Jump to content

AFC Champions League Elite

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromAsian Champions League)
"Asian Champions League" redirects here. For other uses, seeChampions League (disambiguation).
Not to be confused withAFC Asian CuporAFC Championship Game.

AFC Champions League Elite
Organising bodyAFC
Founded1967;57 years ago(1967)(asAsian Champion Club Tournament)
RegionAsia
Number of teams24 (league stage)
Qualifier forFIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Intercontinental Cup
Related competitionsAFC Champions League Two
(2nd tier)
AFC Challenge League
(3rd tier)
Current championsUnited Arab EmiratesAl Ain(2nd title)
Most successful club(s)Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal(4 titles)
Websitewww.the-afc.com
2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite

TheAFC Champions League Elite(abbreviated as theACL Elite) is an annual continental clubfootballcompetition organised by theAsian Football Confederation,and contested by Asia'stop-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]

Introduced in 1967 as theAsian Champion Club Tournament,the competition rebranded asAFC Champions Leaguein 2002 following the merger of the Asian Club Championship, theAsian Cup Winners' Cupand theAsian Super Cup.It was rebranded again in 2024 to its current name.

A total of 24 clubs compete in the league stage of the competition, divided into East and West regions (12 teams each). The winner of the AFC Champions League Elite qualifies for theFIFA Intercontinental Cupand theFIFA Club World Cup,and also for the next edition of the AFC Champions League Elite league stage if they have not already qualified through their domestic performance.

The most successful club in the competition isAl-Hilalwith a total of four titles.Al Ainare the current champions, having beatenYokohama F. Marinosin the2024 final.

History

[edit]
Winners
Season Winners
Asian Champion Club Tournament
1967 IsraelHapoel Tel Aviv
1969 IsraelMaccabi Tel Aviv
1970 IranTaj Tehran
1971 IsraelMaccabi Tel Aviv
1972 Cancelled
1973–1984: Not held
Asian Club Championship
1985–86 South KoreaDaewoo Royals
1986 JapanFurukawa Electric
1987 JapanYomiuri FC
1988–89 QatarAl-Sadd
1989–90 ChinaLiaoning
1990–91 IranEsteghlal
1991 Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal
1992–93 IranPAS Tehran
1993–94 ThailandThai Farmers Bank
1994–95 ThailandThai Farmers Bank
1995 South KoreaIlhwa Chunma
1996–97 South KoreaPohang Steelers
1997–98 South KoreaPohang Steelers
1998–99 JapanJúbilo Iwata
1999–2000 Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal
2000–01 South KoreaSuwon Samsung Bluewings
2001–02 South KoreaSuwon Samsung Bluewings
AFC Champions League
2002–03 United Arab EmiratesAl Ain
2004 Saudi ArabiaAl-Ittihad
2005 Saudi ArabiaAl-Ittihad
2006 South KoreaJeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2007 JapanUrawa Red Diamonds
2008 JapanGamba Osaka
2009 South KoreaPohang Steelers
2010 South KoreaSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma
2011 QatarAl-Sadd
2012 South KoreaUlsan Hyundai
2013 ChinaGuangzhou Evergrande
2014 AustraliaWestern Sydney Wanderers
2015 ChinaGuangzhou Evergrande
2016 South KoreaJeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2017 JapanUrawa Red Diamonds
2018 JapanKashima Antlers
2019 Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal
2020 South KoreaUlsan Hyundai
2021 Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal
2022 JapanUrawa Red Diamonds
2023–24 United Arab EmiratesAl Ain
AFC Champions League Elite
2024–25

1967–1972: Asian Champion Club Tournament

[edit]

TheAsian Football Confederation(AFC) first discussed launching a tournament for the champions of AFC nations in a meeting held on 21 April 1963, with its SecretaryLee Wai Tongannouncing the AFC's intention to hold a competition similar to theEuropean Cup.[2]The competition started in 1967 as the Asian Champion Club Tournament and had a variety of different formats in its first few years, with the inaugural tournament staged as a straight knock-out format, and the following three editions consisting of a group stage.

