Together with the Qatar Football Association (QFA), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has today confirmed Doha, Qatar as the venue for the 2020 AFC Champions League single-leg Final, which will be held on 19 December 2020.
With the successful conclusion of the AFC Champions League 2020 (West) in Qatar recently, as well as the upcoming preparations to host the East region matches next month, the AFC noted that the QFA met all the necessary hosting capability and capacity and medical infrastructure to host the Final of Asia’s premier club competition.
According to AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John, “The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly made the decision on the venue for this year’s Final more complex particularly in these uncertain times of travel and health restrictions. In addition to the numerous restrictions, the AFC also wanted to protect the important principle of sporting fair play. This will be, unlike previous years, a one-off final and we therefore needed to ensure that there was no unfair advantage to one team or the other.”
Additionally, the AFC also had to consider the ability of the host to deliver such requirements among others, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technical arrangements, medical requirements, and commercial obligations.
“The successful staging of the AFC Champions League (West) is testament to the capability of the QFA and the Qatar Government and we now look forward to building on the spirit of collaboration as we prepare to resume the captivating action from the East Group Stage to the Final,” added by the AFC General Secretary.
QFA Secretary General Mansoor Mohammed Al-Ansari said, “Given the success of hosting the centralized West region matches in close collaboration with the AFC, and the preparation for the centralized East matches next month, we are confident that we will be able to deliver an outstanding AFC Champions League Final.
The AFC Champions League East region Group Stage will kick-off on 18 November 2020, before the Round of 16 takes place on 06 and 07 December 2020. The Knockout Stage will commence with the Quarter-finals on 10 December 2020 before the Semi-final on 13 December 2020. Further details of the Final will be communicated in due course.