Orlando Pirates next face arguably the toughest test of their Spanish pre-season tour. Abdeslam Ouaddou’s side meet Saudi giants Al Ittihad at the Banus Football Centre on Tuesday evening.
The Buccaneers enter the headline clash high in confidence following an impressive start to their European camp, having held Spanish side Córdoba to a 1-1 draw before claiming a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Cádiz.
This time around though, Pirates will come up against the likes of former English Premier League stars Fabinho, Steven Bergwijn and Moussa Diaby.
Such is the confidence in the Bucs camp, though, that they’ll be relishing the chance to measure themselves against some top quality opposition.
One trophy the club will be desperately chasing in the new season is the CAF Champions League, and that is precisely where these experiences will come in handy.
Orlando Pirates vs Al Ittihad: Match details
Kick-off is scheduled for 19:00 SAST. The good news for Bucs fans is that the match will be televised in South Africa. You can watch the game live on the club’s YouTube channel as well as the SuperSport Variety 4 channel.
Abdeslam Ouaddou’s side will have just 24 hours thereafter to prepare for their next friendly which is against Spanish side Las Palmas. They’ll then close their tour out against another Saudi side in the form of Neom FC two days later.
The Buccaneers will then return to South Africa and begin preparations for their first league game which is against Milford FC on 01 August 2026.
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
