MUSCAT,: Ittihad Fanja crowned champions of the 2026 Amateur League “Shajjaa Fariqak” after defeating South Al Batinah’s Shabab Al Maragh 4-2 on penalties in the final at Al Seeb Sports Stadium.
The match ended goalless after 90 minutes, with neither side able to convert its scoring opportunities. The final brought together a large crowd, along with officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and the Oman Football Association, as well as representatives of the participating teams.
Ittihad Fanja started the match strongly and enjoyed a slight advantage during the opening stages, Shabab Al Maragh gradually grew into the game and created several attacking opportunities through its midfield, but the final pass and finishing remained lacking.
Ittihad Fanja also produced a number of attacking moves, but Shabab Al Maragh’s defensive organisation and the performance of goalkeeper Hussein al Farsi prevented the team from breaking the deadlock.
The second half witnessed a higher tempo and improved tactical play from both sides, both teams introduced substitutes in an attempt to strengthen their attacking options, while several chances were created at either end.
However, neither team managed to find the decisive goal during the second half or the six minutes of added time. With the score still 0-0, the final was decided by a penalty shootout.
Ittihad Fanja converted all four of their penalties through Mounis al Raqadi, Ayham Khalfan al Raqadi, al Asim Anbar al Harthy and Al Azhar Adel al Hadabi.
Shabab Al Maragh scored twice through Ayoub al Balushi and Salem al Yahmadi, while Al Musab Al Siyabi and Mahmoud al Balushi missed their attempts. Fanja United consequently secured a 4-2 victory on penalties and claimed the Amateur League title for the first time.
The decisive stage of the 2026 Amateur League began on August 4 and concluded on August 15, featuring 10 community teams that had qualified from different governorates across Oman.
The closing ceremony included the presentation of gold and silver medals to the champions and runners-up, along with awards for the match officials and the winners of the competition’s media coverage award, media Al Seeb from Muscat won first place, while Tripod Media from South Al Batinah finished second.
Individual awards were also presented. Mohammed Salah al Busaidi of Al Nasr from Al Buraimi won the Golden Boot after scoring two goals, while Salem al Yahmadi of Shabab Al Maragh was named Best Player and Ahmed al Hadabi of Fanja United was selected as Best Goalkeeper.
Ittihad Fanja captain Hani bin Khalifa Al Hadabi received the championship trophy, bringing a memorable end to the team’s historic campaign.
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