Therefore, the current Champions League is replaced, and starting from September 2024, a format will kick off that brings together the top 24 clubs on the continent. They will be divided into two groups of 12, the East region, and the West region. The format requires playing against each other both at home and away, and the best teams will secure passage to the knockout stages. Those top eight teams will move on to a central venue where the remaining phases, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final, will be played in a single-leg format.

The clubs will compete home and away to secure a place in the round of 16, with the eight winners advancing to a centralised final round where teams play the quarter-finals, semis, and final in a single-leg format. Saudi Arabia will host the first two editions of the Asian Champions League Elite finals when the continent’s revamped elite club competition begins next season, the Asian Football Confederation said on Friday. The competition, which replaces the existing Asian Champions League, begins in September next year and sees the region’s top 24 clubs divided into two leagues of 12 across East and West. The move is part of a major overhaul of club competitions in Asia that has also seen the top prize in the continent’s top-tier club event increase to $12 million from $4 million.

Football in Asia is undergoing changes, and this, one of its main competitions, is leading the renovations. Saudi Arabia is becoming one of the sought-after locations as it is chosen to host many competitions. In addition to being the venue for the new Asian Champions League for the next two years, the Asian Football Association (AFC) proposed the right to be so in the next three editions as well, although this will have to be confirmed by the AFC. In other news, Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA Club World Cup at the end of December and is a candidate to host the 2034 World Cup. It has also secured the rights to host the final stage of the 2027 Asian Cup, and Riyadh will host the 2034 Asian Games.