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AFC Champions League

March 31, 2023

"Asian Champions League" redirects here. For other uses, see Champions League (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Asian Cup.

The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition in Asian football, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national associations.[1]

AFC Champions League
Organising bodyAFC
Founded1967; 56 years ago (1967)
(rebranded in 2002)
RegionAsia
Number of teams40 (group stage)
Qualifier forFIFA Club World Cup
Related competitionsAFC Cup (2nd tier)
Current champions Al-Hilal (4th title)
Most successful club(s) Al-Hilal (4 titles)
WebsiteOfficial website
2022 AFC Champions League

Introduced in 1967 as the Asian Champion Club Tournament, the competition rebranded and took on its current name in 2002 as a result of the merger between the Asian Club Championship, the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the Asian Super Cup.

A total of 40 clubs compete in the round-robin group stage of the competition. Clubs from Asia's strongest national leagues receive automatic berths, with clubs from lower-ranked nations eligible to qualify via the qualifying playoffs, and they are also eligible to participate in the AFC Cup. The winner of the AFC Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup.

The most successful club in the competition is Al-Hilal with a total of four titles. They are also the reigning champions after winning their fourth title in 2021.

History

1967–1972: Asian Champion Club Tournament

The competition started as the Asian Champion Club Tournament, a tournament for the champions of AFC nations, and had a variety of different formats, with the inaugural tournament staged as a straight knock-out format and the following three editions consisting of a group stage.

While Israeli clubs dominated the first four editions of the competition, this was partly due to the refusal of Arab clubs to play them:

  • In 1970, Lebanese club Homenetmen refused to play Hapoel Tel Aviv in the semi-final, which was scratched with Hapoel advancing to the final.
  • In 1971, Aliyat Al-Shorta of Iraq refused to play Maccabi Tel Aviv on three occasions: in the preliminary round (which was redrawn), in the group stage, and in the final, which was scratched with Maccabi being awarded the championship.[2] During the award ceremony for Maccabi, Aliyat Al-Shorta players waved the Palestinian flag around the field, while the Iraqi media considered Aliyat Al-Shorta as the tournament's winners, with the team holding an open top bus parade in Baghdad.[3]

After the 1972 edition had to be cancelled by the AFC for various reasons, including two Arab clubs being excluded for refusing to commit to playing against Israeli club Maccabi Netanya, the AFC suspended the competition for 14 years, while Israel would be expelled from the AFC in 1974.

1985–2002: Return as the Asian Club Championship

Asia's premier club tournament made its return in 1985 as the Asian Club Championship.[4]

In 1990, the Asian Football Confederation introduced the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, a tournament for the cup winners of each AFC nation, while the 1995 season saw the introduction of the Asian Super Cup, with the winners of the Asian Club Championship and Asian Cup Winners' Cup playing against each other.

2002–present: AFC Champions League

 
Japan's Kashima Antlers and Singapore's Warriors FC during a group stage game during the 2009 season at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

The 2002–03 season saw the Asian Club Championship, Asian Cup Winners' Cup and Asian Super Cup combine to become the AFC Champions League. League champions and cup winners would qualify for the qualifying playoffs with the best eight clubs from East Asia and the eight best clubs from West Asia progressing to the group stage. The first winners under the AFC Champions League name were Al-Ain, defeating BEC Tero Sasana 2–1 on aggregate. In 2004, 29 clubs from fourteen countries participated and the tournament schedule was changed to March–November.

In the group stage, the 28 clubs were divided into seven groups of four on a regional basis, separating East Asian and West Asian clubs to reduce travel costs, and the groups were played on a home and away basis. The seven group winners along with the defending champions qualified to the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals were played as a two-legged format, with away goals, extra time, and penalties used as tie-breakers.

Expansion

The 2005 season saw Syrian clubs join the competition, thus increasing the number of participating countries to 15, and two years later, following their transfer into the AFC in 2006, Australian clubs were also included in the tournament. However, many blamed the low prize money at that time and expensive travel cost as some of the reasons. The Champions League was expanded to 32 clubs in 2009 with direct entry to the top ten Asian leagues. Each country received up to 4 slots, though no more than one-third of the number of teams in that country's top division, rounded downwards, depending on the strength of their league, professional league structure, marketability, financial status, as well as other criteria set by the AFC Pro-League Committee.[5] The assessment criteria and ranking for participating associations are revised by AFC every two years.[6]

 
FIFA president Gianni Infantino and around 100,000 others watching the 2018 AFC Champions League Final at Azadi Stadium.

The old format saw the eight group winners and eight runners-up qualify to the Round of 16, in which group winners played host to the runners-up in two-legged series, matched regionally, with away goals, extra time, and penalties used as tie-breakers. The regional restriction continues all the way until the final, although clubs from the same country couldn't face each other in the quarterfinals unless that country has three or more representatives in the quarterfinals. Since 2013, the final has also been held as a two-legged series, on a home and away basis.[7][8]

In 2021, the group stage was expanded from 32 to 40 teams, with both the West and East Regions having five groups of four teams. The slot allocation for the top six member associations in each region remained unchanged. The 10 group winners and top 3 runners-up per region are now seeded based on a combination table for the Round of 16, with the games still matched regionally until the Final.[9]

On 25 February 2022, it was announced that the AFC Champions League will go back to an inter-year (autumn to spring) schedule starting with the 2023–24 season. This will be the first time Asia's premier club competition will be played in between years since 2002–03. In addition, the existing "3+1" rule for foreign players during matches (3 foreign players and 1 Asian foreigner) will be expanded to be "5+1" (5 foreign players and 1 Asian foreigner).[10]

Reform

On 23 December 2022, it was announced that the AFC competition structure would change from the established formats. Under the new plans, the top club competition of Asian football will only consist of 24 teams, divided into East and West regions, with each team playing eight other teams from their region (four teams at home and four teams away). The top eight teams per region will advance to the knockout stage, where only the round of 16 will be played over two legs, and from the quarter-finals onward the matches will be held at a neutral venue. It is currently unknown when this format will take effect or whether it will have the AFC Champions League moniker.[11]

Women's rights in Iranian football

By 2021, the various problems with the Iranian sides were attracting media attention; international Arabic and English-language media reported the violation of women's rights in the stadiums of Iranian sides.

