Kuala Lumpur, March 17 Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr will face second-seed Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos in the quarter-final as the draw for the AFC Champions League Elite took place at the AFC House here on Monday.
The knockouts will witness seven highly anticipated matches taking place in a unique centralised format between April 25 and May 3 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Four-time Asian champions and top-seeded Al Hilal SFC have been drawn to face South Korean club Gwangju FC in the quarterfinal. Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli Saudi FC, unbeaten in this season's campaign with nine wins and a draw, were drawn to meet Thailand’s Buriram United, while Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale will meet 2011 champions Al Sadd SC of Qatar.
Each quarterfinal will be a cross-regional showdown, marking the first time that there will be no regional division of West and East teams in Asia’s top-tier men’s competition since the 2013 edition of the AFC Champions League.
The winners of the Al Hilal-Gwangju tie will meet the triumphant side from the Al Ahli-Buriram face-off while the victors of Marinos-Al Nassr will square off against Frontale-Al Sadd in the semi-finals.
The first quarterfinal is scheduled to take place on April 25, with the second and third quarterfinals set for April 26, and the final one to be played on April 27. The first semi-final is pencilled in for two days later on April 29, followed by the second semi-final on April 30.
The final will be staged on May 3 at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, with ultimate glory on the line and a record prize purse of at least USD 12 million at stake.
Former champions Al Hilal (2019, 2021) and Al Sadd (2011) will aim to taste glory again while the cast also comprises two former finalists in Al Ahli Saudi (2012) and Marinos (2023/24). Meanwhile, Gwangju are the first team to reach the last eight on their continental debut since Vissel Kobe in 2020.
Quarterfinals draw:
Al Hilal SFC (KSA) v Gwangju FC (KOR)
Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA) v Buriram United (THA)
Yokohama F. Marinos (JPN) v Al Nassr Club (KSA)
Kawasaki Frontale (JPN) v Al Sadd SC (QAT)
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