Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia won the AFC Champions League Elite final for the second consecutive year, defeating Japan's Machida Zelvia 1-0 in Jeddah. The match, however, was marred by a red card for Al-Ahli's Zakaria Hawsawi, who head-butted Machida's Tete Yengi in the second half. Despite being reduced to ten men, Al-Ahli secured victory through a late extra-time goal by Firas al-Buraikan, assisted by Riyad Mahrez.
The final highlighted stark contrasts between the two clubs. Al-Ahli, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, fielded nine foreign players, including former European stars like Mahrez and Édouard Mendy. Machida, a debutant in the competition and only in their second season in the J-League top flight, started just three foreigners. Their coach, Go Kuroda, a former high school teacher, has built a direct, physical style that has drawn criticism as 'unJapanese'.
The tournament format has drawn criticism for its lack of fairness. Since the quarter-finals, all knockout matches have been held in Jeddah, meaning Al-Ahli did not play a single away game in the knockout stage. This format, introduced two years ago, has been questioned for damaging the tournament's integrity. The old system of home-and-away two-legged ties was scrapped without clear explanation.
The neutral venue approach also led to poor attendances. The semi-final between Machida and Shabab Al-Ahli from Dubai attracted only 395 spectators, which an AFC official described as 'embarrassing'. While crowds for Saudi teams are large, the overall format remains a fundamental problem, with only 12 of the AFC's 47 member nations allowed to enter teams.
