Al Ain won the 2024 AFC Champions League title after defeating Yokohama Marinos 5-1 in the second leg of the final at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.
The Emirati club lost in Japan 2-1, and after winning the second leg 5-1, the aggregate of the two matches became (6-3), and thus Hernan Crespo’s squad won the second Asian title in its history.
Certainly, the champion of the final and the champion of the entire competition for Al Ain was Sofiane Rahimi, after the Moroccan star scored a goal in the first leg and two goals in the return, and also caused the expulsion of the Yokohama goalkeeper.
In total, Rahimi scored 13 goals in the AFC Champions League this season, and he is the competition’s top scorer, 5 goals behind the closest competitor, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Al Hilal striker.
With Al Ain’s victory, Al-Zaeem’s participation in the 2025 Club World Cup was confirmed and the contract of the qualified clubs from the Asian continent for the exceptional edition of the tournament scheduled to be held in America was completed.
Asia will be represented by Al Hilal, the champion of the previous edition, and Ulsan of South Korea, in addition to Al Ain as the champion of this edition, and Urawa Red Diamonds, the champion of 2023.
Al Ain will also compete in the Intercontinental Cup, which will be held with the participation of the champions of the six continents in 2024 under the new system.
