AFC Champions League - Home

News

https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league_elite.html/video/aclelite-|-semi-finals-vissel-kobe-jpn-1-2-al-ahli-saudi-fc-ksa

Jaissle hails Al Ahli Saudi's second-half wonder show

Tue, 21 Apr, 2026

Jaissle hails Al Ahli Saudi's second-half wonder show

Jeddah: Al Ahli Saudi FC head coach Matthias Jaissle credited his team’s second half performance against Vissel Kobe on Monday for leading the defending champions into the AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026 decider on Saturday.

The Saudi Pro League side trailed at halftime to a 31st minute Yoshinori Muto goal but a thunderous strike by Galeno levelled the scores in the 62nd minute and Ivan Toney won the tie for the Jeddah-based club with a perfect finish eight minutes later.

Vissel Kobe were outfought, admits Skibbe

Tue, 21 Apr, 2026

Vissel Kobe were outfought, admits Skibbe

Jeddah: Vissel Kobe head coach Michael Skibbe admitted his side were outgunned by Al Ahli Saudi FC in their AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026™ clash on Monday as the Saudi Pro League notched up a 2-1 win to qualify for Saturday’s final.

A determined second half showing from Matthias Jaissle’s side saw defending champions Al Ahli battle back from going a goal behind in the 31st minute by Yoshinori Muto, with Galeno and Ivan Toney scoring in the 62nd and 70th minutes respectively to take their team through.

Al Ahli Saudi fight back to stay on title track

Tue, 21 Apr, 2026

Al Ahli Saudi fight back to stay on title track

Jeddah: Second half goals from Galeno and Ivan Toney saw Al Ahli Saudi FC overcome a first half deficit to defeat Vissel Kobe 2-1 at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Monday and book their place in Saturday’s final of the AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026™.

The champions launched a dramatic turnaround following the interval after Yoshinori Muto had given the J1 League side a 31st minute lead and Matthias Jaissle’s side remain on track to become the first team since Al Ittihad to retain the continental title in 2005.

Al Ahli will take on either FC Machida Zelvia from Japan or Shabab Al Ahli from the United Emirates in the final, with that pair due to meet in the second semi-final at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium on Tuesday.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league_elite.html/photo/s-final-vissel-kobe-jpn-v-al-ahli-saudi-fc-ksa

S-final - Preview: FC Machida Zelvia (JPN) v Shabab Al Ahli (UAE)

Mon, 20 Apr, 2026

S-final - Preview: FC Machida Zelvia (JPN) v Shabab Al Ahli (UAE)

Jeddah: Go Kuroda played down the additional day of rest FC Machida Zelvia had compared to Shabab Al Ahli as the head coach challenged his defence to come out on top in their AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026™ semi-final on Tuesday.

Japan’s Machida defeated Al Ittihad Club 1-0 in the quarter-finals on Friday while Shabab needed extra-time to beat Buriram United 3-2 a day later but the former high-school coach turned professional tactician said everything goes out the window once the opening whistle is blown.

Machida’s Mochizuki, Shabab’s Almeqbaali aiming for the stars

Mon, 20 Apr, 2026

Machida’s Mochizuki, Shabab’s Almeqbaali aiming for the stars

Jeddah: Henry Mochizuki and Hamad Almeqbaali are aiming for the stars when they lock horns in the AFC Champions League Finals Jeddah 2026™ semi-final on Tuesday.

Their respective sides FC Machida Zelvia and Shabab Al Ahli are two matches away from tasting glory and neither player wants their fairytale run to end at the last four stage.

AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026 Match Officials SF 1&2

S-final - Preview: Vissel Kobe (JPN) v Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA)

Tue, 21 Apr, 2026

S-final - Preview: Vissel Kobe (JPN) v Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA)

Jeddah: Al Ahli Saudi FC head coach Matthias Jaissle has called on his players to deliver their finest performance against Vissel Kobe in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026™ as the title holders look to book a return trip to the final.

The Saudi side showed their battling qualities to fight back from a goal down to defeat Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta’zim in the quarter-finals despite playing most of the match with 10 men and Jaissle expressed his desire to see his team excel in all departments to see off the Japanese outfit.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league_elite.html/video/aclelite-preview-semi-finals

Sakai calls for bravery; Toney confident of delivering

Sun, 19 Apr, 2026

Sakai calls for bravery; Toney confident of delivering

Jeddah: Vissel Kobe defender Gotoku Sakai has called on his teammates to be brave when they take on star-studded defending champions Al Ahli Saudi FC in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite Final Jeddah 2026™ at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Monday.

The Japanese club are attempting to qualify for the final for the first time after seeing off Qatar’s Al Sadd SC in a penalty shoot-out in the previous round and next face an Al Ahli side featuring the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Ivan Toney and Franck Kessie.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league_elite.html/video/aclelite-|-quarter-finals-buriram-united-tha-2-3-shabab-al-ahli-uae

Latest Photos

Gross to work on Al Ahli's attack ahead of group stage

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Gross to work on Al Ahli's attack ahead of group stage

Jeddah: Head coach Christian Gross will be working on improving Al Ahli Saudi FC's attacking qualities ahead of the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage.

