What was billed as a showcase of Asia’s top club football talent has, instead, turned into a stark display of Saudi Arabian dominance. In the 2024/25 AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) quarterfinals, Saudi teams swept aside their East Asian challengers with ease: Al-Hilal thrashed South Korea’s Gwangju FC 7-0, Al-Ahli comfortably overcame Thai champions Buriram United 3-0, and Al-Nassr dispatched Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos 4-1. Across three matches, Saudi sides racked up 14 goals while conceding just one.
This run of results highlights broader structural shifts within Asian football. Since 2023, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has taken ownership of the country’s leading clubs, which consisted of Riyadh giants Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal as well as Jeddah-based Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli. Backed by significant financial resources, these teams have bolstered their squads with an array of international stars from Europe and South America, supplemented by key players from the Saudi Arabian national team.
Another major advantage lies in geography. Under a new hosting arrangement, the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final of the ACLE will be staged exclusively in Saudi Arabia through at least the 2028/29 season. Playing critical knockout matches on home soil has given Saudi clubs reduced travel demands, greater fan support, and familiarity with the conditions—elements that have proved crucial in the high-stakes environment of the tournament’s later rounds.
Of the four Saudi clubs participating in AFC competitions this season, three—Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, and Al-Ahli—compete in the ACLE and are PIF-backed, while Al-Taawoun, the lone non-PIF Saudi representative, took part in the AFC Champions League Two. Only Al-Taawoun have been eliminated, falling to Sharjah FC of the United Arab Emirates in the ACL2 semifinals. The three PIF-supported clubs, meanwhile, have advanced to the ACLE semifinals, underlining the strength of Saudi Arabia’s footballing resurgence.
The only non-Saudi team to reach the ACLE semifinals is Kawasaki Frontale of Japan, who narrowly edged Qatar’s Al-Sadd 3-2 after extra time. Their path to the final stages has only emphasized the growing difficulty for clubs outside Saudi Arabia to challenge on equal terms.
With vast financial investment, a sustained hosting advantage, and a newly restructured competition format that potentially favors wealthier, deeper squads, Saudi Arabian clubs are well-positioned to shape the landscape of Asian club football for the foreseeable future.