Saudi Arabia to host the finals of the 'Asian Champions Elite' until 2029

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Thursday that Saudi Arabia has been confirmed as the host nation for the AFC Champions League Elite finals for the next three seasons, through 2029. The finals, including the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final, will be held in a centralized format in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, following the model used in the previous two editions.

Saudi Arabia hosted the knockout stages in Jeddah for the 2025 and 2026 editions, from the quarter-finals through to the final. This decision follows the success of Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the finals in the last two editions, leveraging its strong infrastructure, world-class stadiums, and high organizational capacity.

The 24th edition of Asia’s premier club competition, now branded as the AFC Champions League Elite, will feature 32 clubs in the league phase, an increase from the 24 clubs that participated in the previous two seasons. This expansion aims to provide more opportunities for elite clubs to compete against the best teams in the continent, with 18 clubs from seven national associations participating in each of the Western and Eastern zones. Four clubs from each zone will begin their campaign in the preliminary round, competing for two spots in the league phase, while the remaining 14 clubs will qualify directly for the league phase, which kicks off on September 14.

In a statement, the AFC said: “Following the successful organization of the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 editions, the provisional hosting rights granted to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation for the AFC Champions League Elite finals, which were approved in December 2023, have been confirmed as permanent for the 2026–2027, 2027–2028, and 2028–2029 seasons.”