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AFC Champions League
AFC Champions League logo.svg
Organising body AFC
Founded 1967; 58 years ago (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 United Arab Emirates Al Ain (2nd title)
Most successful club(s) Saudi Arabia 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.

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)

ACL 2009 SAFFC vs Kashima Antlers, 7 April
Japan's Kashima Antlers and Singapore's Warriors FC playing a group stage game in 2009.

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

Persepolis FC vs Kashima Antlers 10 November 2018 14
FIFA president Gianni Infantino and many fans watching the 2018 AFC Champions League Final.

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)

AFC members Champions League participants
Map showing AFC countries whose teams have reached the group stage of the AFC Champions League.

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

AFC Champions League trophy
The tournament's trophy since 2009.

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

Main Global Supporters

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 South Korea An Ik-soo South Korea Pohang Steelers
1997–98 Saudi Arabia Ahmed Al-Dokhi Saudi Arabia Al Hilal
1998–99 Burkina Faso Seydou Traoré United Arab Emirates Al-Ain
1999–2000 Brazil Sérgio Ricardo Saudi Arabia Al Hilal
2000–01 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zoltan Sabo South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
2002–03 Thailand Therdsak Chaiman Thailand BEC Tero Sasana
2004 Saudi Arabia Redha Tukar Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
2005 Saudi Arabia Mohammed Noor Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad
2006 South Korea Choi Jin-cheul South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2007 Japan Yuichiro Nagai Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
2008 Japan Yasuhito Endō Japan Gamba Osaka
2009 South Korea No Byung-jun South Korea Pohang Steelers
2010 Australia Sasa Ognenovski South Korea Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
2011 South Korea Lee Dong-gook South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2012 South Korea Lee Keun-ho South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
2013 Brazil Muriqui China Guangzhou Evergrande
2014 Australia Ante Covic Australia Western Sydney Wanderers
2015 Brazil Ricardo Goulart China Guangzhou Evergrande
2016 United Arab Emirates Omar Abdulrahman United Arab Emirates Al-Ain
2017 Japan Yōsuke Kashiwagi Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
2018 Japan Yuma Suzuki Japan Kashima Antlers
2019 France Bafétimbi Gomis Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
2020 South Korea Yoon Bit-garam South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
2021 Saudi Arabia Salem Al-Dawsari Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
2022 Japan Hiroki Sakai Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
2023 Morocco Soufiane Rahimi United Arab Emirates Al Ain FC

Top Scorers

This table shows the players who scored the most goals in each tournament.

Year Player Club Goals
2002–03 China Hao Haidong China Dalian Shide 9
2004 South Korea Kim Do-hoon South Korea Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 9
2005 Sierra Leone Mohamed Kallon Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 6
2006 Brazil Magno Alves Japan Gamba Osaka 8
2007 Brazil Mota South Korea Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 7
2008 Thailand Nantawat Tansopa Thailand Krung Thai Bank 9
2009 Brazil Leandro Japan Gamba Osaka 10
2010 Brazil Jose Mota South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 9
2011 South Korea Lee Dong-gook South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 9
2012 Brazil Ricardo Oliveira United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 12
2013 Brazil Muriqui China Guangzhou Evergrande 13
2014 Ghana Asamoah Gyan United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 12
2015 Brazil Ricardo Goulart China Guangzhou Evergrande 8
2016 Brazil Adriano South Korea FC Seoul 13
2017 Syria Omar Kharbin Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 10
2018 Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah Qatar Al-Sadd 13
2019 France Bafétimbi Gomis Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 11
2020 Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah Saudi Arabia Al Nassr 7
2021 Kenya Michael Olunga Qatar Al-Duhail 9
2022 Belgium Edmilson Junior Qatar Al-Duhail 8
2023 Morocco Soufiane Rahimi United Arab Emirates 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 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
2008 Japan Gamba Osaka
2009 South Korea Pohang Steelers
2010 South Korea Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
2011 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2012 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
2013 South Korea FC Seoul
2014 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
2015 China Guangzhou Evergrande
2016 United Arab Emirates Al-Ain
2017 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
2018 Iran Persepolis
2019 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
2020 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
2021 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
2022 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds

See also

  • Continental football championships
  • List of association football competitions
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