The AFL is a new competition for the continent’s leading clubs, eight of whom will battle it out in the hope of winning the $4m prize for the champions.
On Friday, the record 11-time African club champions - Al Ahly, of Egypt - meet Tanzania’s Simba in the first of the quarter-finals, all of which are played over two legs.
The brainchild of Fifa and its president Gianni Infantino, who announced in February 2020that the continent needed a new pan-African club competition, the AFL - in its own words - „is set to change the future of club football on the continent“.
„With seemingly unlimited funds, a fervent desire to promote their 2034 World Cup bid and a five-year partnership deal with Caf signed in May, it was little surprise when Saudi Arabia was unveiled as the AFL’s main financial backer.
On 12 October, just weeks after hosting Caf’s Super Cup match, Saudi Arabia’s Visit Saudi - the public agency in charge of promoting tourism in the country - became the AFL’s main sponsor.“
Es wäre auch wenig überraschend wenn zukünftig viele afrikanische Talente direkt den Weg in die KSA League finden, eventuell bei afrikanischen feeder Clubs der KSA Vlubs in Afrika Europa Asien geparkt.