April 16 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is accelerating its entry into the virtual football space with the official launch of the AFC eChampions League Elite (eACL Elite) this month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – the brainchild of its first-ever Football eSports Forum in Kuala Lumpur in late 2024.
The inaugural eACL Elite competition will take place at the King Abdullah Sports City Sports Hall on April 24, running alongside the AFC Champions League Elite Finals, which will be held from April 25 to May 3. It will mark an important milestone in the AFC’s broader strategy to develop a sustainable and competitive Football eSports ecosystem across Asia.
The eACL Elite will feature 1v1 contests played on Konami’s eFootball 2025 video game platform, with participation limited to clubs that competed in the 2024/25 edition of the AFC Champions League Elite.
The event will begin with a League Stage split into East and West regions – mirroring the physical ACLE – followed by a best-of-three Knockout Stage. Once the Round of 16 concludes on April 26, the regional split will be removed, with the tournament culminating in the Semi-finals and Final on April 28.
This announcement follows the December 2024 AFC Football eSports Forum in Kuala Lumpur, which brought together key stakeholders and industry experts to outline the Confederation’s digital vision. The forum looked to embrace technological innovation to engage younger fans and expand football’s reach. It also provided guidance for Member Associations looking to improve their eSports infrastructure ahead of the club-based competition set to begin in just a matter of days.
Earlier in 2024, the AFC had launched its first national team eSports competition, the AFC eAsian Cup, held in parallel with the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. That tournament demonstrated the potential of Football eSports to reach new audiences and provided the foundation and encouragement for further developments at the club level.
“Earlier this year, we marked the beginning of a new chapter in the Confederation’s rich legacy when we introduced the AFC eAsian Cup,” said AFC deputy general secretary Shin Man Gil at December’s forum. “It demonstrated the immense potential of eSports and opened the doors to welcome a whole new section of fans. We must embrace digital innovations to expand the reach of our sport and deepen our connection with fans, especially with our younger audience.”
The AFC’s eSports competitions exclusively use Konami’s eFootball platform, distancing themselves from the EA Sports-developed FC25, which dominates the Western eSports football scene, particularly via its deal with UEFA and its competitions.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1744813084labto1744813084ofdlr1744813084owedi1744813084sni@g1744813084niwe.1744813084yrrah1744813084
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