Teams 3 (from 1 association) Runners-up Al-Nejmeh Goals scored 9 (3 per match) | Champions Al-Shorta (1st title) Matches played 3 | |
The 1980–82 Arab Club Champions Cup was the first edition of what was later to be known more internationally as the Arab Champions League.
The first edition featured three teams and Iraqi club Al-Shorta were crowned champions after a playoff victory against Lebanese champions Al-Nejmeh, whom in fact were crowned Lebanese Premier League champions back in 1975 but no championship had been played since due to the Lebanese Civil War. Al-Ahli of Jordan were the other team to take part.
Summary
In 1980, UAFA invited the champions of all Arab countries to participate in the inaugural edition of the Arab Club Champions Cup. After several withdrawals, only three teams (from Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq) ended up participating. Al-Ahli of Jordan would face Al-Nejmeh of Lebanon in the semi-final, with the winner qualifying to a two-legged final with Iraqi champions Al-Shorta.
The semi-final was played in 1980, hosted in Amman, Jordan (the Lebanese Civil War meant that games could not be hosted in Lebanon). The away side Al-Nejmeh managed to win the game 2–1 to advance to the final. The final match was a two-legged tie, with one leg supposed to be held in Lebanon and the other in Iraq. However, the Lebanese Civil War continued and therefore this was not possible. The final match was continually postponed, with the hope that it would soon become safe enough to play in Lebanon. In February 1982, with the civil war still ongoing, UAFA decided that the final had to be played, and thus both legs would be played in Baghdad, Iraq. Al-Shorta won the tie 4–2 on aggregate to become the first ever Arab champions.