Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia has officially clinched a place in the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup following Al Ahli FC’s 2-0 victory over Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale in the AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2025.

The victory ensured that Saudi football became the first in Asia to secure a confirmed representative in the expanded 32-team Club World Cup edition, where Asia will send four continental champions from the 2025 to 2028 editions.

In addition to the Club World Cup berth, Al Ahli have also booked a historic place in the newly introduced FIFA Intercontinental Cup, marking the first time a Saudi club qualifies for the global competition.

Al Ahli are set to face the winner of the Oceania–Africa playoff, which will be contested between the OFC Champions League winner and the CAF Champions League champion — either Egypt’s Pyramids FC or South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns.

That match will be played on Saudi soil, and the winner will lift the Africa-Asia-Oceania Championship — a title last won by Al Ahly of Egypt following their win over UAE’s Al Ain.

Should Al Ahli triumph in that tie, they would progress to the Challenge Cup Final, where they’ll meet the champion of North and Central America (CONCACAF) or South America (CONMEBOL), with a place in the Intercontinental Cup Final at stake.

The Intercontinental Cup Final — scheduled for December 18 — will pit the Challenge Cup winner against the UEFA Champions League winner, with the host country to be announced after all continental champions are confirmed.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia lost its bid to host the Intercontinental Cup due to FIFA’s neutrality clause, which prevents a nation with a participating club from staging the tournament.

As AFC Elite champions, Al Ahli earned continental glory and a global ticket and also secured automatic qualification to the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite, regardless of their domestic league finish.