Seeking early wins on Day 1 to seal favourable spots for the Round of 16, the opening day was packed with high-intensity 10-minute clashes among some of the most renowned names in the gaming ecosystem as they battled in 1v1 encounters using KONAMI’s eFootball™ 2025 video game.

The West Zone kicked off with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr Club defeating Al Ain FC of the United Arab Emirates 4-2, while an all-Qatari showdown saw Al Sadd SC come from behind to beat Al Gharafa SC 3-2.

The other Round 1 clashes saw Islamic Republic of Iran’s Persepolis register a stellar 10-1 win over UAE’s Al Wasl FC. A hard-fought battle between Qatar’s Al Rayyan and Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor FC saw the Qatari side emerge 3-2 victors.

Pakhtakor bounced back from their earlier loss to defeat Al Ain 3-1 while Persepolis remained unstoppable, notching up an impressive 4-0 win over Al Rayyan.

Al Gharafa came into Round 2 on a far more spirited note and defeated Al Wasl 4-0, while Al Nassr were made to work hard to maintain their winning ways as they beat Al Sadd 3-0.

Al Nassr started their Round 3 campaign brightly, storming past Al Wasl 7-1 as the Emirati side suffered their third loss. A confident Al Sadd side produced an impressive performance to defeat Al Ain 3-0.

An evenly matched encounter between Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa saw the two sides share the spoils with the match ending in a 1-1 stalemate, while Persepolis remained undefeated as they edged Pakhtakor 2-1.

Al Ain’s best efforts to make a heroic comeback fell short, as despite scoring twice in the dying minutes, the UAE side lost 3-2 to Persepolis, whereas Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor narrowly managed to collect three points with a 1-0 win against Al Gharafa.

Al Sadd added to Al Wasl’s misery with the Qatari side notching an emphatic 7-0 win in their final match of Day 1 while in the last Round 4 game in the West Zone, Al Nassr defeated Al Rayyan 3-0.

China PR’s Shanghai Shenhua defeated Korea Republic’s Gwangju FC 3-1, while a couple of second-half goals saw Japan’s Vissel Kobe emerge 2-1 winners against Thailand’s Buriram United in the opening games of the East Zone’s Round 1.

The much-awaited clash between Yokohama F. Marinos and Ulsan HD ended with the Japanese side completely dominating proceedings with a 5-0 win over their Korean rivals, while Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim produced an impressive 4-1 victory over Korea Republic’s Pohang Steelers.

Yokohama F. Marinos failed to continue their winning momentum, suffering a 2-1 loss against JDT, whereas a solitary goal in the 48th minute saw Gwangju FC clinch their first win of the event at Pohang Steelers’ expense.

Both Ulsan HD and Buriram United produced cagey performances in Round 2, which ended with a late goal seeing the Thai side collect the three points. Vissel Kobe also bagged their second win with a lone goal, helping them edge Shanghai Shenhua.

It was three straight wins for Vissel Kobe as they sailed past Pohang Steelers with a 3-0 triumph, while a flawless performance from Shanghai Shenhua saw them clinch a 2-0 win against Buriram United.

JDT registered their third consecutive win when they defeated Uslan HD 3-0, whereas Yokohama F. Marinos returned to winning ways with a 4-1 victory over Gwangju FC.

There was no stopping Vissel Kobe, who wrapped up Day 1 with a fourth convincing win as they defeated fellow Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos 4-2. JDT, however, saw their winning streak come to an end when Gwangju stunned them 2-1 to finish their day on a winning note.

Ulsan HD’s search for a win will continue on Day 2 of the League Stage after they finished their last game of the day with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Shanghai Shenhua. Thailand’s Buriram United, on the other hand, ended their day with a 2-0 victory over Pohang Steelers.