Abu Dhabi Classico

The rivalry between the two teams stems from the fact that they are the most successful clubs in Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Al Ain established themselves as a top club in Abu Dhabi by winning two Abu Dhabi championships in 1974 and 1975 and later a top club in the country when they won the League title in 1977. Al Wahda's success was limited during that time. The rivalry sparked when the two clubs started exchanging titles around 1997 to 2005, Al Wahda won three titles while Al Ain won five, three out of those eight seasons had both clubs finish at the top two. The 2004–05 season was one the most significant time as Al Wahda won the league title while Al Ain won the president's cup with a 3–1 score line at extra time. Even though Al Ain would win five more league titles while Al Wahda only won once, matches between the two continue to spark major controversies and the two clubs rarely sign players and managers that have represented the other club to this day. During a fixture between the two in March 2022, fighting broke out between fans of both clubs after Al Ain won 1–0. Abu Dhabi police had to arrest several football fans during the incident.^[2][3][4]

Al Ain being from the Eastern region while Al Wahda hails from the city of Abu Dhabi, the two clubs compete to the claim the title of Abu Dhabi's best club. Many argue that this rivalry is the most significant in the country as the two clubs had the longest duel of battling titles from the late 90s to early 2000s, however with teams like Shabab Al Ahli and Al Jazira gaining momentum in recent years, both clubs has shifted their focus away from traditionally competing against each other.^[5]

As of 20 May 2024^[6]

Matches
	Al Ain wins	Draws	Al Wahda wins	Al Ain	Goals	Al Wahda
110	52	22	36	171	306	135

The below list is since the professional era started in 2008–09.^[7]

As of 20 May 2024

• Does not include friendly matches.^[8]

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Majid Al Owais	Al Ain	11
2	Sebastián Tagliabúe	Al Wahda	8
3	Kodjo Laba	Al Ain	5
	Ismail Matar	Al Wahda
	Mohamed Al-Shehhi	Al Wahda
	Mohammed Salem	Al Wahda
7	Soufiane Rahimi	Al Ain	4
	Marcus Berg	Al Ain
	Asamoah Gyan	Al Ain
	Sultan Rashed	Al Ain
	Abdulrahim Jumaa	Al Wahda
	Abdulsalam Jumaa	Al Wahda
	Subait Khater	Al Ain
13	Caio Lucas	Al Ain	3
	Balázs Dzsudzsák	Al Wahda
	Ibrahim Diaky	Al Ain
	Haider Alo Ali	Al Wahda
	Slaviša Mitrović	Al Wahda
	Lamin Conteh	Al Wahda
	Gharib Harib	Al Ain
	Mohammad Omar	Al Ain
	Arthur Moses	Al Ain
	Fahed Masoud	Al Wahda
	Salem Johar	Al Ain
	Ahmed Abdullah	Al Ain

only 2 players have scored a hat-trick in Classico matches.^[8][9]

No.	Player	For	Total
1	Salem Johar	Al Ain	1
2	Ahmed Abdullah	Al Ain	1

No.[1]	Player	For	Total
1	Majid Al Owais	Al Ain	3
1	Alecsandro	Al Wahda	1
1	Soufiane Alloudi	Al Ain	1
1	André Dias	Al Ain	1
1	Matar Coly	Al Wahda	1
1	Ali Msarri	Al Ain	1
1	Mohammad Omar	Al Ain	1
1	Arthur Moses	Al Ain	1
1	Mohammed Salem	Al Wahda	1
1	Saeed Ashour	Al Ain	1
1	Matar Al Sahbani	Al Ain	1

Notes

• Not including friendly matches.