On top of that, Iranian women were banned from football stadiums for about 40 years, by the Iranian government.[12][13] In 2019, Iranian women were first allowed to watch football at stadiums, but not during ACL games.[13][14] Before that, FIFA had pressured Iran to let women into the stadiums; Iran relented, but capped the number of women to watch the 2018 final.[13][15] In 2021, the AFC investigated the matter, in the hope of allowing unrestricted attendance whenever Iranian clubs are involved.[16]

Format

Qualification

 
Map of AFC countries whose teams reached the group stage of the AFC Champions League
  AFC member country that has been represented in the group stage
  AFC member country that has not been represented in the group stage

As of the 2021 edition of the tournament, the AFC Champions League has commenced with a double round-robin group stage of 40 teams, which is preceded by qualifying matches for teams that do not receive direct entry to the competition proper. Teams are also split into east and west zones to progress separately in the tournament.

The number of teams that each association enters into the AFC Champions League is determined annually through criteria as set by the AFC Competitions Committee.[17] The criteria, which is a modified version of the UEFA coefficient, measures such thing as marketability and stadia to determine the specific number of berths that an association receives. The higher an association's ranking as determined by the criteria, the more teams represent the association in the Champions League, and the fewer qualification rounds the association's teams must compete in.

Tournament

The tournament proper begins with a group stage of 40 teams, divided into ten groups. Seeding is used whilst making the draw for this stage, with teams from the same country not being drawn into groups together. The group stage is divided into two zones; the first zone is the five East Asian groups and the other zone is the five West Asian groups. Each team meets the others in its group home and away in a round-robin format. The winning team and the runners-up from each group then progress to the next round.

For this stage, the winning team from one group plays against the runners-up from another group from their zone of the group stage. The tournament uses the away goals rule: if the aggregate score of the two games is tied after 180 minutes, then the team who scored more goals at their opponent's stadium advances. If still tied the clubs play extra time, where the away goals rule is no longer applied. If still tied after extra time, the tie shall be decided by a penalty shootout. East and West zones continue to be kept part until the final.[17]

The group stage and Round of 16 matches are played through the first half of the year (February–May), whilst the knock-out stage thereafter is played during the second half of the year (August–November). The knock-out ties are played in a two-legged format, including the final.

Allocation

Teams from only 19 AFC countries have reached the group stage of the AFC Champions League. The allocation of teams by member countries is listed below; asterisks represent occasions where at least one team was eliminated in qualification prior to the group stage. 32 AFC countries have had teams participate in qualification, and countries that have never had teams reach the group stage are not shown.

Associations Entrants
2002–03 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
East Asia
  Australia Part of OFC 2 2 2 2 2 3 1* 3 2* 2* 3 2* 2* 3 0 2*
  China PR 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 3* 4 4 4 2* 2
  Hong Kong 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 1* 1* 0* 0* 1 1
  Indonesia 0* 2 2 0 2 0 1* 1* 1* 0* 0 0 0* 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0 0
  Japan 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3* 4 4
  South Korea 2 2 2 2 3 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
  Malaysia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 1* 1* 1 1
  Philippines 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 2 1*
  Singapore 0* 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 1 1
  Thailand 2 2 2 0 1 2 0* 0* 0* 1* 2 1* 1* 1* 1* 1* 1* 1* 4 2*
  Vietnam 0* 2 2 2 1 2 0 0* 0 0 0 0* 1* 1* 0* 0* 0* 0* 1 1
Total 8 12 12 8 13 13 16 16 15 15 15 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 20 19
West Asia
  Bahrain 0* 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0 0 0* 0 0* 0* 0
  India 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 1 1
  Iran 2 2 2 2 1 2 4 4 4 3* 3* 4 4 3* 4 4 3* 4 4 2
  Iraq 1* 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0 0 1* 1* 2* 1*
  Jordan 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 1 1
  Kuwait 0* 1 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0
  Qatar 1* 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 2* 2* 2* 4 3* 2* 3* 4
  Saudi Arabia 1* 2 3 3 2 2 4 4 4 3* 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 4 3* 4
  Syria 0* 0 2 2 2 2 0 0* 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0*
  Tajikistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 1 1
  Turkmenistan 1* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
  United Arab Emirates 1* 3 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 3* 2* 3* 4 4 3* 4 3* 3*
  Uzbekistan 1* 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3* 2* 1* 4 4 2* 2* 2* 1* 2 2
Total 8 14 17 17 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 20 20
Total
Finals 16 26 29 25 28 29 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 40 39
Qualifying 53 26 29 25 28 29 35 37 36 37 35 47 49 45 47 46 51 52 45 46

Prize money

 
Tournament's trophy since 2009, following the logo redesign.

The prize money for the 2021 AFC Champions League:[18]

Phase Purse
(USD) 		Travel Subsidy
(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

Marketing

Sponsorship

Like the FIFA World Cup, the AFC Champions League is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to the single main sponsor typically found in national top-flight leagues.

