Saudi Arabia retains Asian Champions League Elite finals as AFC confirms format shake-up and 2028 U23 host Japan

Saudi Arabia has been confirmed as host of the decisive stages of the AFC Champions League Elite for a further three seasons up to 2029, with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) citing the kingdom’s recent organisational success as the key factor behind its decision.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the AFC announced that its Executive Committee had formally approved Saudi Arabia as the venue for the final rounds of the continent’s new top-tier club competition in the 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons.

The ruling converts a provisional approval granted in December 2023 into a long-term commitment, ensuring that the showpiece knockout stages of the AFC Champions League Elite will continue to be staged on Saudi soil for at least five consecutive editions.

The AFC said the move was driven by what it described as the strong organisational performance delivered by Saudi Arabia in hosting the 2024-25 and 2025-26 editions, which reinforced its confidence in the country’s ability to stage the finals over an extended period.

On the pitch, Al Ahli Saudi FC have claimed the title in both of those most recent campaigns, defeating Japanese sides Kawasaki Frontale and Machida Zelvia in successive finals.

New competition format from 2026-27

Alongside the decision on hosting rights, the AFC Executive Committee also approved changes to the competition format of the AFC Champions League Elite, which will come into force from the 2026-27 season.

With the tournament to feature 32 clubs, the group phase draw will move from a two-tier seeding system to four distinct pot levels. Each team will face opponents from every seeding band twice, though the AFC did not specify further structural details in its announcement.

In another adjustment aimed at “enhancing competitive balance”, the AFC confirmed that all fixtures on the final matchday of the league stage will be played simultaneously within each of the West and East regions. The confederation believes synchronised kick-off times will help ensure fairness by preventing clubs from gaining an advantage by knowing other results in advance.

Japan to host 2028 AFC U23 Asian Cup

In a separate decision, the AFC Executive Committee awarded Japan the hosting rights for the 2028 AFC U23 Asian Cup, which will also serve as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Japan’s bid prevailed over rival submissions from Jordan, Kyrgyz Republic, Qatar and Uzbekistan. The United Arab Emirates had earlier withdrawn from the race to stage the event.

According to the AFC, Japan’s candidacy was judged the strongest based on the readiness and quality of its sporting infrastructure and an assessment of relatively low operational risk.

The confederation also referenced its commitment to geographic diversity in the allocation of major tournaments across the continent as another factor behind the decision to take the U23 finals to Japan in 2028.