AFC Reschedules Club Knockouts to Jeddah Amid Mideast Conflict

The Asian Football Confederation has rescheduled postponed knockout matches for its elite club competitions to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, following disruptions from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The western zone round-of-16 playoffs in the AFC Champions League Elite, originally set for early March as two-legged ties, will now take place as single-leg encounters on April 13 and 14 at King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium.

The decision comes after the confederation halted fixtures in the region last month amid escalating tensions, including U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent Iranian responses targeting Gulf states. Those events led to suspensions in several domestic leagues, such as Qatar's, and forced the AFC to centralize remaining western matches for safety. Jeddah will also host the tournament's quarterfinals, semifinals and final from April 16 to 25, with organizers aiming to conclude the competition within the month.

On Wednesday, the AFC conducted a draw in Kuala Lumpur to pair quarterfinal participants. Iran's Tractor FC will face Shabab Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates in one playoff, with the winner advancing to...