December 13 – Qatar will be the centralised host for the Asian Football Confederation’s West region Champions League 2022 final knock-out rounds in February of next year.
The last 16 West Asian pairings will see defending champions Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia face off against Shabab Al Ahli Dubai from the United Arab Emirates, while another Saudi side Al Shabab take on FC Nasaf from Uzbekistan. Qatar’s Al Duhail meet fellow Qatar League rivals Al Rayyan, while Al Faisaly from Saudi Arabia square off with Foolad Khouzestan from Iran.
All games will be played in Qatar, including the quarter-finals and semi-finals. The round of 16 will be held on February 19 and 20, with the Quarter-finals on February 23 before the semi-final on February 26.
The winners of the West region semi-final will qualify for the final against East region winner Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan.
The first leg of the two-match final will be hosted by the West region’s finalist on April 26, with the second leg being played in Saitama, Japan, on May 6.
The AFC is in the process of transitioning its new club competition calendar, taking effect in full from 2023, as it moves away from its current Spring-Autumn calendar year season to following the Autumn-Spring calendar of the European season.
The AFC Champions League 2023/24 will open with the Preliminary Stage 1 on August 8, 2023, with the Group Stage being played from September 18 to December 13, 2023, and with a return to home and away fixtures rather than playing at the centralised venues.
The shift is a major restructuring of the AFC’s competition calendar with the aim of making its club sides and national teams more competitive internationally.
For clubs it will allow a greater synchronisation of transfer windows and improved chances for Asian clubs to sign better players, as well as providing a more even distribution of club matches over the year to maintain a balance with National Team matches.
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