The draws for the ADNOC Pro League and the ADIB Cup for the 2024-2025 season were conducted on Saturday, July 6, at the Abu Dhabi Energy Center.
Organized by the UAE Pro League, the event saw significant attendance from club representatives, sponsors, and media outlets.
The event was hosted by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the official sponsor of the ADNOC Pro League.
ADNOC, a global leader in energy production, is recognized for its reliable and responsible provision of low-emission energy.
The company has become a prominent national entity with a distinguished brand.
The draw ceremony was attended by H.E. UAE Pro League Chairman Abdulla Nasser Al Jneibi, members of the Board, H.E. Bader Saeed Al Lamki, CEO of ADNOC Distribution, and H.E. Khaled Ali Al Mansoori, Executive Chairman of MPM Properties and member of the Executive Committee at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank.
The event featured international football star Ismail Matar and media personality Tariq Alhammadi, with journalist Jamal Al Mulla capturing reactions from club representatives and league sponsors.
The ceremony began with the draw for the ADIB Cup, which used artificial intelligence technology via the OPEN AI program for the second consecutive season, aligning with the UAE's AI Strategy 2031.
Before the draw, a brief explanation of the ADIB Cup format and draw mechanism was provided. Twelve teams will participate in the first round, playing knockout matches to advance to the quarterfinals, joining Al Wasl, the defending champions of the ADNOC Pro League, and Al Wahda, the holders of the ADIB Cup.
The cup competition format includes home and away matches in the quarterfinals and semifinals, culminating in a final at a neutral venue decided by the UAE Pro League.
The ADIB Cup draw resulted in the following first-round matchups: Bani Yas vs. Dibba Al-Hisn, Kalba vs. Al Ain, Al Jazira vs. Al Bataeh, Khorfakkan vs. Sharjah, Shabab Al Ahli vs. Ajman, and Al Orooba vs. Al Nasr.
Following the cup draw, the draw for the ADNOC Pro League 2024-2025 season was conducted using the "electronic draw" system, implemented since the 2021-2022 season as part of the league's 2020-2030 strategy to enhance all aspects of professional competitions and align with the UAE's smart government vision.
The smart draw mechanism considered various criteria, including sports integrity, match distribution based on the 2023-2024 season rankings, balancing key and high-attendance matches, scheduling within the same emirate, accommodating clubs' external commitments, and avoiding more than two matches in the same city on the same day.
The ADNOC Pro League draw for the 2024-2025 season outlined the 26 matchweeks of the league, starting on August 23rd.
The first matchweek features the following fixtures: Kalba vs. Al Wasl, Bani Yas vs. Al Jazira, Shabab Al Ahli vs. Al Bataeh, Al Ain vs. Khorfakkan, Al Wahda vs. Ajman, Al Orooba vs. Al Nasr, and Dibba Al-Hisn vs. Sharjah.
In the second matchweek, Al Jazira will face Al Orooba, Al Nasr will play Bani Yas, Al Wasl will meet Dibba Al-Hisn, Khorfakkan will go against Al Wahda, Sharjah will play Kalba, Ajman will take on Shabab Al Ahli, and Al Bataeh will face Al Ain.
The third matchweek includes highly anticipated matches such as Shabab Al Ahli vs. Al Wahda, Sharjah vs. Al Jazira, and Al Wasl vs. Al Nasr. Other fixtures include Kalba vs. Al Ain, Bani Yas vs. Ajman, Al Orooba vs. Khorfakkan, and Dibba Al-Hisn vs. Al Bataeh.
Matchweek four will feature the top clash between "Asian Champions" Al Ain and "League Champions" Al Wasl, while Al Jazira hosts Al Nasr, and Al Wahda faces Bani Yas. Other matches include Ajman vs. Dibba Al-Hisn, Al Bataeh vs. Sharjah, Khorfakkan vs. Kalba, and Al Orooba vs. Shabab Al Ahli.
The fifth matchweek will spotlight the "Clasico" between Al Ain and Al Wahda. The sixth matchweek will see a major match between Shabab Al Ahli and Sharjah. Matchweek seven includes top matches such as Al Ain vs. Shabab Al Ahli, Al Wasl vs. Al Jazira, and Al Nasr vs. Al Wahda.
Other notable first-round fixtures include Al Wahda vs. Al Wasl (matchweek eight), Al Ain vs. Bani Yas (matchweek nine), Al Jazira vs. Al Ain, Shabab Al Ahli vs. Al Wasl (matchweek ten), Shabab Al Ahli vs. Al Nasr (matchweek eleven), Al Jazira vs. Al Wahda (matchweek twelve), Shabab Al Ahli vs. Al Jazira, Al Wasl vs. Sharjah, and Al Ain vs. Al Nasr (matchweek thirteen).
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