Al-Ittihad Jeddah has confirmed their qualification for the AFC Champions League Elite as the second Saudi representative.

Al-Ittihad secured a 3-0 victory over Al-Fayha in the 31st round of the Saudi Pro League at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.

With this win, Al-Ittihad reached 74 points, maintaining a 9-point lead over second-placed Al-Hilal, who are set to face Al-Orobah next.

The gap between Al-Ittihad and third-placed Al-Qadisiyah has widened to 12 points. If Al-Nassr wins against Al-Khaleej, they will move to third place with 63 points but remain 11 points behind Al-Ittihad with only three matchdays remaining.

Thus, Al-Ittihad, like Al-Ahli, has confirmed their participation in the AFC Champions League Elite. According to regulations, only the top two teams in the league qualify directly for this tournament. Al-Ahli had previously secured their spot by winning the current edition of the AFC Champions League Elite.

Under these circumstances, Saudi Arabia now holds three direct spots in the AFC Champions League Elite. The first spot went to Al-Ahli for winning the previous edition, while Al-Ittihad secured the second spot as the current league leaders. The main competition now is for the third spot among Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, and Al-Qadisiyah.

Al-Qadisiyah has also reached the final of the Saudi King’s Cup and, if they fail to qualify through the league, they can secure a spot in the second tier of the AFC Champions League by winning the cup against Al-Ittihad. However, if this scenario unfolds, one of the Saudi football giants—Al-Hilal or Al-Nassr—will miss out on Asian competitions next season, marking a significant crisis for the excluded team.