The revamped format, along with the rebranding, sees 24 teams playing eight games against different opponents in the brand new league phase.

[3] Al-Ain were the defending champions, as the AFC Champions League records and statistics are carried forward to the ACL Elite, but were eliminated in the league stage.

[7] All matches will be played on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, apart from the quarter-finals and the final.

The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final matches will be played at a centralized venue in Saudi Arabia.

The losers of the qualifying play-offs entered the group stage of the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two.