Saudi Pro League clubs will travel to Iran to appear in the Asian Champions League after the Asian Football Confederation or AFC on Monday, September 4 2023, said matches between teams from the two countries would be played on a home and away basis for the first time since 2016. With this move, Cristiano Ronaldo ‘s Al Nassr will start their Asian Champions League campaign in Iran.
Al Nassr will travel to the Azadi Stadium, Tehran, on September 19 2023, against Persepolis. Two other Saudi Arabian League clubs, Al Hilal and Al-Ittihad, will also visit Iran during the group phase.
Matches have been played on neutral territory since 2016 as tense diplomatic relations between the two countries meant Saudi Arabian citizens were not allowed to travel to Iran.
The AFC welcomes this historic step as it reflects Saudi Arabia and Iran’s commitment to fostering closer ties between their respective football communities.
“This allows clubs to host matches at their home ground and visit their respective away stadiums, creating a more interesting and exciting experience for fans and players,” the AFC said in a statement.
Apart from Al Nassr’s visit to Tehran in Group E, Al Hilal, who recently signed Brazilian winger Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain, is scheduled to travel to Tehran to face Nassaji Mazandaran in Group D on October 3.
Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad, featuring former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, will face Isfahan-based Sepahan in Group C, and the two teams will meet in Iran on October 2.
The Saudi Pro League teams are among the most successful in Asian club competition, with Al Hilal winning the title four times while Al-Ittihad were champions in 2004 and 2005.
As for Iranian club Persepolis, they are one of the best-supported clubs in the region and played in front of 100,000 spectators at the Azadi Stadium in the second leg of the 2018 Asian Champions League final , when they lost to Kashima Antlers of Japan.
The group phase begins on 18 September and runs until 13 December 2023 with the knockout stages starting on 12 February 2023, with the two- legged final scheduled for 11 and 18 May 2024.
Source : Tempo.co