The club from Saudi Arabia advanced from the play-offs with a 1-0 win over Tajikistan's Istiklol FC on Tuesday, with Youcef Belaïli converting a penalty in stoppage time to take Al Ahli into the group stage for the sixth consecutive year.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league/photo/album_-_acl2020_play-offs.html

ALBUM - #ACL2020 Play-offs

Henri: Shahr Khodro showed great determination to go through

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Henri: Shahr Khodro showed great determination to go through

Doha: Head coach Stephane Henri hailed his players' determination as Shahr Khodro FC sealed a place in the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage for the first time on Tuesday.

The Islamic Republic of Iran club prevailed 5-4 on penalties against Qatar’s Al Sailiya FC after 120 minutes saw the play-off tie end in a 0-0 draw at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.

Goalkeeper Mahdi Rahmati was the hero for Shahr Khodro, producing a brilliant shootout save to deny countryman Karim Ansarifard before Saeid Sadeghi struck the decisive blow to take his team through.

FC Seoul are back where we belong, says Osmar

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

FC Seoul are back where we belong, says Osmar

Seoul: Spaniard Osmar Barba went from zero to hero on Tuesday for FC Seoul, scoring an own goal before firing home a free-kick to restore the club's two-goal cushion on the way to a 4-1 victory over Malaysia's Kedah FA and a place in the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage.

The 31-year-old spoke exclusively to the-AFC.com following the play-off tie at Seoul World Cup Stadium and he reflected on the match, the importance of playing in the AFC Champions League, his favourite memories from the competition so far, and his hopes for 2020.

AFC Statement on AFC Champions League Group Stage matches

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

AFC Statement on AFC Champions League Group Stage matches

Kuala Lumpur: Following discussions with representatives of clubs from the Islamic Republic of Iran, held in Kuala Lumpur on January 23, 2020, it was agreed that any home matches involving clubs from IR Iran on match days 1,2 and 3 would be swapped to become away fixtures. 

.

Majidi: Esteghlal have high ambitions in ACL 2020

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Majidi: Esteghlal have high ambitions in ACL 2020

Doha: Esteghlal FC head coach Farhad Majidi was a happy man following Tuesday’s victory against Qatar’s Al Rayyan in their 2020 AFC Champions League play-off match.

The former Islamic Republic of Iran national team forward saw Esteghlal score five goals against their hosts at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium to book their place in the group stage of the competition for the fourth consecutive year.

AFC Statement on AFC Champions League Group Stage matches

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

AFC Statement on AFC Champions League Group Stage matches

Kuala Lumpur: After close consultation with the Chinese Football Association (CFA), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) can confirm that the home matches of the Chinese clubs in the AFC Champions League Group Stage on Match Day (MD) 1, 2 and 3 will be rescheduled to be played as away matches by swapping the match order with opponent clubs. 

In the meantime, the AFC will closely monitor the situation before deciding further on the home matches of Chinese clubs on MD4, 5 and 6.

The decision, which was also made in conjunction with the competing clubs from the respective groups, is a precautionary measure to ensure the safety and well-being of all participating players and teams in view of the current coronavirus outbreak in the People’s Republic of China.

Al Ain deserve to go through, says head coach Emanuel

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Al Ain deserve to go through, says head coach Emanuel

Al Ain: Head coach Pedro Emanuel said Al Ain FC were worthy winners over FC Bunyodkor as the UAE Pro League side advanced to the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage on Tuesday.

Despite Saeed Juma’s second-half strike ultimately deciding the tie, Al Ain dominated against the Uzbekistan club at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

Nabbout ecstatic to be back at 'biggest competition in Asia'

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Nabbout ecstatic to be back at 'biggest competition in Asia'

Kashima: Melbourne Victory's match-winner Andrew Nabbout expressed his delight at returning to the AFC Champions League following the A-League side's 1-0 win over Kashima Antlers in the play-offs on Tuesday.

Having weathered a Kashima storm in the first half, Melbourne netted the tie's only goal on 54 minutes when Nabbout was on hand to fire home a deflected effort past Kwoun Sun-tae.

Custodian Lawrence Thomas then put on a goalkeeping clinic to deny the 2018 champions as the A-League side held out for a famous victory.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league/video/acl2020_-_play-offs_al_ahli_saudi_fc_1-0_fc_istiklol.html

Play-off: Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA) 1-0 FC Istiklol (TJK)

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Play-off: Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA) 1-0 FC Istiklol (TJK)

Jeddah: A penalty from Youcef Belaïli at the death helped Al Ahli Saudi FC overcome FC Istiklol of Tajikistan to reach the 2020 AFC Champions League Group Stage with a 1-0 win at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium on Tuesday.

