Doha: Al Sadd face a formidable challenge against Al Ain in their opener as Asia’s top football clubs enter a new era with the inaugural AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite kicking off today. The new edition of the continental showpiece features 24 teams – divided into West and East leagues – as the number of participants were trimmed from 40 clubs following a revamp of the AFC Champions League. Under a new Swiss League system, each team will play a total of eight group games with top eight finishers from each of the two regions securing their spots in the knockout rounds, which are scheduled in March.
The final will be played on May 4, 2025. Qatar’s Al Sadd, Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa are among the 12 sides looking to advance from the West region. Al Sadd will confront UAE’s Al Ain – the winners of both the inaugural and the most recent edition of the AFC Champions League – in front of their home fans at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.
In a build up for their match against Hernan Crespo’s side, Al Sadd suffered a shock 1-3 defeat to Umm Salal in the Qatar league on Friday. But coach Felix Sanchez was hopeful his side will get off to a good start in the prestigious competition. “We are looking forward to a positive start.
Our preparations were short but all the players are excited and determined to give a good show,” Sanchez told a pre-match press conference yesterday. “Al Ain are a very strong side having a good coach and players. It is going to be a big challenge .