The tournament's current main sponsors are:

Video game

The current license holder for the AFC Champions League video game is Konami with the Pro Evolution Soccer series.[22] The license also includes the competing teams.

Records and statistics

Main article: Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League records and statistics
See also: AFC Champions League clubs performance comparison

Overall performances by club

Main article: List of Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League finals
Performances in the Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League by club
Club 		Title(s) Runners-up Seasons won Seasons runner-up
  Al-Hilal 4 4 1991, 1999–2000, 2019, 2021 1986, 1987, 2014, 2017
  Pohang Steelers 3 1 1996–97, 1997–98, 2009 2021
  Esteghlal 2 2 1970, 1990–91 1991, 1998–99
  Seongnam FC 2 2 1995, 2010 1996–97, 2004
  Al-Ittihad 2 1 2004, 2005 2009
  Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2 1 2006, 2016 2011
  Urawa Red Diamonds 2 1 2007, 2017 2019
  Maccabi Tel Aviv1 2 0 1969, 1971 —
  Al-Sadd 2 0 1988–89, 2011 —
  Thai Farmers Bank2 2 0 1993–94, 1994–95 —
  Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2 0 2000–01, 2001–02 —
  Ulsan Hyundai 2 0 2012, 2020 —
  Guangzhou 2 0 2013, 2015 —
  Júbilo Iwata 1 2 1998–99 1999–2000, 2000–01
  Al-Ain 1 2 2002–03 2005, 2016
  Hapoel Tel Aviv1 1 1 1967 1970
  Liaoning2 1 1 1989–90 1990–91
  Busan IPark 1 0 1985–86 —
  JEF United Chiba 1 0 1986 —
  Tokyo Verdy 1 0 1987 —
  PAS Tehran2 1 0 1992–93 —
  Gamba Osaka 1 0 2008 —
  Western Sydney Wanderers 1 0 2014 —
  Kashima Antlers 1 0 2018 —
  Al-Ahli 0 2 — 1985–86, 2012
  FC Seoul 0 2 — 2001–02, 2013
  Persepolis 0 2 — 2018, 2020
  Selangor 0 1 — 1967
  Yangzee2 0 1 — 1969
  Aliyat Al-Shorta 0 1 — 1971
  Al-Rasheed2 0 1 — 1988–89
  Yokohama F. Marinos 0 1 — 1989–90
  Al-Shabab 0 1 — 1992–93
  Oman Club 0 1 — 1993–94
  Al-Arabi 0 1 — 1994–95
  Al-Nassr 0 1 — 1995
  Dalian Shide2 0 1 — 1997–98
  Police Tero 0 1 — 2002–03
  Al-Karamah 0 1 — 2006
  Sepahan 0 1 — 2007
  Adelaide United 0 1 — 2008
  Zob Ahan 0 1 — 2010
  Shabab Al-Ahli 0 1 — 2015

1 In 1974 the Israel FA was expelled from the AFC due to political pressure, and became a full UEFA member in 1994. As a result, Israeli clubs no longer participate in AFC tournaments but in their UEFA counterparts instead.
2 Teams that no longer exist.


Overall performances by nation

Performances in finals by nation
Nation Titles Runners-up Total
  South Korea 12 7 19
  Japan 7 4 11
  Saudi Arabia 6 9 15
  Iran 3 6 9
  China 3 2 5
  Israel 3 1 4
  Qatar 2 1 3
  Thailand 2 1 3
  United Arab Emirates 1 3 4
  Australia 1 1 2
  Iraq 0 2 2
  Malaysia 0 1 1
  Oman 0 1 1
  Syria 0 1 1

Performances by region

Federation (Region) Titles Total
EAFF (East Asia) East Zone 22 25
AFF (Southeast Asia) 3
WAFF (West Asia) West Zone 9 12
CAFA (Central Asia) 3
SAFF (South Asia) 0

Note: Israeli clubs, winners of the 1967, 1969 and 1971 editions, are not included.

Awards

Most Valuable Player

Year Player Club Ref.
1996–97   An Ik-soo   Pohang Steelers [23]
1997–98   Ahmed Al-Dokhi   Al Hilal [24]
1998–99   Seydou Traoré   Al-Ain [25]
1999–2000   Sérgio Ricardo   Al Hilal [26]
2000–01   Zoltan Sabo   Suwon Samsung Bluewings [27]
2001–02 —
2002–03   Therdsak Chaiman   BEC Tero Sasana [28]
2004   Redha Tukar   Al-Ittihad [29]
2005   Mohammed Noor   Al-Ittihad [30]
2006   Choi Jin-cheul   Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors [31]
2007   Yuichiro Nagai   Urawa Red Diamonds
2008   Yasuhito Endō   Gamba Osaka
2009   No Byung-jun   Pohang Steelers [32]
2010   Sasa Ognenovski   Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma [33]
2011   Lee Dong-gook   Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors [34]
2012   Lee Keun-ho   Ulsan Hyundai [35]
2013   Muriqui   Guangzhou Evergrande [36]
2014   Ante Covic   Western Sydney Wanderers [37]
2015   Ricardo Goulart   Guangzhou Evergrande [38]
2016   Omar Abdulrahman   Al-Ain [39]
2017   Yōsuke Kashiwagi   Urawa Red Diamonds [40]
2018   Yuma Suzuki   Kashima Antlers [41]
2019   Bafétimbi Gomis   Al-Hilal [42]
2020   Yoon Bit-garam   Ulsan Hyundai [43]
2021   Salem Al-Dawsari   Al-Hilal [44]

Top scorers

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[45]   Al Nassr 7
2021   Michael Olunga[46]   Al-Duhail 9

