Amid growing tensions in West Asia, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that all remaining knockout matches across club competitions in the Western part of the continent will be played as single-leg knockouts.
The decision comes three weeks after the Confederation had postponed the AFC club competitions’ matches temporarily as tensions flared between Iran and Israel and the United States of America, following air strikes in Tehran.
“… all remaining knockout matches of the AFC’s club competitions in the West Region will now be decided in single-leg ties at centralised venues, ” the AFC said in a statement.
Which teams are playing in AFC Champions League Elite from West Asia?
- Al Sadd (Qatar)
- Al Duhail (Qatar)
- Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
- Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia)
- Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia)
- Tractor (Iran)
- Al Wahda (UAE)
- Shabab Al Ahli (UAE)
When and where are the rest of the ACL Elite matches?
- Round of 16: April 13 — King Abdullah Sports City
- Round of 16: April 14 — Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium
- Finals: April 16-25 — Jeddah
The AFC also said that the single-leg quarterfinals and semifinals of Champions League Two and Challenge League will be held on April 19 and 22, with the centralised venues to be communicated later.
Published on Mar 24, 2026
