King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium have been selected to host the AFC Champions League Elite Finals.
King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, both selected venues for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, will host the AFC Champions League Elite Finals from April 25 to May 3.
The Asian Football Confederation announced on its official website that the best 8 clubs in Asia will compete for the title in a group system, with one-round matches during the specified period.
The Federation explained that after the Saudi Football Federation was chosen as the host of the AFC Champions League Elite Finals for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 seasons, King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium were designated to host the decisive matches of the most important club tournaments in Asian football.
Each stadium is set to host two quarter-finals and one semi-final, with the much-anticipated final taking place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, with the winner set to receive the biggest prize money in Asian club competition history of $12 million.
Unprecedented cash prizes
The AFC confirmed that these generous financial awards come within the framework of strategic reforms and major changes launched by the federation.
He pointed out that the financial prize for the winner is equivalent to 3 times the reward that was allocated for the last season 2023-2024, while the losing team in the final will receive $6 million, an increase of 3 times over the previous season.
Teams qualified for the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League
Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, and Al-Nasr from Saudi Arabia, Al-Sadd and Al-Rayyan from Qatar, Al-Wasl from the UAE, Esteghlal from Iran, and Pakhtakor from Uzbekistan qualified for the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League for the elite, according to the tournament regulations that stipulate that the clubs that occupy the first eight places in the league stage qualify for the round of 16.
According to the final standings in the group stage, the matches of the round of 16 of the West Group were as follows:
- Al Hilal Saudi Arabia vs. Pakhtakor Uzbekistan.
- Al-Ahly Saudi Arabia vs. Al-Rayyan Qatar.
- Saudi victory against Iranian independence Tehran.
- Al Sadd of Qatar vs Al Wasl of the Emirates.
- Round of 16 matches schedule
The first leg matches of the Round of 16 will be played on March 3 and 4, while the second leg matches will be played on March 10 and 11. According to the tournament system, the second leg matches will be played on the grounds of the teams that achieved a higher ranking in the group stage, which gives them the advantage of playing at home in the decisive confrontations.
