Three Saudi cities to host 2023 King Salman Club Cup games

RIYADH: The Arabian Football Federation has released the schedule and confirmed the venues for the group stage matches of the 2023 King Salman Club Cup.

The Saudi cities of Taif, Abha and Al-Baha will host the tournament, with the matches being played between July 27 and Aug. 12, the federation said on Thursday.

Before then, Sudanese club Al-Hilal will face Aymen Sfaxi of Tunisia in a delayed second qualifying round tie on July 4 and 7, the winner of which will join Saudi side Al-Ittihad, Iraq’s Al-Shurta and Al-Taraji of Tunisia in Group A

Group B includes Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, Libya’s Al-Ahly Tripoli, Qatar’s Al-Sadd and Al-Wedad of Morocco. The teams in Group C are Saudi sides Al-Nassr and Al-Shabab, Egypt’s Zamalek and Tunisia’s Monastir Union.

Competing in Group D will be Algeria’s Shabab Belouizdad, Morocco’s Al-Raja, Kuwait FC from Kuwait and the Emirati team Al-Wahda.

The group-stage matches will take place between July 27 and Aug. 3. The quarter-finals will be played on Aug. 5 and 6, followed by the semi-finals on Aug. 9 and the final on Aug. 12. The winners will receive a $6 million prize, and the runners-up $2.5 million.

Moroccan side Al-Raja won the previous tournament, in 2021, which was officially named the Mohammed VI Cup Champions Cup.

The King Salman Club Cup, also known as the Arab Club Champions Cup, is a prestigious competition in Arab football which attracts top teams from the region. Each staging of the event is traditionally officially named after the leader of the host nation, in this case King Salman of Saudi Arabia.