished third in the tournament four times, with the most recent being in the last edition held in Saudi Arabia.
