AFC Champions League facts for kids
 |
|
| Organising body | AFC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1967 (rebranded in 2002 and 2024) |
| Region | Asia |
| Number of teams | 40 (group stage) |
| Qualifier for | FIFA Club World Cup FIFA Intercontinental Cup |
| Related competitions | AFC Champions League Two (2nd tier) AFC Challenge League (3rd tier) |
| Current champions |  Al Ain (2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Al-Hilal (4 titles) |
The AFC Champions League (often called ACL) is a big annual football competition. It is organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Top football clubs from across Asia play in it. It is the most important club competition in Asian football. Teams that win their national leagues, and sometimes other top teams, get to play.
The competition started in 1967 as the Asian Champion Club Tournament. It changed its name to AFC Champions League in 2002. This happened after three older tournaments joined together. These were the Asian Club Championship, the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, and the Asian Super Cup.
Currently, 40 clubs play in the group stage. The best teams from Asia's strongest leagues get a direct spot. Other teams can try to qualify through special playoff matches. The team that wins the AFC Champions League gets to play in the FIFA Club World Cup.
The club with the most wins is Al-Hilal, with four titles. Al Ain are the current champions. They won the 2024 final against Yokohama F. Marinos.
Contents
History of the Tournament
Early Days: Asian Champion Club Tournament (1967–1972)
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) first thought about creating a tournament for Asian club champions in 1963. They wanted a competition similar to the European Cup in Europe. The tournament began in 1967. It was called the Asian Champion Club Tournament.
In its first few years, the tournament used different ways to play. The first one was a simple knockout style. The next three tournaments had a group stage. During these early years, some teams faced challenges playing against each other. This led to the tournament being stopped for a while.
Return as the Asian Club Championship (1985–2002)
Asia's main club tournament came back in 1985. It was renamed the Asian Club Championship.
In 1990, the AFC added another competition. This was the Asian Cup Winners' Cup. It was for teams that won their national cup competitions. Then, in 1995, the Asian Super Cup was introduced. In this cup, the winners of the Asian Club Championship played against the winners of the Asian Cup Winners' Cup.
The AFC Champions League Era (2002–2024)
In the 2002–03 season, the Asian Club Championship, Asian Cup Winners' Cup, and Asian Super Cup all combined. They became the AFC Champions League. Teams that won their leagues or cups could play in qualifying rounds. The best teams from East Asia and West Asia then moved to the group stage.
The first team to win under the new AFC Champions League name was Al-Ain. They beat BEC Tero Sasana in the final. In 2004, the tournament changed its schedule to run from March to November.
In the group stage, 28 clubs were divided into seven groups. Teams from East Asia and West Asia were kept separate. This helped reduce travel costs. Each team played every other team in its group twice, once at home and once away. The winners of each group and the best second-place teams moved on. The later rounds, like quarter-finals and semi-finals, were played over two games.
More Teams Join
In 2005, clubs from Syria joined the competition. This increased the number of countries playing to 15. Two years later, Australian clubs also joined.
The Champions League grew to 32 clubs in 2009. The top ten leagues in Asia got direct spots. Each country could have up to 4 teams. The number of spots depended on how strong their league was. It also depended on things like how professional their league was and its financial health. The AFC checks these rules every two years.
In 2021, the group stage got even bigger. It went from 32 to 40 teams. Both the West and East regions now have five groups of four teams. The 10 group winners and the top 6 second-place teams (3 from each region) move to the next round. The games are still mostly regional until the final.
In 2022, the AFC announced a change to the schedule. Starting with the 2023–24 season, the tournament would run from autumn to spring. Also, teams could now have more foreign players on the field.
The Future: AFC Champions League Elite (2024–25 onwards)
In December 2022, the AFC shared big news about its club football. The top competition will change again. It will shrink from 40 teams to 24 teams in the main stage. These 24 teams will be split into East and West regions, with 12 teams in each. Each team will play eight other teams from their region.
The top eight teams from each region will go to the knockout stage. Only the Round of 16 will have two games. All matches from the quarter-finals onwards will be single games played in one central place. This new format will start from the 2024–25 season. The competition will be called the AFC Champions League Elite. All past records will carry over to the new Elite competition. Saudi Arabia will host the final stages for the first two seasons.
How the Tournament Works
Getting In (Qualification)
For the 2023–24 tournament, the AFC Champions League has 40 teams in its group stage. Teams that don't get a direct spot must play qualifying matches first. Teams are also divided into East and West zones. This means they play separately until the final.
The AFC decides how many teams each country can send. This is based on how strong their league is. It also looks at things like how popular the league is and its stadiums. The higher a country's ranking, the more teams it can send. These teams also have to play fewer qualifying rounds.
Playing the Tournament
The main part of the tournament starts with a group stage of 40 teams. These teams are put into ten groups. Teams from the same country are not put in the same group. The groups are split into two zones: five groups for East Asia and five for West Asia. Each team plays every other team in its group twice, once at home and once away.
The winning team from each group (five from each zone) moves on. The six best second-place teams (three from each zone) also go to the next round.
