The draw for the AFC Asian Champions League Elite quarter-finals sees Tractor FC take on Dubai’s Shabab Al Ahly in Saudi Arabia.
Published March 25, 2026
Iranian club Tractor FC will travel to Saudi Arabia for a play-off against Dubai’s Shabab Al Ahly for a place in the Asian Champions League Elite quarter-finals against Thailand’s Buriram United.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held the draw to determine the quarter-final pairings on Wednesday, a day after announcing that the West Zone playoffs, which had been postponed due to the Middle East war, had been rescheduled to April 13 and 14 in Jeddah.
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The Saudi city will also host the tournament’s quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals from April 16 to 25, with organizers setting the dates in hopes of peace in the region.
AFC general secretary Windsor John said: “We all want to play games as soon as possible, so it would be great if we can finish them in April as planned.” “We hope things calm down soon.”
Participating clubs have been “very supportive of the steps we have taken to only play when the situation has calmed down”.
Japan’s Vissel Kobe, second in the East Zone, will face the winner of the play-off between four-time champions Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia and Al Sadd of the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
Defending champions Al Ahli Saudi will face Qatar’s Al Duhail and Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad will play Al Wahda for a place in the quarter-finals, and will face Japan’s Machida Zelbia, who topped the East Zone League stage.
The AFC Champions League 2 and AFC Challenge League quarterfinals were also postponed due to the war between the United States and Israel against Iran. The AFC announced on Tuesday that these matches will be held at a central venue (to be named later) on April 19 and 22.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi club Al Nasr is one of the teams taking part in the Asian Champions League 2.
