The Asian Champions League playoffs in the eastern zone are set to be staged in Japan in August. The Asian Football Confederation on Monday said the Round of 16 matches would be played Aug. 18 and 19, the quarterfinals on Aug. 22 and the semifinals on Aug. 25. Saitama will host the Round of 16 matches with Daegu FC against South Korean rival and two-time champion Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, BG Pathum United of Thailand against Hong Kong-based Kitchee SC, Vissel Kobe against Yokohama F Marinos in an all-Japan match and Johor Darul Ta’zim of Malaysia taking on two-time ACL winners Urawa Red Diamonds. Read: Stadium 974: FIFA’s Qatar World Cup 2022 brings world’s first transportable stadium The western zone knockout stages will be held Feb. 3-10 next year at a central venue. The winners of the eastern and western zones will meet in a home-and-away finals series on Feb. 19 and 26. The AFC took the decision in January to revise the dates of the continental club championship because of COVID-19-related travel restrictions in some countries and the scheduling of the Nov. 21—Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar.

The longest Asian Champions League tournament in history ends on Saturday — more than 11 months after the first ball was kicked — when Ulsan Horang-i of South Korea meets Iran’s Persepolis in Doha, Qatar in the final.