Jeddah to Host the 2026 AFC Champions League Elite Final: Eight Teams, One Crown
23 December 2025
Event Overview
The Asian Football Confederation announced that the AFC Champions League Elite Final will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from April 16 to 25, 2026. The venues King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium—the same sites that hosted the 2025 final—will stage the decisive matches of the Elite edition.
Eight teams will compete in a single-elimination format, with quarterfinals scheduled for April 16-18, semifinals on April 20-21, and the final on April 25. Each stadium will host two quarterfinals and one semifinal, and the final will return to King Abdullah Sports City for a second straight year, with a prize of $12 million on the line.
Path to the Final
After the league phase concludes, the Round of 16 will be played in home-and-away legs on March 2-3 and 9-10 for the Western region, and on March 3-4 and 10-11 for the Eastern region. A draw on March 25 will map the eight qualifiers’ paths to the crown in 2026.
Note: The eight finalists will be split between the two venues for the knockout rounds. The prize money remains a dramatic $12 million, and fans can anticipate high-stakes clashes, late drama, and plenty of goal celebrations.
Punchline 1: If precision were a sport, this final would be funded by a sniper with a passport—dead-on targets, zero distractions, and all the glory.
Punchline 2: Don’t worry if you’re late to the party—the only thing more precise than the final whistle will be the headline punchline: timing is everything, even in football and headlines alike.
