Hilal's New Dynasty: Al Hilal Crowned in Asia's AFC Champions League with a Rule of Home Wins

Al Hilal crowned a new chapter in AFC Champions League history by defeating Al Sadd 3-1 on Tuesday at the Kingdom Arena, in the third round of the group stage.

Longest Winning Streak

According to Opta, this was the 14th straight home match without a loss for Al Hilal in the ACL.

More importantly, it marked the 12th consecutive home win in Asia's premier competition, a historic feat, per the same data source.

The club broke the Yokohama Marinos’ record of 11 straight home wins in ACL play, set between October 2023 and March 2025.

The last time Hilal dropped points at home in the ACL was on September 18, 2023, a 1-1 draw with Navbahor in the group stage of 2023-24.

Since then, the team has played 12 ACL home games and won every one, with no draws or defeats.

The streak began roughly two years ago, on October 23, 2023, when Hilal thrashed Mumbai City 6-0 in the group stage.

Subsequently, the Saudi side beat Nassaji Mazandaran 2-1 in the same phase.

In the Round of 16, Hilal beat Sepahan 3-1 at home and then won 3-1 in the away leg.

Hilal defeated Al Ittihad 2-0 at home in the quarterfinal first leg, mirroring the same result away to reach the semifinals.

Although Hilal won 2-1 against Al Ain in the second leg of the semifinal at home, the narrow deficit from the first leg (2-4) kept them from the final.

The home-winning sequence continued last season with a 5-0 thrashing of Al-Shorta in the second round of the Elite Cup group stage.

In the fourth round, the Zaeem produced a 3-0 win over Esteghlal Tehran, followed by another 3-0 against Al Gharafa in round six, then a 4-1 dispatch of Persepolis in round seven.

In the Round of 16, Hilal avenged a 0-1 first-leg loss to Pakhtakor with a 4-0 second-leg victory, sending them through to knockout rounds hosted in Jeddah, deemed neutral venues.

In the current campaign, Hilal beat Al-Duhail 2-1 in the opening group match and has since extended this home run to 12 consecutive home wins after a 3-1 win over Al Sadd on Tuesday.

Asia's King

That sequence joins other historic runs where Hilal heads the ACL record books.

Al Hilal is the most decorated club in ACL history with four titles, one clear of Pohang Steelers and Urawa Red Diamonds.

The club first lifted the trophy in 1991, then again in 2000, 2019, and 2021.

Hilal is also the team with the most runner-up finishes in ACL history—five times (1986, 1987, 2014, 2017, 2022).

Additionally, Hilal has reached ACL finals nine times, five more than its closest rivals.

Five clubs have reached the final four times: Pohang Steelers, Urawa Red Diamonds, Esteghlal Tehran, Seongnam FC, and Al Ain.

Hilal's Position

The win over Al Sadd put Hilal top of the West group standings in the Elite stage, having collected nine points from three wins.

They beat Al-Duhail 2-1 in the opening round, then Nasaf Karshi 3-2 in round two, and finally 3-1 over Al Sadd in round three.

Hilal leads by two points over nearest rivals Al-Ahli Saudi, Shabab Al-Ahli, and Al-Wahda in the UAE, with the top eight teams in a group advancing to the Round of 16 (1st vs 8th, 2nd vs 7th, 3rd vs 6th, 4th vs 5th, in home-and-away legs).

Ultimately, the quarterfinals are played at neutral venues, culminating in a final hosted in Saudi Arabia for a second straight season.

Punchline time: If patience is a virtue, Hilal’s home run is basically a luxury suite—everyone wants a seat, but the defense keeps sending the bill to the offense. Punchline 2: My fantasy team asked for a mentor; I said, “Find Hilal—he only plays on home turf, where the coffee is stronger than the defense.”