Asia prepares for the launch of the new Champions League

The top 24 teams in Asia are looking to make a strong showing when the new edition of the AFC Champions League kicks off in its new format for the 2024-25 season on September 16. Football fans across the continent can look forward to 12 exciting matches in the first of eight rounds of the league stage, a new format that is being implemented for the first time in club tournaments organised by the continental federation. The tournament includes two leagues, each comprising 12 teams in the West and East zones, where each team will face eight different opponents within its region in four home matches and four away matches between September 16, 2024 and February 19, 2025. The exciting matches in the West Asia zone begin at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, where Qatari club Al Sadd will face hosts Al Ain. In their 17th continental participation, Al Sadd seeks to regain the glory of 2011 when they won their Asian title, especially after they managed to win their 17th local league title and the 19th Emir of Qatar Cup in the 2023-2024 season. Al Sadd have not lost to Al Ain in the two matches that brought them together before, as they tied 3-3 away and won 4-0 at home in the group stage of the 2020 AFC Champions League. For their part, Al Ain, who won the AFC Champions League title (in 2003 and the 2023-2024 season), seeks to win two consecutive titles in their 17th appearance in this tournament. As for Al Gharafa, who won the Qatari League title seven times, they reached the league stage after defeating Shabab Al Ahli of the Emirates by a clean goal in the preliminary round. Al Gharafa, who reached the quarter-finals in 2010, head to Tehran to participate in the continental tournament for the tenth time, where they will face the Iranian club Esteghlal, the nine-time local league champions, who are appearing for the thirteenth time on the continental level, and their first since 2021. The match, hosted by Doha, will bring together Al Rayyan and Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, the record five-time continental finalists, at the Ahmed bin Ali World Cup Stadium. Al Rayyan recently strengthened their ranks with Egyptian striker Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet from Trabzonspor of Turkey, and are hoping for a satisfactory start for their fans in their 12th participation in the continental tournament, as the team that has won the local league title eight times hopes to overcome its guest, who is full of international stars. Despite losing five of their previous eight matches against Al Hilal, Al Rayyan will take inspiration from their last encounter, which ended with a 2-0 win in the 2022 AFC Champions League group stage. In contrast, Al Hilal, who will make their 19th appearance in the competition, finished the 2023-24 season with a domestic double, and are looking for a third title in the modern Champions League to add to their victories in the 2019 and 2021 editions. For their part, Iraqi club Al Shorta, who claimed their third consecutive domestic league title last season and their first Iraq Cup win to complete the domestic double, are returning to the continental competition for the fifth time and their first since 2021. The Iraqi team hosts Saudi club Al Nassr at Karbala International Stadium, with the nine-time Saudi league champions and two-time AFC Champions League semi-finalists making their eighth appearance in the tournament. The two teams first met in the Arab Club Champions Cup in August 2023, with Al Nassr winning 1-0 in the semi-finals on their way to winning their first title in the tournament.Meanwhile, three-time Saudi champions Al Ahli, who reached the AFC Champions League final in 2012, are making their 13th appearance in the continental competition since their last appearance in 2021, as they prepare to face Persepolis, who won their 16th Iranian league title in the 2023-24 season, a record. Persepolis have reached the continental final twice (2018 and 2020), making their 12th appearance in the Champions League, and have two wins and a draw over Al Ahli in head-to-head matches. Meanwhile, Bunyodkor Stadium will host the first-ever meeting between Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor and the UAE’s Al Wasl on September 17. The hosts, who won their fifth consecutive Uzbek league title and their 16th overall in 2023, have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League twice and are participating in the tournament for the sixth consecutive time. Al Wasl ended a long drought by winning the UAE Pro League title in the 2023-24 season, their eighth title and first since 2007, securing their fourth appearance in the continental competition and first since 2019. In the East Zone, South Korea’s Guangzhou Evergrande begin their AFC Champions League campaign with a tough home clash against Japan’s Yokohama F Marinos, who visit the Guangzhou World Cup Stadium on September 17. Guangzhou, who achieved their best result in the K-League by finishing third in 2023, face five-time J-League champions Yokohama, who are looking to reach their second consecutive final in their seventh appearance in the continental competition. Meanwhile, China’s Shandong Taishan are looking to make a new achievement in their 12th appearance in the Champions League, the most of any Chinese club. The club, who have reached the quarter-finals three times, will be hoping to continue their impressive form after advancing past the preliminary round to reach the league stage. Chinese side Shandong Taishan will host Australian side Central Coast Mariners, who enjoyed a stellar campaign last season by adding the AFC Cup to their domestic league and cup titles. This will be Central Coast’s fifth appearance in the Champions League, and their first since 2014. Buriram United, who won their fourth consecutive Thai league title and 10th overall, both records, will be looking to repeat their 2013 quarter-final run when they host Japan’s Vissel Kobe, who claimed their first domestic league title in 2023 and are making their third appearance in the tournament after reaching the semi-finals in 2020. Shanghai Shenhua, who won their sixth domestic cup, host South Korea’s Pohang Steelers, who won their fifth domestic cup. Shanghai SIPG will be making their eighth appearance in the AFC Champions League and their first since 2020, while the visitors have nine previous appearances, in addition to winning the title in 2009 and reaching the final in 2021. On September 18, Ulsan Munsu Stadium will host a match between the 2023 K-League champions, Ulsan Hyundai, and their opponents Kawasaki Frontale of Japan, who won the cup in their country last season. The hosts, Ulsan, will be making their 12th appearance in the AFC Champions League, and their eighth in a row, the longest current streak in the continental competition, as they look to achieve their third title in the tournament after winning in 2012 and 2020.Kawasaki Frontale, who have reached the quarter-finals three times before, will be looking to progress further in their 11th appearance, a record for a Japanese club. This will be the fourth consecutive season that the two sides have met, with Ulsan winning five to Frontale’s two in 12 previous meetings. Shanghai SIPG will round off the opening round against Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim at Pudong Stadium. The Chinese Super League side won their second title in 2023 to secure a return to the continental competition since their fifth appearance in 2020, having reached the semi-finals in 2017, their best ever result. Johor Darul Ta’zim, who have won 10 consecutive Malaysian league titles, are the only Malaysian team to have ever participated in the AFC Champions League, and this will be their fifth appearance. After the league stage, the top eight teams from each league will advance to the Round of 16, scheduled for March 2025, followed by the final rounds, which will be played in a group stage format from the quarter-finals.