AFC Champions League Elite Launches In Sharjah With Exciting Matches On September 15

The AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) 2025/26 season is set to commence on 15th September. The opening match will take place at Sharjah Stadium, starting at 5.45 pm, featuring Sharjah FC in their sixth tournament appearance. They finished second in the league last season and won the ACL Two trophy. Their opponents are Al Gharafa SC from Qatar, marking their 11th participation after finishing third in their league.

Al Wahda FC, who secured third place in the UAE league last season, will begin their 11th ACL campaign against Al Ittihad Club at 8 pm. This match will be held at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Al Ittihad Club, visiting from Saudi Arabia, achieved a domestic double last season and are making their 13th appearance in the tournament. Historically, they have a better record against Al Wahda with three wins and two draws.

Shabab Al Ahli is another UAE club gearing up for the competition. They will host Tractor FC at Rashid Stadium in Dubai on 16th September at 8 pm. Shabab Al Ahli returns to the tournament for the first time since 2022 after winning a domestic double last season. Their previous best performance was as runners-up in 2015.

Al Ahli Saudi FC, who had an unbeaten run to win the Continental title last season, will start their title defence on 16th September at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. The match kicks off at 9.15 pm against PFC Nasaf from Uzbekistan. This marks PFC Nasaf's seventh tournament involvement after winning their domestic league for the first time last year.

The top eight teams from each League Stage group will advance to the Round of 16 scheduled between 2nd and 11th March 2026. Following this stage, a centralised Finals event will take place in Saudi Arabia from 17th to 25th April 2026.

With inputs from WAM