The current season of the professional football league has recorded an unprecedented situation in the history of the relegation battle, with eight out of 14 teams entering the relegation zone before the start of the 16th round tomorrow. This scene confirms that the fierce struggle between Al Ahli and Al Ain for the top of the table is not the only most exciting contest this season, as the bottom of the table is witnessing an exceptional and rare intensity. Only seven points separate Bani Yas, who is in last place with 11 points, and Khor Fakkan, who occupies seventh place with 18 points. This makes every result in the upcoming rounds have a direct impact on the fate of more than half of the league's teams, turning every match into a do-or-die confrontation. The previous round saw a significant change in the positions of teams from seventh to last, following the victories of Khor Fakkan, Ajman, and Dibba, against the defeats of Sharjah and Kalba. This increased the pressure on what is known as the "warm zone," which has shrunk the gap with the bottom of the table to an unprecedented level, transforming the standings into a moving board where it is difficult to predict the relegated teams, unlike in previous seasons. Throughout the history of the professional league, the gap between the last-place team and the middle of the table, specifically seventh place, has never been this tight after the end of the 15th round. This reflects the rise in the level of competition and the narrowing of technical gaps between the teams during the current season. A comparison with past seasons highlights the magnitude of this change. In the 2023-2024 season, after 15 rounds, the gap was 16 points between Al Jazira, who was in seventh place with 21 points, and both Al Ittihad (8 points) and Hatta (5 points). In the 2024-2025 season, the scene was even more spread out, where Al Wasl, in seventh place, had 21 points, compared to nine points for Dibba Al Hisn and three points for Al Oruba, a gap that reached 18 points. The 2015-2016 season, however, carried historical paradoxes, as Al Shaab recorded the lowest point total after 15 rounds with just three points, before being relegated at the end of the season with seven points, the lowest number in professional league history. Meanwhile, their relegation partner, Fujairah, had the strangest fate after collecting a full 26 points by the end of the season, but it was not enough to stay up, holding the record as the team that collected the most points and was relegated at the same time. The 16th round kicks off tomorrow, where Al Batayeh will host Al Dhafra at Khalid bin Mohammed Stadium at 17:30, and Kalba will face Al Jazira at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium at 20:00. The round will conclude the day after with the clash between Al Ain and Al Nasr at 20:00 on Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, while Khor Fakkan will host Ajman at 17:30 on Sakr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Stadium. The matches between Shabab Al Ahli and Al Wahda, Sharjah and Dibba, and Al Wasl against Bani Yas have been postponed due to the participation of Shabab Al Ahli, Al Wahda, Sharjah, and Al Wasl in Asian competitions.
