The AFC has officially announced that the final of the current edition of the AFC Champions League will be held in Doha, on December 19, from one match, instead of the home and away match system, after an understanding with the Qatar Football Association.
The AFC said in a statement on its official website: “After the end of the AFC Champions League 2020 matches for the western region in Qatar recently, and the country is currently preparing to host matches in the East region as of the middle of next month, the AFC has confirmed that Qatar has all the capabilities. Necessary for the hosting, and the medical infrastructure to host the final matches in the most important club tournaments on the continent.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has made choosing the host country for this year’s final difficult and complicated, especially in light of these complicated times in terms of travel and health restrictions,” said AFC Secretary General Dato Windsor John.
“The final of this year will be one match in a way that differs from previous years, and therefore we needed to ensure that there was no unfair advantage for one of the teams.”
For his part, Mansour Muhammad Al-Ansari, Secretary-General of the Qatar Football Association, said, “Given the success of hosting matches in the West Region, we are confident of our ability to hold a wonderful final for the AFC Champions League.”
The group stage matches in the AFC Champions League for the East will resume from November 18, with the last-16 matches to be held on December 6 and 7, the quarter-final matches on December 10, and the semi-final match on the 13th of the same month.
Al-Hilal won the title of the last edition by beating its home side Urawa Red Diamonds 1-0 and a 2-0 away away from home.
