The AFC Champions League Elite 2024/25 is set to launch on September 16, marking the start of the competition’s League Stage. This inaugural season will feature 24 of Asia’s finest football clubs, spread across two regional leagues, West and East, with each consisting of 12 teams. The new format will see each club face eight different opponents in a home-and-away round-robin schedule, spanning from September 16, 2024, to February 19, 2025.
Among the participating teams, Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal and Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor will make their joint-record 19th appearance in AFC competitions. Meanwhile, Gwangju FC from Korea Republic will make their Continental debut, having finished third in their domestic league last season.
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The West region’s action kicks off with a high-profile match between Al Ain FC of the UAE and Al Sadd SC of Qatar at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium. Both clubs are previous AFC Champions League winners and are set to renew their rivalry. Another exciting encounter will see Iraq’s Al Shorta host Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr at the Karbala International Stadium.
In the East region, Gwangju’s debut match will be against J1 League powerhouse Yokohama F. Marinos. Shandong Taishan FC from China will face Australia’s Central Coast Mariners, who recently added the AFC Cup to their trophy cabinet. Additionally, Thai club Buriram United, the reigning domestic champions, will go up against Vissel Kobe from Japan in what promises to be a thrilling contest.
As the competition progresses, the top eight finishers from each region will advance to the knockout stages, scheduled to begin in March 2025. The tournament will then conclude with a centralised final phase held in Saudi Arabia, where teams will battle it out from the quarter-finals onward in April and May 2025.
This season promises high-quality football with top clubs competing for continental glory. Fans across Asia are eagerly anticipating the unfolding drama of the AFC Champions League Elite.
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