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Gwangju to face Al Hilal in AFC Champions League Elite quarters

Published: 18 Mar. 2025, 10:28

Gwangju FC pose for a photo before the second leg of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite round of 16 match against Vissel Kobe on March 12. [YONHAP]

Gwangju FC will face Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League Elite.

The AFC revealed the results of the quarterfinals draw on Monday. Gwangju FC, the only Korean side alive in the top AFC club tournament, will face Al Hilal on April 25.

In the league phase and the round of 16, teams in the East and West regions only faced teams from their own areas. But from the quarterfinals and on, clubs from the opposite regions will face each other.

The quarterfinals, the semifinals and the championship final will all be one-and-done showdowns. They will be played in Saudi Arabia as the centralized host country from April 25 to May 4.

The winner of the Gwangju-Al Hilal match will face either Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia or Buriram United of Thailand in the semifinals on April 29.

Al Hilal, with 19 Saudi league titles and four AFC Champions League crowns to their name, boast a star-studded squad featuring Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, Joao Cancelo and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Under head coach Lee Jung-hyo in recent years, Gwangju FC have earned a reputation as a feisty club often punching above their weight. In the round of 16 at the AFC tournament, they lost the first leg against Vissel Kobe 2-0 but took the second leg 3-0 to advance.

Yonhap