The third factor is the difficulty of the direct confrontations in the final round, as Al-Sadd meets Al-Ittihad, and Al-Duhail faces Al-Shorta away from home, while Al-Gharafa clashes with 'Traktor'. According to the new tournament system, 12 teams from West Asia and an equal number from the East participate in a unified group, where each team plays 8 matches. The top 8 teams from each region will advance to the Round of 16. Sharjah continued its daily training under the leadership of its Portuguese coach, José Morais, who focused on correcting the mistakes that cost the team a draw against Al-Duhail. Sharjah was leading by a goal until the 81st minute before the opponent equalized from a penalty. Sharjah currently occupies ninth place with 8 points, tied with Al-Sadd and Al-Duhail, making the final round decisive in determining the qualifiers. Sharjah has two options to advance to the next round: Scenario one: Win against Nasaf and raise their points total to 11, which would grant them direct qualification if either of their direct rivals, Al-Sadd or Al-Duhail, draws or loses. Scenario two: Draw and reach 9 points, waiting for Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) to beat Al-Sadd and for Al-Shorta (Iraq) to beat Al-Duhail. Several teams have officially secured their qualification, led by Saudi Al-Hilal at the top of the standings with 19 points, alongside Saudi Al-Ahli, Iranian Traktor, and Emirati Al-Wahda (14 points each), and Saudi Al-Ittihad (12 points). Three technical indicators boost Sharjah's chances of securing a ticket: playing at home with the support of their fans, and facing the bottom-placed Nasaf, who has only one point and lacks competitive motivation. Sharjah concluded its preparations for the match against their Uzbek opponent, Nasaf Qarshi, scheduled for tomorrow evening at 8 PM at the Sharjah Stadium. Despite the 'King's' 1-1 draw with Qatari Al-Duhail in the last round, their hopes of reaching the Round of 16 are still alive.
