The Asian Football Confederation announced the lists of clubs participating in the elite AFC Champions League for the 2025-2026 season, featuring three Saudi clubs: Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ittihad.

The clubs from the Western region include, alongside the Saudi clubs, Al-Ahly from the UAE, Nasaf from Uzbekistan, Al-Shorta from Iraq, Al-Sadd from Qatar, Tractor from Iran, Sharjah from the UAE, Al-Duhail from Qatar, Al-Gharafa from Qatar, and Al-Wahda from the UAE.

As for the clubs from the Eastern region, they include Vissel Kobe from Japan, Shanghai Port from China, Ulsan from South Korea, Buriram United from Thailand, Johor Darul Ta'zim from Malaysia, Melbourne City from Australia, Sanfrecce Hiroshima from Japan, Shanghai Shenhua from China, Gangwon from South Korea, Matsumoto Yamaga from Japan, Chengdu Rongcheng from China, and FC Seoul from South Korea.

This announcement comes as part of the official preparations for the new season of the AFC Champions League, in which participating clubs aim to compete for the most prestigious continental title in Asia.

The participation of the three Saudi clubs is considered an important factor in enhancing competition in the tournament, as the teams from the Kingdom have always represented a prominent force in the Western region and strive to achieve strong results at the continental level.