Fair Play Award winners

See also

References

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  2. ^ Amitsur, D. (22 August 1971). "The Arabs' leg up to Israel in Asian football" (in Hebrew). Davar.
  3. ^ "Al-Mal'ab Newspaper - April 1971 - Champions of Asia Return to Baghdad". Kooora (in Arabic). April 1971. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  4. ^ "History of the Asian Club Championship". Asian Football. 9 April 1997. from the original on 9 April 1997. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  5. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  6. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  7. ^ "ACL base widened from 2014". AFC. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  8. ^ . Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  9. ^ "AFC to invest in new era of national team and club competitions". AFC. 26 October 2019.
  10. ^ "AFC Executive Committee unveils dynamic enhancements to the AFC Club Competitions". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  11. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee recommends strategic reforms to elevate Asian club football". theAFC.com. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  12. ^ "ENSPIRE winner Maryam Shojaei on her fight to get Iranian women back in the soccer stadium". ESPN.com. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "زنان در آزادی؛ حاشیه‌ای فراتر از فینال | DW | 11.11.2018". dw.com (in Persian). Deutsche Welle. from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  14. ^ France-Presse, Agence (9 October 2019). "Iranian women allowed to watch football at stadium for first time in decades". the Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  15. ^ "In a first for Iran, hundreds of women attend a major soccer match in Tehran". ABC News. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  16. ^ "استقلال و پرسپولیس از لیگ قهرمانان فوتبال آسیا حذف شدند!". ایمنا (in Persian). 31 October 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  17. ^ a b . The-afc.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  18. ^ AFC Champions League 2021 Competition Regulations. Asian Football Confederation. p. 68. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  19. ^ "AFC and NEOM announce four-year global sponsorship rights deal" (Press release). Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  20. ^ "AFC and KONAMI sign new sponsorship and licensing deal" (Press release). Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  21. ^ "AFC appoints world-leading ball manufacturer Molten as official match ball supplier". www.the-afc.com. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  22. ^ . Pro Evolution Soccer. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  23. ^ . Asian Football Confederation. 7 July 1997. Archived from the original on 7 July 1997.
  24. ^ "الدوخي أفضل لاعب في البطولة". al-jazirah.com (in Arabic). from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  25. ^ . Asian Football Confederation. 22 April 1999. Archived from the original on 22 April 1999.
  26. ^ . al-jazirah.com (in Arabic). 24 April 2000. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  27. ^ . The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 27 May 2001. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  28. ^ "AFC Champions League – MVP Memories: Therdsak Chaiman". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  29. ^ "Shandong Luneng suffer 7–2 blow at Champions League". China Daily. 22 September 2005. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  30. ^ . Asian Football Confederation. 5 November 2005. Archived from the original on 7 November 2005.
  31. ^ . Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 9 November 2006. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  32. ^ . AFC. Asian Football Confederation. 7 November 2009. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  33. ^ . FIFA. 24 November 2010. Archived from the original on 7 December 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  34. ^ "Double delight for Lee". The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  35. ^ . AFC. 10 November 2012. Archived from the original on 17 November 2012.
  36. ^ . AFC. 10 November 2013. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013.
  37. ^ "Custodian Covic named Most Valuable Player". AFC. 2 November 2014.
  38. ^ "Hotshot Goulart adds awards to ACL title success". AFC. 22 November 2015.
  39. ^ "Omar Abdulrahman lands AFC Champions League 2016 MVP award". AFC. 27 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  40. ^ "Yosuke Kashiwagi clinches AFC Champions League MVP Award". AFC. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  41. ^ "Yuma Suzuki of Kashima named 2018 MVP". AFC. 10 November 2018.
  42. ^ "Al Hilal's Gomis wins MVP, Top Scorer awards". Asian Football Confederation. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  43. ^ a b . the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 19 December 2020. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  44. ^ "Al-Hilal reign in Asia after tale of two Al-Dawsaris in AFC Champions League triumph". Arab News. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  45. ^ . the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 19 December 2020. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  46. ^ "Kenya's Michael Olunga wins AFC Champions League Golden Boot". The East African. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  47. ^ "Salem Al-Dosari is the best player in Asia". Asume Tech. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to AFC Champions League.
  • AFC Champions League

