DISCUSSION: Have the ACL Elite's foreign player rules gone too far?

What is noticeable about the make up of the teams to make the final eight (or final 12 as it is until the West Zone completes their postponed Round of 16) is the inclusion of JDT from Malaysia and Buriram United from Thailand. This isn't the first time the two Southeast Asian giants have made the knockout rounds of the continental competition, but it is the first time they've made it this far since the advent of the AFC Champions League Elite format last season, and they did so at the expense of clubs from Japan and Australia, not to mention the Korean clubs eliminated in the group stage. It represents a seismic shift in the landscape of Asian club football, but how it came about has people questioning whether this is actually for the betterment of Asian football. On this week's The Asian Game Podcast, we discuss the AFC's decision to scrap foreign player limits that have allowed JDT and Buriram to field almost exclusively foreign starting XIs and the impact it might have going forward. Be sure to follow The Asian Game on all our social media channels: X: IG: Facebook:

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DISCUSSION: Have the ACL Elite's foreign player rules gone too far? is an episode from The Asian Game by The Asian Game.

This episode is 13:29 long.

This episode was published on Mar 25, 2026.

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