The Asian Football Confederation announced the selection of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host the finals of the AFC Champions League Elite during the next three seasons.
The Saudi Federation had obtained the hosting rights temporarily in December 2023, before they were officially approved for the upcoming seasons, following an evaluation of the organizational experience of the last two editions.
The Asian Confederation explained that it decided to settle on Saudi Arabia after the success achieved by the Kingdom in hosting the finals of the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 seasons, both in terms of organization and fan attendance.
Thus, Saudi Arabia will host the final stages of the continental championship during the 2026-2027, 2027-2028, and 2028-2029 seasons, after converting the temporary hosting rights into confirmed rights.
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The final stage is scheduled to be held in a centralized format, where Saudi Arabia will host the knockout stage matches up to the final match and determining the identity of the continental champion.
The AFC Champions League Elite features the participation of the continent's top clubs, with teams competing in the initial stages before the best qualify for the centralized finals.
Al-Ahli Saudi had imposed its dominance on the last two editions of the AFC Champions League Elite, after winning the 2024-2025 season title following a 2-0 victory over Kawasaki Frontale of Japan in the final match.
The Saudi team continued its superiority in the following season 2025-2026, and succeeded in retaining the title after defeating Machida Zelvia of Japan with a goal without reply after resorting to extra time, achieving the continental championship for the second consecutive time.