March 31, 2023
champions, league, asian, champions, league, redirects, here, other, uses, champions, league, disambiguation, confused, with, asian, abbreviated, annual, continental, club, football, competition, organised, asian, football, confederation, contested, asia, divi. Asian Champions League redirects here For other uses see Champions League disambiguation Not to be confused with Asian Cup The AFC Champions League abbreviated as ACL is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation and contested by Asia s top division football clubs It is the most prestigious club competition in Asian football played by the national league champions and for some nations one or more runners up of their national associations 1 AFC Champions LeagueOrganising bodyAFCFounded1967 56 years ago 1967 rebranded in 2002 RegionAsiaNumber of teams40 group stage Qualifier forFIFA Club World CupRelated competitionsAFC Cup 2nd tier Current championsAl Hilal 4th title Most successful club s Al Hilal 4 titles WebsiteOfficial website2022 AFC Champions LeagueIntroduced in 1967 as the Asian Champion Club Tournament the competition rebranded and took on its current name in 2002 as a result of the merger between the Asian Club Championship the Asian Cup Winners Cup and the Asian Super Cup A total of 40 clubs compete in the round robin group stage of the competition Clubs from Asia s strongest national leagues receive automatic berths with clubs from lower ranked nations eligible to qualify via the qualifying playoffs and they are also eligible to participate in the AFC Cup The winner of the AFC Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup The most successful club in the competition is Al Hilal with a total of four titles They are also the reigning champions after winning their fourth title in 2021 Contents 1 History 1 1 1967 1972 Asian Champion Club Tournament 1 2 1985 2002 Return as the Asian Club Championship 1 3 2002 present AFC Champions League 1 3 1 Expansion 1 3 2 Reform 1 3 3 Women s rights in Iranian football 2 Format 2 1 Qualification 2 2 Tournament 2 3 Allocation 3 Prize money 4 Marketing 4 1 Sponsorship 5 Video game 6 Records and statistics 6 1 Overall performances by club 6 2 Overall performances by nation 6 3 Performances by region 7 Awards 7 1 Most Valuable Player 7 2 Top scorers 7 3 Fair Play Award winners 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksHistory Edit1967 1972 Asian Champion Club Tournament Edit The competition started as the Asian Champion Club Tournament a tournament for the champions of AFC nations and had a variety of different formats with the inaugural tournament staged as a straight knock out format and the following three editions consisting of a group stage While Israeli clubs dominated the first four editions of the competition this was partly due to the refusal of Arab clubs to play them In 1970 Lebanese club Homenetmen refused to play Hapoel Tel Aviv in the semi final which was scratched with Hapoel advancing to the final In 1971 Aliyat Al Shorta of Iraq refused to play Maccabi Tel Aviv on three occasions in the preliminary round which was redrawn in the group stage and in the final which was scratched with Maccabi being awarded the championship 2 During the award ceremony for Maccabi Aliyat Al Shorta players waved the Palestinian flag around the field while the Iraqi media considered Aliyat Al Shorta as the tournament s winners with the team holding an open top bus parade in Baghdad 3 After the 1972 edition had to be cancelled by the AFC for various reasons including two Arab clubs being excluded for refusing to commit to playing against Israeli club Maccabi Netanya the AFC suspended the competition for 14 years while Israel would be expelled from the AFC in 1974 1985 2002 Return as the Asian Club Championship Edit Asia s premier club tournament made its return in 1985 as the Asian Club Championship 4 In 1990 the Asian Football Confederation introduced the Asian Cup Winners Cup a tournament for the cup winners of each AFC nation while the 1995 season saw the introduction of the Asian Super Cup with the winners of the Asian Club Championship and Asian Cup Winners Cup playing against each other 2002 present AFC Champions League Edit Japan s Kashima Antlers and Singapore s Warriors FC during a group stage game during the 2009 season at the Jalan Besar Stadium The 2002 03 season saw the Asian Club Championship Asian Cup Winners Cup and Asian Super Cup combine to become the AFC Champions League League champions and cup winners would qualify for the qualifying playoffs with the best eight clubs from East Asia and the eight best clubs from West Asia progressing to the group stage The first winners under the AFC Champions League name were Al Ain defeating BEC Tero Sasana 2 1 on aggregate In 2004 29 clubs from fourteen countries participated and the tournament schedule was changed to March November In the group stage the 28 clubs were divided into seven groups of four on a regional basis separating East Asian and West Asian clubs to reduce travel costs and the groups were played on a home and away basis The seven group winners along with the defending champions qualified to the quarter finals The quarter finals semi finals and finals were played as a two legged format with away goals extra time and penalties used as tie breakers Expansion Edit The 2005 season saw Syrian clubs join the competition thus increasing the number of participating countries to 15 and two years later following their transfer into the AFC in 2006 Australian clubs were also included in the tournament However many blamed the low prize money at that time and expensive travel cost as some of the reasons The Champions League was expanded to 32 clubs in 2009 with direct entry to the top ten Asian leagues Each country received up to 4 slots though no more than one third of the number of teams in that country s top division rounded downwards depending on the strength of their league professional league structure marketability financial status as well as other criteria set by the AFC Pro League Committee 5 The assessment criteria and ranking for participating associations are revised by AFC every two years 6 FIFA president Gianni Infantino and around 100 000 others watching the 2018 AFC Champions League Final at Azadi Stadium The old format saw the eight group winners and eight runners up qualify to the Round of 16 in which group winners played host to the runners up in