Al-Ittihad vs Orlando Pirates: Kick-off, Venue and TV Guide
Takes place on July 21, 2026, at the Banus Football Centre in Marbella, Spain, with kick-off set for 19:00 SAST. The pre-season friendly is Orlando Pirates’…
MARBELLA — al-ittihad vs orlando pirates will be played on July 21, 2026, at the Banus Football Centre in Marbella, Spain, with kick-off at 19:00 SAST. The pre-season friendly gives Orlando Pirates a stern early test in their Spanish camp and offers Al-Ittihad a first look at a new coaching setup.
The match matters for both sides. Orlando Pirates are into their third game of the camp and coach Abdeslam Ouaddou will want more minutes into his squad’s legs, while Al-Ittihad are using the fixture to settle under new coach Jens Wissing after a difficult season at home.
What Orlando Pirates are looking for
According to GOAL, Ouaddou has been encouraged by the performances of his new recruits and academy players, with the team unbeaten during the camp so far. That unbeaten run gives the Soweto club a little momentum, but this is a different level of challenge.
So the game is not just a warm-up. It is a test of shape, fitness and depth. Orlando Pirates also have another friendly against Las Palmas booked just 24 hours later, so heavy rotation is expected and the unlimited substitutions will likely be used often.
That schedule tells its own story. Players who impress here could move closer to more serious minutes once the season edges nearer, while those who struggle may find themselves sliding down the pecking order fast.
Al-Ittihad arrive with bigger resources
Al-Ittihad come into the match after a turbulent 2025/26 season. The Saudi club switched coach three times and finished fifth in the Saudi Pro League after failing to defend their league crown, GOAL reported.
Even so, the Saudi side still carry major weight. GOAL put their combined squad value at around €87.5 million (R1.6 billion), a figure that dwarfs the resources available to Ouaddou’s squad. New coach Jens Wissing has only been in charge for two weeks, so he is still in the early part of getting to know the group.
That makes the friendly useful for both benches. Al-Ittihad can spread minutes across the squad. Orlando Pirates can see how their pace and structure stand up against a side built on far larger resources.
How to watch al-ittihad vs orlando pirates
GOAL said the match will be available on PiratesTV YouTube and on SuperSport TV Channel 209. For supporters following the camp from outside Spain, that makes the game easy to track without waiting for post-match clips.
There is no head-to-head record to lean on here. The two clubs have never met before, so this friendly starts from scratch. Recent form, though, points to a competitive contest: Orlando Pirates have been listed as W D W W D, while Al-Ittihad’s sequence reads L L W W D.
For Pirates, the real value sits in the details — how the new faces cope, how quickly the team adjusts to rotations and whether the squad can hold its unbeaten stretch against a Saudi club with far more star power. The first whistle at Banus Football Centre will answer a lot of those questions, and it arrives at 19:00 SAST.
