The 2024/2025 season of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Elite League is currently in the knockout stages, and among the eight teams set to face off in the quarterfinals, only five from the 12 Football Associations that began the season are still represented:
- Saudi Arabia
- Qatar
- Japan
- South Korea
- Thailand
Let’s take a close look at each FA still represented and assess the chances of their clubs lifting the trophy on May 3. Take note of this information when you consider your bet options on GGBet Polska as the competition progresses.
Saudi Arabia - 3 Teams
On paper, the Saudi Arabian FA’s delegation looks like the strongest in this year’s edition, with all three of their teams closing the West League phase in first, second, and third positions and then dispatching their opposite numbers in the Round of 16 phase.
Between Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, and Al-Nassr, we shall focus on Al Nassr for this article, because, while they may have lost the first leg of their Round of 16 match with Pakthakor, and needed a second-leg win to secure their progression, it will be naive to ignore the fact that they won every game in the league phase except the one they drew, and are the only Saudi Arabian team in the competition to have won the title (2019 & 2021), or to have made the finals recently (2022/2023 season).
So, not only does the team have the firepower to get the job done, they also have the experience, which may count for something in the toughest games. For these reasons, they edge out their compatriots.
Japan - 2 Teams
Japanese FA also has a strong delegation of two clubs remaining in the competition, including the winners and runners-up of the East League, Yokohama F. Marinos and Kawasaki Frontale, and while they may not have had the same kind of smooth sailing that the first two clubs in the West League experienced, the knockout stage is a different ball game entirely.
Among this delegation, the obvious choice to bet on would be the Yokohama F. Marinos, who were first in their league phase and breezed past Shanghai Port in the Round of 16 stage. Even more, they were last season’s runners-up up and that experience has to count for something.
They still have to scale through the quarterfinals, where they will match up against an Al-Nassr team that boasts of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mane, and Jhon Duran, but if they scale through that challenge, you cannot rule them out of going all the way this year.
South Korea - 1 Team
Gwangju FC may be making its first-ever ACL appearance, but it’s safe to say that they have not shamed the South Korean FA so far. Their run to the quarterfinal has been one of steadily showing up and facing the day’s challenge head-on.
Few will hold their breath in expectation of Gwangju upsetting ACL giants Al-Hilal, but football is not played on paper, and we might all be forced to pay attention to them if, after 90 minutes of quarterfinal football, Gwangju is progressing to the Semis.
Qatar - 1 Team
Al-Sadd FC is not one of the favorites to win the ACL, but the Qatari FA will be hoping that they can focus on what is in front of them – a Kawasaki Frontale team that they have every chance of beating – and then worry only about the next stage only after they have earned the right to.
Al-Sadd fans may be forgiven for wishing their club could repeat the championship-winning run that led them to their 2011 ACL victory, and to achieve that, they must first overcome Kawasaki Frontale in the quarterfinals.
Thailand - 1 Team
One can accept that the Thai delegation is still going strong since Buriram United FC, the one team representing the FA, is still in the competition and has as much possibility of progressing as any other team. In fact, the Thai FA hopes that their 2024 league champions can upset expectations and perform a miracle this season.
They have to face and defeat Al-Ahli though, so let’s see if this fairytale run will be renewed for one more episode, at least.