two legged series matched regionally with away goals extra time and penalties used as tie breakers The regional restriction continues all the way until the final although clubs from the same country couldn t face each other in the quarterfinals unless that country has three or more representatives in the quarterfinals Since 2013 the final has also been held as a two legged series on a home and away basis 7 8 In 2021 the group stage was expanded from 32 to 40 teams with both the West and East Regions having five groups of four teams The slot allocation for the top six member associations in each region remained unchanged The 10 group winners and top 3 runners up per region are now seeded based on a combination table for the Round of 16 with the games still matched regionally until the Final 9 On 25 February 2022 it was announced that the AFC Champions League will go back to an inter year autumn to spring schedule starting with the 2023 24 season This will be the first time Asia s premier club competition will be played in between years since 2002 03 In addition the existing 3 1 rule for foreign players during matches 3 foreign players and 1 Asian foreigner will be expanded to be 5 1 5 foreign players and 1 Asian foreigner 10 Reform Edit On 23 December 2022 it was announced that the AFC competition structure would change from the established formats Under the new plans the top club competition of Asian football will only consist of 24 teams divided into East and West regions with each team playing eight other teams from their region four teams at home and four teams away The top eight teams per region will advance to the knockout stage where only the round of 16 will be played over two legs and from the quarter finals onward the matches will be held at a neutral venue It is currently unknown when this format will take effect or whether it will have the AFC Champions League moniker 11 Women s rights in Iranian football Edit By 2021 the various problems with the Iranian sides were attracting media attention international Arabic and English language media reported the violation of women s rights in the stadiums of Iranian sides On top of that Iranian women were banned from football stadiums for about 40 years by the Iranian government 12 13 In 2019 Iranian women were first allowed to watch football at stadiums but not during ACL games 13 14 Before that FIFA had pressured Iran to let women into the stadiums Iran relented but capped the number of women to watch the 2018 final 13 15 In 2021 the AFC investigated the matter in the hope of allowing unrestricted attendance whenever Iranian clubs are involved 16 Format EditQualification Edit Map of AFC countries whose teams reached the group stage of the AFC Champions League AFC member country that has been represented in the group stage AFC member country that has not been represented in the group stage As of the 2021 edition of the tournament the AFC Champions League has commenced with a double round robin group stage of 40 teams which is preceded by qualifying matches for teams that do not receive direct entry to the competition proper Teams are also split into east and west zones to progress separately in the tournament The number of teams that each association enters into the AFC Champions League is determined annually through criteria as set by the AFC Competitions Committee 17 The criteria which is a modified version of the UEFA coefficient measures such thing as marketability and stadia to determine the specific number of berths that an association receives The higher an association s ranking as determined by the criteria the more teams represent the association in the Champions League and the fewer qualification rounds the association s teams must compete in Tournament Edit The tournament proper begins with a group stage of 40 teams divided into ten groups Seeding is used whilst making the draw for this stage with teams from the same country not being drawn into groups together The group stage is divided into two zones the first zone is the five East Asian groups and the other zone is the five West Asian groups Each team meets the others in its group home and away in a round robin format The winning team and the runners up from each group then progress to the next round For this stage the winning team from one group plays against the runners up from another group from their zone of the group stage The tournament uses the away goals rule if the aggregate score of the two games is tied after 180 minutes then the team who scored more goals at their opponent s stadium advances If still tied the clubs play extra time where the away goals rule is no longer applied If still tied after extra time the tie shall be decided by a penalty shootout East and West zones continue to be kept part until the final 17 The group stage and Round of 16 matches are played through the first half of the year February May whilst the knock out stage thereafter is played during the second half of the year August November The knock out ties are played in a two legged format including the final Allocation Edit Teams from only 19 AFC countries have reached the group stage of the AFC Champions League The allocation of teams by member countries is listed below asterisks represent occasions where at least one team was eliminated in qualification prior to the group stage 32 AFC countries have had teams participate in qualification and countries that have never had teams reach the group stage are not shown Associations Entrants2002 03 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022East Asia Australia Part of OFC 2 2 2 2 2 3 1 3 2 2 3 2 2 3 0 2 China PR 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 2 2 Hong Kong 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 Indonesia 0 2 2 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Japan 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 South Korea 2 2 2 2 3 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Malaysia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 Philippines 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 Singapore 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Thailand 2 2 2 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 2 Vietnam 0 2 2 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1Total 8 12 12 8 13 13 16 16 15 15 15 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 20 19West Asia Bahrain 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 