Oman today_ In the 2024-2025 season of Asian club football, Al-Ahli from Saudi Arabia and Sharjah from the UAE emerged as champions of the AFC Elite League and AFC Champions League 2, respectively. These achievements brought significant changes to the quota allocation for teams participating in the next season of the AFC Elite League.
According to the “Footy Rankings” website, the teams confirmed for the 2025-2026 season of the AFC Elite League include Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia; Tractor from Iran; Shabab Al-Ahli and Sharjah from the UAE; Al-Sadd from Qatar; Nasaf Qarshi from Uzbekistan; as well as the league champions of Iraq, the runners-up of the UAE league, and the winners of Qatar’s Emir Cup.
Among these, Sharjah’s victory in AFC Champions League 2 ensured their direct entry into the AFC Elite League without the need for a playoff. Initially, the UAE had been granted 1+2 spots for this season, but Sharjah’s triumph secured an automatic qualification.
Sepahan of Iran, as the runners-up in the Persian Gulf Pro League, faces a single playoff match against Al-Duhail of Qatar. A win in this match would allow Sepahan to compete at the highest level of Asian club football. This scenario appears more favorable compared to last season, where Sepahan had to overcome two tough opponents—Shabab Al-Ahli of the UAE and Al-Gharafa of Qatar. However, they failed to do so, losing to the UAE representative and subsequently relegating to AFC Champions League 2.
Al-Ahli and Sharjah’s Championship: Major Changes in the AFC Elite League Quotas
