Wydad take on the visitors Al Ain in the round 3 match of FIFA Club World Cup. The match will be played on Thursday, June 26th at Audi Field (Washington, DC).
Wydad from Casablanca remains a historic powerhouse in Moroccan football, having lifted the national league title 22 times — most recently in 2022. That same year, they also triumphed in the CAF Champions League. But since then, both domestically and continentally, things have gone downhill. They reached the CAF Champions League final again in 2023 but fell short, and in the Moroccan Botola they slipped to mid-table. This spring saw some improvement, finishing third, but it was a far cry from their former dominance. At the Club World Cup, Wydad opened with a 0-2 loss to Manchester City — a match where the English side comfortably switched off after halftime. Their next game against Juventus saw them at least score, but they still suffered a heavy defeat, exposing the team’s defensive vulnerabilities against elite opposition. Wydad have now lost four of their last five matches across all competitions, signaling deep structural issues.
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Al Ain mirrors their opponents in more ways than one. The “Boss” of Emirati football has a proud history too, though with slightly fewer titles — 14 league championships, the most recent also coming in 2022. They followed that up with a huge continental triumph, winning the AFC Champions League last year. However, the current season has been dismal. Al Ain crashed out in the group stage of the AFC Champions League with just three points from six matches — a humiliating campaign for the reigning champions. Domestically, even with coach Vladimir Ivić at the helm, they could only manage a fifth-place finish in the UAE Pro League. At the Club World Cup, things went from bad to worse. They were thrashed 0-5 by Juventus in their opener and then humiliated 0-6 by Manchester City, who didn’t even take their foot off the gas until the final whistle. Al Ain has now conceded 17 goals in their last four matches, making their defensive frailties painfully clear.
This will be the first-ever meeting between clubs from these geographically and culturally neighboring regions. This is less about which team is stronger and more about which is the lesser of two struggling sides. Judging by performances in this tournament and recent form, the North African side looks slightly more organized and resilient than their counterparts from the UAE. Wydad, at the very least, has shown the ability to score and stay competitive for parts of their games — something Al Ain has completely lacked.
Prediction for the match: Wydad to win with 0.0 handicap.