India 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Iran 2 2 2 2 1 2 4 4 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 4 2 Iraq 1 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 Jordan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Kuwait 0 1 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qatar 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 2 2 2 4 3 2 3 4 Saudi Arabia 1 2 3 3 2 2 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 4 3 4 Syria 0 0 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tajikistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Turkmenistan 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 United Arab Emirates 1 3 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 3 2 3 4 4 3 4 3 3 Uzbekistan 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 1 4 4 2 2 2 1 2 2Total 8 14 17 17 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 20 20TotalFinals 16 26 29 25 28 29 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 40 39Qualifying 53 26 29 25 28 29 35 37 36 37 35 47 49 45 47 46 51 52 45 46Prize money Edit Tournament s trophy since 2009 following the logo redesign The prize money for the 2021 AFC Champions League 18 Phase Purse USD Travel Subsidy USD per match Preliminary stage N A 30 000Playoff stage N A 30 000Group stages Win 50 000 Draw 10 000 45 000Round of 16 100 000 45 000Quarter finals 150 000 45 000Semi finals 250 000 45 000Final Champions 4 000 000 Runners up 2 000 000 90 000Marketing EditSponsorship Edit Like the FIFA World Cup the AFC Champions League is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations in contrast to the single main sponsor typically found in national top flight leagues The tournament s current main sponsors are Neom 19 Konami 20 Molten 21 Video game EditThe current license holder for the AFC Champions League video game is Konami with the Pro Evolution Soccer series 22 The license also includes the competing teams Records and statistics EditMain article Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League records and statistics See also AFC Champions League clubs performance comparison Overall performances by club Edit Main article List of Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League finals Performances in the Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League by club vte Club Title s Runners up Seasons won Seasons runner up Al Hilal 4 4 1991 1999 2000 2019 2021 1986 1987 2014 2017 Pohang Steelers 3 1 1996 97 1997 98 2009 2021 Esteghlal 2 2 1970 1990 91 1991 1998 99 Seongnam FC 2 2 1995 2010 1996 97 2004 Al Ittihad 2 1 2004 2005 2009 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2 1 2006 2016 2011 Urawa Red Diamonds 2 1 2007 2017 2019 Maccabi Tel Aviv1 2 0 1969 1971 Al Sadd 2 0 1988 89 2011 Thai Farmers Bank2 2 0 1993 94 1994 95 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2 0 2000 01 2001 02 Ulsan Hyundai 2 0 2012 2020 Guangzhou 2 0 2013 2015 Jubilo Iwata 1 2 1998 99 1999 2000 2000 01 Al Ain 1 2 2002 03 2005 2016 Hapoel Tel Aviv1 1 1 1967 1970 Liaoning2 1 1 1989 90 1990 91 Busan IPark 1 0 1985 86 JEF United Chiba 1 0 1986 Tokyo Verdy 1 0 1987 PAS Tehran2 1 0 1992 93 Gamba Osaka 1 0 2008 Western Sydney Wanderers 1 0 2014 Kashima Antlers 1 0 2018 Al Ahli 0 2 1985 86 2012 FC Seoul 0 2 2001 02 2013 Persepolis 0 2 2018 2020 Selangor 0 1 1967 Yangzee2 0 1 1969 Aliyat Al Shorta 0 1 1971 Al Rasheed2 0 1 1988 89 Yokohama F Marinos 0 1 1989 90 Al Shabab 0 1 1992 93 Oman Club 0 1 1993 94 Al Arabi 0 1 1994 95 Al Nassr 0 1 1995 Dalian Shide2 0 1 1997 98 Police Tero 0 1 2002 03 Al Karamah 0 1 2006 Sepahan 0 1 2007 Adelaide United 0 1 2008 Zob Ahan 0 1 2010 Shabab Al Ahli 0 1 20151 In 1974 the Israel FA was expelled from the AFC due to political pressure and became a full UEFA member in 1994 As a result Israeli clubs no longer participate in AFC tournaments but in their UEFA counterparts instead 2 Teams that no longer exist Overall performances by nation Edit Performances in finals by nation vte Nation Titles Runners up Total South Korea 12 7 19 Japan 7 4 11 Saudi Arabia 6 9 15 Iran 3 6 9 China 3 2 5 Israel 3 1 4 Qatar 2 1 3 Thailand 2 1 3 United Arab Emirates 1 3 4 Australia 1 1 2 Iraq 0 2 2 Malaysia 0 1 1 Oman 0 1 1 Syria 0 1 1Performances by region Edit Federation Region Titles TotalEAFF East Asia East Zone 22 25AFF Southeast Asia 3WAFF West Asia West Zone 9 12CAFA Central Asia 3SAFF South Asia 0Note Israeli clubs winners of the 1967 1969 and 1971 editions are not included Awards EditMost Valuable Player Edit Year Player Club Ref 1996 97 An Ik soo Pohang Steelers 23 1997 98 Ahmed Al Dokhi Al Hilal 24 1998 99 Seydou Traore Al Ain 25 1999 2000 Sergio Ricardo Al Hilal 26 2000 01 Zoltan Sabo Suwon Samsung Bluewings 27 2001 02 2002 03 Therdsak Chaiman BEC Tero Sasana 28 2004 Redha Tukar Al Ittihad 29 2005 Mohammed Noor Al Ittihad 30 2006 Choi Jin cheul Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 31 2007 Yuichiro Nagai Urawa Red Diamonds2008 Yasuhito Endō Gamba Osaka2009 No Byung jun Pohang Steelers 32 2010 Sasa Ognenovski Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 33 2011 Lee Dong gook Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 34 2012 Lee Keun ho Ulsan Hyundai 35 2013 Muriqui Guangzhou Evergrande 36 2014 Ante Covic Western Sydney Wanderers 37 2015 Ricardo Goulart Guangzhou Evergrande 38 2016 Omar Abdulrahman Al Ain 39 2017 Yōsuke Kashiwagi Urawa Red Diamonds 40 2018 Yuma Suzuki Kashima Antlers 41 2019 Bafetimbi Gomis Al Hilal 42 2020 Yoon Bit garam Ulsan Hyundai 43 2021 Salem Al Dawsari Al Hilal 44 Top scorers Edit Year Player Club Goals2002 03 Hao Haidong Dalian Shide 92004 Kim Do hoon Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 92005 Mohamed Kallon Al Ittihad 62006 Magno Alves Gamba Osaka 82007 Mota Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 72008 Nantawat Tansopa Krung Thai Bank 92009 Leandro Gamba Osaka 102010 Jose Mota Suwon Samsung Bluewings 92011 Lee Dong gook Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 92012 Ricardo Oliveira Al Jazira 122013 Muriqui Guangzhou Evergrande 132014 Asamoah Gyan Al Ain 122015 Ricardo Goulart Guangzhou Evergrande 82016 Adriano FC Seoul 132017 Omar Kharbin Al Hilal 102018 Baghdad Bounedjah Al Sadd 132019 Bafetimbi Gomis Al Hilal 112020 Abderrazak Hamdallah 45 Al Nassr 72021 Michael Olunga 46 Al Duhail 9Fair Play Award winners Edit Year Club2007 Urawa Red Diamonds2008 Gamba Osaka2009 Pohang Steelers2010 