Title holders Al-Ain face triple Saudi test

Asian Champions League kicks off on Sept 16

KUALA LUMPUR:

Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates will face Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr and fellow Saudi Arabian sides Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli when Hernan Crespo's side kick off the defence of their continental title next month.

Al-Ain, who won the club's second Asian title in May, will also meet Qatar's Al-Sadd, Al-Rayyan and Al-Gharafa plus Al-Shorta from Iraq and Uzbekistan champions Pakhtakor following the group-phase draw in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

Asia's top club competition has been reconfigured ahead of the new campaign, which starts on Sept. 16, with the number of teams reduced from 40 to 24 while the Swiss League format will be used in the group phase.

The 24 participants have been split into two groups of 12 - one covering west Asia and the other the eastern side of the continent - with teams playing eight matches in the group phase against opponents determined by a computer-assisted draw.

The new champions will earn up to $12 million, a three-fold increase on the maximum available in previous seasons. On the eastern side, 2024 runners-up Yokohama F Marinos will take on South Korea's Ulsan HD, Pohang Steelers and Gwangju FC as well as Thailand's Buriram United and Central Coast Mariners of Australia.

Chinese Super League trio Shanghai Port, who are coached by former Marinos coach Kevin Muscat, Shanghai Shenhua and Shandong Taishan complete the group phase commitments for the Japanese side.

The top eight teams at the end of the group phase on each side of the continent will advance to knockout rounds, with the round of 16 to be played on a home-and-away basis in March.

From the quarter-finals onwards, the competition will be contested on a centralised basis in Saudi Arabia. The last eight matches will be held on April 25 and 26 and the semi-finals on April 29 and 30, with the final to be played on May 4.