Saudi Pro League clubs will travel to Iran to feature in the Asian Champions League after the Asian Football Confederation on Monday said games between teams from the two nations would be played on a home-and-away basis for the first time since 2016, according to a report in Reuters.
The move follows a warming of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran after a surprise announcement between the two nations earlier this year re-established ties. Since then, the two powers, which found themselves on opposite sides of conflicts around the region, have re-opened embassies and continued on a path toward normalized relations.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr will kick off their Asian Champions League campaign in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Sept. 19 against Persepolis while Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad will also travel to Iran during the group phase, Reuters reports.
Matches had been played on neutral territory since 2016 because strained diplomatic ties between the two countries meant Saudi nationals were not permitted to travel to Iran.
Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in ramping up the regional and global standing of its football league, the Saudi Pro League, with an active transfer season luring into the Kingdom some of the sports biggest names.