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma2011 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors2012 Ulsan Hyundai2013 FC Seoul2014 Al Hilal2015 Guangzhou Evergrande2016 Al Ain2017 Urawa Red Diamonds2018 Persepolis2019 Urawa Red Diamonds2020 Ulsan Hyundai 43 2021 Al Hilal 47 See also Edit Asia portal Association football portalAFC Cup AFC Women s Club Championship Asian Cup Winners Cup Asian Super Cup Continental football championships List of association football competitionsReferences Edit AFC Champions League The drama the glory the AFC com 17 February 2015 Retrieved 12 July 2021 Amitsur D 22 August 1971 The Arabs leg up to Israel in Asian football in Hebrew Davar Al Mal ab Newspaper April 1971 Champions of Asia Return to Baghdad Kooora in Arabic April 1971 Retrieved 20 December 2017 History of the Asian Club Championship Asian Football 9 April 1997 Archived from the original on 9 April 1997 Retrieved 5 November 2021 Asian Football Confederation PDF Archived from the original PDF on 5 February 2009 Retrieved 26 May 2008 Criteria for Participation in AFC Club Competitions PDF Archived from the original PDF on 18 August 2012 Retrieved 5 January 2010 ACL base widened from 2014 AFC Archived from the original on 30 June 2013 Retrieved 26 January 2022 AFC Slots Archived from the original on 3 December 2013 Retrieved 4 July 2014 AFC to invest in new era of national team and club competitions AFC 26 October 2019 AFC Executive Committee unveils dynamic enhancements to the AFC Club Competitions the AFC com Asian Football Confederation 25 February 2022 Retrieved 25 February 2022 AFC Competitions Committee recommends strategic reforms to elevate Asian club football theAFC com Retrieved 24 December 2022 ENSPIRE winner Maryam Shojaei on her fight to get Iranian women back in the soccer stadium ESPN com 18 June 2020 Retrieved 2 November 2021 a b c زنان در آزادی حاشیه ای فراتر از فینال DW 11 11 2018 dw com in Persian Deutsche Welle Archived from the original on 2 November 2021 Retrieved 2 November 2021 France Presse Agence 9 October 2019 Iranian women allowed to watch football at stadium for first time in decades the Guardian Retrieved 2 November 2021 In a first for Iran hundreds of women attend a major soccer match in Tehran ABC News Retrieved 2 November 2021 استقلال و پرسپولیس از لیگ قهرمانان فوتبال آسیا حذف شدند ایمنا in Persian 31 October 2021 Retrieved 2 November 2021 a b AFC ExCo okays ACL slots format The afc com Archived from the original on 3 December 2013 Retrieved 4 July 2014 AFC Champions League 2021 Competition Regulations Asian Football Confederation p 68 Retrieved 2 November 2021 AFC and NEOM announce four year global sponsorship rights deal Press release Asian Football Confederation Retrieved 8 April 2021 AFC and KONAMI sign new sponsorship and licensing deal Press release Asian Football Confederation Retrieved 25 January 2021 AFC appoints world leading ball manufacturer Molten as official match ball supplier www the afc com Retrieved 24 October 2018 PES 2016 licenses revealed Pro Evolution Soccer Archived from the original on 18 September 2015 Retrieved 5 May 2016 1996 ASIAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP Asian Football Confederation 7 July 1997 Archived from the original on 7 July 1997 الدوخي أفضل لاعب في البطولة al jazirah com in Arabic Archived from the original on 2 September 2021 Retrieved 2 September 2021 Asian Club Championship 18th Edition 1998 99 Asian Football Confederation 22 April 1999 Archived from the original on 22 April 1999 مالي الدنيا وشاغل الناس خطف الكأس al jazirah com in Arabic 24 April 2000 Archived from the original on 2 September 2021 Retrieved 2 September 2021 수원 삼성 아시아클럽축구 평정 The Chosun Ilbo in Korean 27 May 2001 Archived from the original on 7 June 2021 Retrieved 14 September 2021 AFC Champions League MVP Memories Therdsak Chaiman the afc com Asian Football Confederation 11 October 2020 Retrieved 19 December 2020 Shandong Luneng suffer 7 2 blow at Champions League China Daily 22 September 2005 Retrieved 20 December 2020 Preparation was vital for MVP Noor Asian Football Confederation 5 November 2005 Archived from the original on 7 November 2005 전북 현대 AFC 챔피언스리그 우승 Yonhap News Agency in Korean 9 November 2006 Archived from the original on 2 September 2021 Retrieved 2 September 2021 Triple treat for Steelers AFC Asian Football Confederation 7 November 2009 Archived from the original on 15 September 2018 Retrieved 7 November 2009 Ognenovski crowned AFC player of the year FIFA 24 November 2010 Archived from the original on 7 December 2010 Retrieved 5 January 2013 Double delight for Lee The AFC com Asian Football Confederation 5 November 2011 Retrieved 5 November 2011 Livewire Lee name MVP AFC 10 November 2012 Archived from the original on 17 November 2012 Triple delight for Muriqui AFC 10 November 2013 Archived from the original on 9 November 2013 Custodian Covic named Most Valuable Player AFC 2 November 2014 Hotshot Goulart adds awards to ACL title success AFC 22 November 2015 Omar Abdulrahman lands AFC Champions League 2016 MVP award AFC 27 November 2016 Retrieved 6 November 2016 Yosuke Kashiwagi clinches AFC Champions League MVP Award AFC 25 November 2017 Retrieved 25 November 2017 Yuma Suzuki of Kashima named 2018 MVP AFC 10 November 2018 Al Hilal s Gomis wins MVP Top Scorer awards Asian Football Confederation 24 November 2019 Retrieved 24 November 2019 a b Ulsan Hyundai s Yoon Bit garam named 2020 AFC Champions League MVP the afc com Asian Football Confederation 19 December 2020 Archived from the original on 30 January 2021 Retrieved 19 December 2020 Al Hilal reign in Asia after tale of two Al Dawsaris in AFC Champions League triumph Arab News 24 November 2021 Retrieved 24 November 2021 Al Nassr s Abderrazak Hamdallah wins 2020 AFC Champions League Top Scorer award the afc com Asian Football Confederation 19 December 2020 Archived from the original on 17 April 2021 Retrieved 19 December 2020 Kenya s Michael Olunga wins AFC Champions League Golden Boot The East African 24 November 2021 Retrieved 24 November 2021 Salem Al Dosari is the best player in Asia Asume Tech 24 November 2021 Retrieved 24 November 2021 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to AFC Champions League AFC Champions League Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title AFC Champions League amp oldid 1138964420, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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