Al-Nasr would like to play at Erbil Franso Hariri Stadium: Saudi Journalist
Al-Shorta will play their away match against al-Hilal, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s al-Nasr will travel to Iraq to take on al-Shorta.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24)— Cristiano Ronaldo’s al-Nasr will meet Iraq’s Al Shorta in the first round of the AFC Champions League, and according to a Saudi journalist speaking to Kurdistan24, al-Nasr would very much like to play in Erbil.
The group stage draw for the tournament took place on Friday at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has introduced significant changes to this year's tournament, narrowing the field to the top 24 teams: 12 from West Asia and 12 from East Asia. Each team will play eight matches in the first round, consisting of four home and four away games.
Iraqi Premier League champions al-Shorta, which has two Kurdish players Akam Hashim and Ahmad Zero, will also compete in the tournament, facing Saudi Arabia’s al-Nasr and al-Hilal. Al-Shorta will play their away match against al-Hilal, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s al-Nasr will travel to Iraq to take on al-Shorta.
Iraqi Arab media reports suggest that al-Shorta will host their AFC Champions League matches in Karbala. However, Saudi journalist Essa al-Musmar, in an exclusive interview with Kurdistan24, indicated that the venue for the match between al-Shorta and al-Nasr remains uncertain.
Al-Musmar, known as an analyst and commentator at the Qatari beIN Sports channel, mentioned that there are discussions about potentially holding the match in Erbil's Franso Hariri Stadium.
In the opening round, al-Shorta will also face Hernan Crespo's al-Ain at home, and will travel for their away matches against Saudi’s al-Hilal, Iran's Esteghlal and Persepolis, and UAE's Al Ahli.
The tournament will commence on February 16 and conclude on February 19.
For the first time, the AFC Champions League will see all quarter-final matches held in a single country, with Saudi Arabia chosen as the host for these matches.