The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially confirmed that four Asian Champions League Elite last-16 ties, originally scheduled to be played across Qatar, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE on a home-and-away basis in early March, have been relocated to Jeddah and will now be contested as single-leg matches on April 13 and 14, following disruptions caused by the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Thousands of people have been killed across the region since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting Iran to retaliate with attacks on Israel, US bases, and Gulf states, forcing the AFC to postpone and ultimately restructure the tournament's knockout format.
The rescheduled fixtures include defending champions Al Ahli taking on Qatari side Al Duhail, four-time winners Al Hilal facing Al Sadd, UAE's Shabab Al Ahli clashing with Iran's Tractor FC, and Al Wahda meeting Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad, all of which will now be settled in a single game rather than the original two-legged format.
Jeddah was already set to serve as the centralized host for the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final, with those matches scheduled to run from April 16 to 25, meaning the city will now host the entire concluding phase of the tournament.
On the Eastern side of the draw, last-16 proceedings have already wrapped up, with Japan's Vissel Kobe and Machida Zelvia, Thailand's Buriram United, and Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim all advancing to the quarter-finals, with the draw for that stage set to take place in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
