The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today announced the first promotional campaign for the new trophy for Asia’s top club competition, which will be launched this year under the name “AFC Champions League Elite”, through a special tour across the continent, which will give fans the opportunity to get to know the trophy up close.
The Federation stated in a statement that the tour of the original version of the cup is scheduled to start with a visit to each of the 12 member associations participating in the Asian Men’s Club Competition, as the tour will begin with a visit to Al Ain Club of the Emirates, the champion of the AFC Champions League (2023-2024), on the opening day of the league stage on September 16.
Each subsequent round of the league stage will feature a different destination for the trophy, along with two more in the round of 16, with the trophy travelling through Australia, China, Iraq, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Qatar, Thailand and Uzbekistan before arriving in Saudi Arabia to stay for the duration of the final stages of the tournament, culminating in the title-deciding match on May 4, 2025.
The trophy tour will also give fans the opportunity to view and take photos with the tournament’s dazzling trophy, which was revealed during the league stage draw last month, as Asia’s top 24 clubs compete for the AFC Champions League title.
Fans will also be able to see the new AFC Women’s Champions League and AFC Champions League II trophies, which will be on display during the opening day of each tournament, on October 2 and 3 in Wuhan, China, which will host the AFC Women’s Champions League Group A matches, and Hiroshima, Japan, where Sanfrecce Hiroshima will kick off their AFC Champions League II Group E campaign against Kaya Iloilo of the Philippines on September 19.