Kuala Lumpur: The cream of the crop in Asia will come together for the maiden campaign of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) this July when the prestigious competition kicks off. The initial cast for the debut 2024/25 season was confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in accordance with the finalised AFC Club Competitions 2024/25 slot allocations that features 27 teams from across 12 Member Associations (MAs) – six from each of the West and East regions. This will see five clubs battling it out in the Preliminary Stage from August 6 to 13 for the remaining slots in the League Stage: in the West, Qatar’s Al Gharafa will play the winner of the tie between the representative club from the Islamic Republic of Iran and United Arab Emirates’ Shabab Al Ahli, while in the East, China’s Shandong Taishan FC will square off against Thailand’s Bangkok United.
The losing teams from the Preliminary Stage will directly enter the AFC Champions League Two Group Stage. The winning teams will join the clubs that have qualified directly for the League Stage and continue their quest to reach the pinnacle of Asia between September 16, 2024 and February 19, 2025. The official draw ceremony for the League Stage will be conducted on August 16, with further details on the Draw Mechanics to be announced in due course.
The top eight teams from each League will advance to the double-legged Round of 16, scheduled from March 3 to 12, 2025, which will be followed by a unique c.