In the Round of 16, teams from the East and West zones continue to play separately. If the score is tied after two games, teams play extra time. If it's still tied, they have a penalty shoot-out. Winners move to the next round. All knockout games, including the final, are played over two legs.
Prize Money
Here is the prize money for the 2021 AFC Champions League:
| Phase | Prize Money (USD) |
Travel Help (USD per match) |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | N/A | $30,000 |
| Playoff stage | N/A | $30,000 |
| Group stages | Win: $50,000 Draw: $10,000 |
$45,000 |
| Round of 16 | $100,000 | $45,000 |
| Quarter-finals | $150,000 | $45,000 |
| Semi-finals | $250,000 | $45,000 |
| Final | Champions: $4,000,000 Runners-up: $2,000,000 |
$90,000 |
Partners and Games
Sponsors
The AFC Champions League has many big companies that help support it. These are called sponsors.
Main Global Partners
- Neom
- Qatar Airways
- Visit Saudi
Main Global Supporters
- Konami
- Molten
Regional Partner
- Visa (for West Asia only)
Video Game
Konami has the rights to make video games about the AFC Champions League. The tournament and its teams are part of their eFootball game series.
Awards and Records
Most Valuable Player
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award goes to the best player in the tournament each year.
| Year | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 |  An Ik-soo |
Pohang Steelers |
| 1997–98 | Ahmed Al-Dokhi |
Al Hilal |
| 1998–99 |  Seydou Traoré |
Al-Ain |
| 1999–2000 |  Sérgio Ricardo |
Al Hilal |
| 2000–01 |  Zoltan Sabo |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| 2002–03 |  Therdsak Chaiman |
BEC Tero Sasana |
| 2004 | Redha Tukar |
Al-Ittihad |
| 2005 | Mohammed Noor |
Al-Ittihad |
| 2006 | Choi Jin-cheul |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 2007 |  Yuichiro Nagai |
Urawa Red Diamonds |
| 2008 | Yasuhito Endō |
Gamba Osaka |
| 2009 | No Byung-jun |
Pohang Steelers |
| 2010 |  Sasa Ognenovski |
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
| 2011 | Lee Dong-gook |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 2012 | Lee Keun-ho |
Ulsan Hyundai |
| 2013 | Muriqui |
 Guangzhou Evergrande |
| 2014 | Ante Covic |
Western Sydney Wanderers |
| 2015 | Ricardo Goulart |
Guangzhou Evergrande |
| 2016 | Omar Abdulrahman |
Al-Ain |
| 2017 | Yōsuke Kashiwagi |
Urawa Red Diamonds |
| 2018 | Yuma Suzuki |
Kashima Antlers |
| 2019 |  Bafétimbi Gomis |
Al-Hilal |
| 2020 | Yoon Bit-garam |
Ulsan Hyundai |
| 2021 | Salem Al-Dawsari |
Al-Hilal |
| 2022 | Hiroki Sakai |
Urawa Red Diamonds |
| 2023 |  Soufiane Rahimi |
Al Ain FC |
Top Scorers
This table shows the players who scored the most goals in each tournament.
| Year | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Hao Haidong |
Dalian Shide |
9 |
| 2004 | Kim Do-hoon |
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
9 |
| 2005 |  Mohamed Kallon |
Al-Ittihad |
6 |
| 2006 | Magno Alves |
Gamba Osaka |
8 |
| 2007 | Mota |
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
7 |
| 2008 | Nantawat Tansopa |
Krung Thai Bank |
9 |
| 2009 | Leandro |
Gamba Osaka |
10 |
| 2010 | Jose Mota |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
9 |
| 2011 | Lee Dong-gook |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
9 |
| 2012 | Ricardo Oliveira |
Al-Jazira |
12 |
| 2013 | Muriqui |
Guangzhou Evergrande |
13 |
| 2014 |  Asamoah Gyan |
Al-Ain |
12 |
| 2015 | Ricardo Goulart |
Guangzhou Evergrande |
8 |
| 2016 | Adriano |
FC Seoul |
13 |
| 2017 |  Omar Kharbin |
Al-Hilal |
10 |
| 2018 |  Baghdad Bounedjah |
 Al-Sadd |
13 |
| 2019 | Bafétimbi Gomis |
Al-Hilal |
11 |
| 2020 | Abderrazak Hamdallah |
Al Nassr |
7 |
| 2021 |  Michael Olunga |
Al-Duhail |
9 |
| 2022 |  Edmilson Junior |
Al-Duhail |
8 |
| 2023 | Soufiane Rahimi |
Al-Ain |
13 |
Fair Play Award Winners
This award is given to the team that shows the best sportsmanship and fair play during the tournament.
| Year | Club |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| 2008 | Gamba Osaka |
| 2009 | Pohang Steelers |
| 2010 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
| 2011 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 2012 | Ulsan Hyundai |
| 2013 | FC Seoul |
| 2014 | Al-Hilal |
| 2015 | Guangzhou Evergrande |
| 2016 | Al-Ain |
| 2017 | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| 2018 |  Persepolis |
| 2019 | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| 2020 | Ulsan Hyundai |
| 2021 | Al-Hilal |
| 2022 | Urawa Red Diamonds |
See also
- Continental football championships
- List of association football competitions
