Tuesday 01 / September / 2026
Muscat: A total of 23 clubs will compete for the coveted His Majesty Cup Football Championship 2026/27 season, with defending champions Al Nahda beginning their title defence in the round of 16 after Tuesday’s draw mapped out the route to the trophy.
The competition is expected to begin in October 2026, according to the Oman football calendar, although the exact date for the opening matches is yet to be announced.
The draw introduced a format in which 14 clubs will contest the preliminary round, with the seven winners advancing to the round of 16. They will join nine clubs that have qualified directly, bringing the field in the knockout stage to 16 teams.
Engineer Mohsin Al Hadhrami, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, was the chief guest at the draw ceremony.
Last season’s champions Al Nahda are among the nine clubs given a direct place in the last 16, alongside domestic top-flight league champions Seeb.
The preliminary round on Tuesday produced seven games, with all matches to be decided by a single-leg knockout format.
Samail will face Bidiya, Saham will meet Muscat, Al Talee’a will take on Al Mudhaibi, Al Wahda will play Majees, Nizwa will meet Fanja, Al Suwaiq will face Ibri, while Al Musannah will take on Al Arouba.
The winners will advance to the last 16, where they will face one of the nine directly-qualified clubs.
The round-of-16 draw set up the following path: Winner of Samail vs Bidiya vs Al Nahda; winner of Saham vs Muscat vs Seeb; winner of Al Talee’a vs Al Mudhaibi vs Sohar; winner of Al Wahda vs Majees vs Oman Club; winner of Nizwa vs Fanja vs Dhofar; winner of Al Suwaiq vs Ibri vs Bahla; winner of Al Musannah vs Al Arouba vs Al Nasr; winner of the remaining preliminary-round tie vs Al Shabab.
The preliminary and last-16 matches will be played on a knockout basis, with extra time and penalty shootouts used to determine the winner if the scores remain level after 90 minutes. The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played over two legs.
The 23 participating clubs are Al Nahda, Al Nasr, Bahla, Oman Club, Samail, Sur, Sohar, Al Musannah, Fanja, Seeb, Dhofar, Saham, Al Shabab, Ibri, Al Wahda, Muscat, Nizwa, Al Mudhaibi, Al Suwaiq, Bidiya, AlTalee’a , Al Arouba and Majees.
Speaking at the draw ceremony, Oman Football Association Chairman Sayyid Sulaiman Al Busaidi emphasised the historical importance of the competition and the association’s determination to further enhance its sporting and commercial appeal.
“The HM’s Cup competition is an integral part of our glorious history, as it is the most precious competition and the closest to our hearts,” Al Busaidi said.
He added: “Our determination is firm to move forward towards constructive collaborative work that contributes to the development of this prestigious competition and enhances its artistic and marketing value, in a manner befitting its status and lofty name.”
“This prestigious competition represents the beating heart of Omani football and the authentic cornerstone of its development and prosperity.”
