DUBAI: The eagerly anticipated 2026/27 ADNOC Pro League kicks off this weekend, with questions ranging from whether an era of Al-Ain dominance awaits, to what revolutionary upstarts United FC can achieve on their debut with Italy icon Andrea Pirlo, somehow, still at the helm.
The unbeaten Boss lived up to their nickname last season, racing clear of then-holders Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club on the finishing straight to earn a record-extending 15th top-flight crown.
Such dominance was reflected in Monday night’s 2025/26 UAE Pro League Awards, where they claimed five of the six voting-based prizes and boasted seven Dream Team members.
It was, however, their first title in four runnings.
On the eve of Friday’s opening fixtures, the champions’ ominous work in the transfer market — headlined by Austria utility man Valentino Lazaro and fearsome Greece center-forward Georgios Giakoumakis — makes more success seem highly plausible, if not inevitable.