Istiklol had qualified to the play-off stage after stunning PFC Lokomotiv 1-0 in Tashkent in the Preliminary Round 2, while Al Ahli qualified as fourth placed in the 2018-19 Saudi Pro League.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league/video/acl2020_-_play-offs_al_sailiya_sc_0-0_shahr_khodro_fc.html

Videos

https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league_elite.html/video/aclelite-|-semi-finals-vissel-kobe-jpn-1-2-al-ahli-saudi-fc-ksa

Jaissle hails Al Ahli Saudi's second-half wonder show

Tue, 21 Apr, 2026

Jaissle hails Al Ahli Saudi's second-half wonder show

Jeddah: Al Ahli Saudi FC head coach Matthias Jaissle credited his team’s second half performance against Vissel Kobe on Monday for leading the defending champions into the AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026 decider on Saturday.

The Saudi Pro League side trailed at halftime to a 31st minute Yoshinori Muto goal but a thunderous strike by Galeno levelled the scores in the 62nd minute and Ivan Toney won the tie for the Jeddah-based club with a perfect finish eight minutes later.

Vissel Kobe were outfought, admits Skibbe

Tue, 21 Apr, 2026

Vissel Kobe were outfought, admits Skibbe

Jeddah: Vissel Kobe head coach Michael Skibbe admitted his side were outgunned by Al Ahli Saudi FC in their AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026™ clash on Monday as the Saudi Pro League notched up a 2-1 win to qualify for Saturday’s final.

A determined second half showing from Matthias Jaissle’s side saw defending champions Al Ahli battle back from going a goal behind in the 31st minute by Yoshinori Muto, with Galeno and Ivan Toney scoring in the 62nd and 70th minutes respectively to take their team through.

Al Ahli Saudi fight back to stay on title track

Tue, 21 Apr, 2026

Al Ahli Saudi fight back to stay on title track

Jeddah: Second half goals from Galeno and Ivan Toney saw Al Ahli Saudi FC overcome a first half deficit to defeat Vissel Kobe 2-1 at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Monday and book their place in Saturday’s final of the AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026™.

The champions launched a dramatic turnaround following the interval after Yoshinori Muto had given the J1 League side a 31st minute lead and Matthias Jaissle’s side remain on track to become the first team since Al Ittihad to retain the continental title in 2005.

Al Ahli will take on either FC Machida Zelvia from Japan or Shabab Al Ahli from the United Emirates in the final, with that pair due to meet in the second semi-final at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium on Tuesday.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league_elite.html/photo/s-final-vissel-kobe-jpn-v-al-ahli-saudi-fc-ksa

S-final - Preview: FC Machida Zelvia (JPN) v Shabab Al Ahli (UAE)

Mon, 20 Apr, 2026

S-final - Preview: FC Machida Zelvia (JPN) v Shabab Al Ahli (UAE)

Jeddah: Go Kuroda played down the additional day of rest FC Machida Zelvia had compared to Shabab Al Ahli as the head coach challenged his defence to come out on top in their AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026™ semi-final on Tuesday.

Japan’s Machida defeated Al Ittihad Club 1-0 in the quarter-finals on Friday while Shabab needed extra-time to beat Buriram United 3-2 a day later but the former high-school coach turned professional tactician said everything goes out the window once the opening whistle is blown.

Machida’s Mochizuki, Shabab’s Almeqbaali aiming for the stars

Mon, 20 Apr, 2026

Machida’s Mochizuki, Shabab’s Almeqbaali aiming for the stars

Jeddah: Henry Mochizuki and Hamad Almeqbaali are aiming for the stars when they lock horns in the AFC Champions League Finals Jeddah 2026™ semi-final on Tuesday.

Their respective sides FC Machida Zelvia and Shabab Al Ahli are two matches away from tasting glory and neither player wants their fairytale run to end at the last four stage.

AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026 Match Officials SF 1&2

S-final - Preview: Vissel Kobe (JPN) v Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA)

Tue, 21 Apr, 2026

S-final - Preview: Vissel Kobe (JPN) v Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA)

Jeddah: Al Ahli Saudi FC head coach Matthias Jaissle has called on his players to deliver their finest performance against Vissel Kobe in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026™ as the title holders look to book a return trip to the final.

The Saudi side showed their battling qualities to fight back from a goal down to defeat Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta’zim in the quarter-finals despite playing most of the match with 10 men and Jaissle expressed his desire to see his team excel in all departments to see off the Japanese outfit.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league_elite.html/video/aclelite-preview-semi-finals

Sakai calls for bravery; Toney confident of delivering

Sun, 19 Apr, 2026

Sakai calls for bravery; Toney confident of delivering

Jeddah: Vissel Kobe defender Gotoku Sakai has called on his teammates to be brave when they take on star-studded defending champions Al Ahli Saudi FC in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite Final Jeddah 2026™ at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Monday.

The Japanese club are attempting to qualify for the final for the first time after seeing off Qatar’s Al Sadd SC in a penalty shoot-out in the previous round and next face an Al Ahli side featuring the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Ivan Toney and Franck Kessie.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league_elite.html/video/aclelite-|-quarter-finals-buriram-united-tha-2-3-shabab-al-ahli-uae

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/acl_trophy.html