Al-Ain Set to Defend Title in Revamped Asian Champions League

Al-Ain of UAE begins their title defense against Al-Sadd from Qatar in the newly restructured Asian Champions League Elite. The format now features 24 teams and a $12 million prize. The league phase continues until February, with the top teams advancing to knockout rounds in March, culminating in the finals in May.

Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates launch the defence of their continental title against Qatar's Al-Sadd on Monday as Hernan Crespo's side ushers in a higher-stakes era of regional club football with the revamped Asian Champions League Elite.

Crespo's team defeated Yokohama F Marinos in May, in the last final played under the previous format. The new edition features a field trimmed to 24 participants from 40, chasing a potential first prize that has tripled to $12 million. The longstanding group phase, used since 2002, has been replaced by a new Swiss League system splitting the clubs into 12-team east and west Asian leagues, with each team playing eight group games starting from Monday.

The league phase will continue until early February, with schedules determined by a computer-assisted draw held in Kuala Lumpur last month. The first eight finishers in each league will advance to the knockout rounds in March, leading to a centralised phase in Saudi Arabia for the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final on May 4.

Al-Ain overcame the odds to win last year's competition ahead of Saudi Arabia's newly enriched club sides, with Crespo masterminding victories over big-spending Al-Nassr—home to Cristiano Ronaldo—and Al-Hilal. The Emiratis will face these clubs again in the league phase of the 2024-25 edition, alongside Al-Ahli, Qatar's Al-Gharafa and Al-Rayyan, Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan, and Iraq's Al-Shorta.

Al-Ain's hopes of becoming only the fifth club to retain the title were boosted by Moroccan striker Soufiane Rahimi's return, whose tournament-leading 13 goals were crucial to their success last season. Yokohama F Marinos are among the 12 clubs in the eastern half of the draw and will start their campaign against South Korea's Gwangju FC on Tuesday, with Harry Kewell, who led the team to the final in May, long gone from the head coach's role.

The Australian and Marinos parted ways in July after a poor run left the team out of the J-League title race. He has been replaced on an interim basis by his ex-assistant John Hutchinson. Former champions Ulsan HD and Pohang Steelers, both from South Korea, headline the eastern half of the draw, featuring Chinese teams Shanghai Port, Shanghai Shenhua, Shandong Taishan, and Japanese champions Vissel Kobe.

(With inputs from agencies.)