The Asian Champions League (ACL) is set to be graced by the presence of football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Karim Benzema.

Between them, they boast an impressive tally of 11 UEFA Champions League titles, and starting from Monday, they will lead the Saudi Arabian challenge in the Asian edition of the tournament.

Neymar, who recently surpassed Pele’s international goal record for Brazil, joined Al-Hilal in August. He made his league debut on Friday, helping the four-time Asian champions secure a dominant 6-1 victory over Abha. It’s a notable return for the club after losing the final to Japan’s Urawa Reds in May.

Over the past months, Saudi Arabian clubs have invested around $950 million in some of the world’s most renowned football stars. This spending spree is partially driven by the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, acquiring a majority ownership stake in four top clubs: Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, and Al-Nassr.

Al-Hilal, in particular, has been busy in the transfer market, signing Premier League talents like Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Brazilian winger Malcom, and Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

Mumbai City finds themselves in the same group as Al-Hilal and is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to face the Saudi club, particularly Neymar. Coach Des Buckingham commented, “They’re bringing that caliber and quality of player to India, which is going to be extremely exciting for us and for our club but also for the fans of India.”

Among the 40 teams in the group stage, four are from Saudi Arabia, with the top 10 group winners and the six best second-placed teams advancing to the next round.

Australia’s only representative in the group stage, Melbourne City, will commence their campaign at home against Japan’s Ventforet Kofu on Wednesday.

Breaking the tradition of neutral venues for matches between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Ronaldo will lead Al-Nassr to Tehran to face Persepolis on Tuesday. Al-Nassr has never secured the Asian trophy.

Al-Ittihad, the Saudi Arabian champions, have signed stars like N’Golo Kante from Chelsea and Fabinho from Liverpool. The two-time Asian champions will start their campaign against AGMK of Uzbekistan in Jeddah.

Completing the quartet of Saudi Arabian teams, Al-Fayha, unlike the other three, is not owned by the Public Investment Fund and lacks the same star power. The team faces a challenging trip to Uzbekistan to take on Pakhtakor.

The ACL is divided into geographic zones until the final, ensuring representation from the eastern half of the continent in May’s championship showdown.