The AFC Champions League Elite is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs.
The newly minted competition will kick off in September under a new format which includes a total of 24 teams across the West and East regions.
A pivotal change in the revamped ACL Elite sees the traditional Group Stage make way for the League Stage format, ensuring a robust competition with top quality football across all matches.
Important Links: AFC Champions League Elite
The 24 clubs will be divided into two leagues of 12 teams across the West and East regions, with each team to play against eight different opponents within its region in the form of four home and four away matches.
The top eight teams from each League will advance to the double-legged Round of 16, scheduled from March 3 to 12, 2025, which will be followed by a unique centralised Finals. This will see all matches, from the Quarter-finals onwards, being contested at a single host MA, with Saudi Arabia having been confirmed for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons.
Central Coast Mariners set to fly the flag for Australia
The 2024/25 ACL Elite will have Central Coast Mariners as the sole Australian representative after they were crowned 2023/24 Isuzu UTE A-League Premiers.
Mark Jackson's side had a hugely successful 2023/24 campaign which saw them also claim silverware on the continental stage as they won the AFC Cup (AFC Champions League Two from 2024/25 onwards).
This will be their fifth appearance in Asia's premier club competition - their first since 2014.
The Mariners have been drawn alongside some of the best clubs in Asia with a few familiar faces at the helm.
They will open their campaign away to Chinese outfit Shandong Taishan on Tuesday, 17 September before playing their first home fixture against Buriram United on Tuesday, 1 October.
Throughout their remaining six matches they will travel to Shanghai Port where Kevin Muscat is in charge while their final match of 2024 will see former Mariner John Hutchinson return to Gosford with his Yokohama F. Marinos.
You won’t want to miss a second of the action-packed 2024/25 tournament with every match streamed live on Paramount+.