WhileIsraeli clubsdominated the first four editions of the competition, this was partly due tothe refusal of Arab clubs to play them:

  • In1970,LebaneseclubHomenetmenrefused to playHapoel Tel Avivin the semi-final, which was scratched with Hapoel advancing to the final.
  • In1971,Aliyat Al-Shortaof Iraq refused to playMaccabi Tel Avivon three occasions: in the preliminary round (which was redrawn), in the group stage, and then in the final, which was scratched with Maccabi being awarded the championship.[3]During the award ceremony for Maccabi, Aliyat Al-Shorta players waved the Palestinian flag around the field, with a match being arranged by the AFC and the Thai FA between Maccabi and a Combined Bangkok team in lieu of the final.[4]The Iraqi media considered Aliyat Al-Shorta as the tournament's winners, with the team holding anopen top bus paradein Baghdad.[5]

After the1972edition had to be cancelled by the AFC for various reasons, including two Arab clubs being excluded for refusing to commit to playing against Israeli clubMaccabi 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 in1985as the Asian Club Championship.[6]

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

2002–2024: AFC Champions League

[edit]
Japan'sKashima Antlersand Singapore'sWarriors FCduring a group stage game during the2009 seasonat theJalan Besar Stadium.

The 2002–03 season saw the Asian Club Championship,Asian Cup Winners' CupandAsian Super Cupcombine 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 wereAl-Ain,defeatingBEC Tero Sasana2–1 on aggregate. In2004,29 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, withaway goals,extra time,andpenaltiesused as tie-breakers.

Expansion

[edit]

The2005 seasonsaw 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.[7]The assessment criteria and ranking for participating associations are revised by AFC every two years.[8]

FIFA presidentGianni Infantinoand around 100,000 others watching the2018 AFC Champions League FinalatAzadi 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.[9][10]

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.[11]

On 25 February 2022, it was announced that the AFC Champions League would go back to an inter-year (autumn to spring) schedule starting with the2023–24 season.In addition, the existing "3+1" rule for foreign players during matches (3 foreign players and 1 Asian foreigner) was expanded to "5+1" (5 foreign players and 1 Asian foreigner).[12]

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 ofwomen's rightsin the stadiums of Iranian sides.

On top of that, Iranian women were banned from football stadiums for about 40 years, by theIranian government.[13][14]In 2019, Iranian women were first allowed to watch football at stadiums, but not during ACL games.[14][15]Before that,FIFAhad pressured Iran to let women into the stadiums; Iran relented, but capped the number of women to watch the2018 final.[14][16]In 2021, the AFC investigated the matter, in the hope of allowing unrestricted attendance whenever Iranian clubs are involved.[17]

2024–25 onwards: AFC Champions League Elite

[edit]

On 23 December 2022, the AFC announced that their club football structure would undergo an overhaul, with the top club competition shrinking from 40 teams in the main stage to 24 teams, divided into East and West regions (12 teams each), with each team in the East and West regions playing eight other teams from their region (four teams at home and four teams away). The top eight teams from each region would advance to the knockout stage, where only the round of 16 would be played over two legs, with all matches from the quarter-finals onward being played in a single-leg format at a centralised venue.[18]On 14 August 2023, it was confirmed that the new format would come into effect from the2024–25season, with the name of the competition changing to AFC Champions League Elite.[19]The AFC has also confirmed that AFC Champions League records and statistics would be carried forward to the ACL Elite.[20]In December 2023, Saudi Arabia were awarded hosting duties for the final stage for the first two seasons.[21]

Format

[edit]

Qualification

[edit]
Map of AFC countries whose teams reached the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite
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 the2024–25 editionof the tournament, the AFC Champions League Elite uses a league stage format of 24 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.

The number of teams that each association enters into the AFC Champions League Elite is determined annually through criteria as set by the AFC Competitions Committee.[22]The criteria, which is a modified version of theUEFA 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 competition.

Tournament

[edit]

The tournament proper begins with a league stage of 24 teams, which are split into two leagues (East and West), with each team playing against eight opponents from their league (four at home and four away).[23]

The top eight teams from each league advance to the round of 16. In this phase, each club face another club from its region in a two-legged, home-and-away tie to decide which eight clubs progress to a centralised Finals tournament.[23]If the aggregate score of the two games is tied after 180 minutes, the clubs playextra time.If still tied after extra time, the tie is decided by apenalty shoot-out.

The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final matches all feature cross-regional pairings, and are played in a single-leg format at centralised venue.[23]

Allocation

[edit]
Further information:AFC club competitions ranking

Teams from 24 AFC countries have reached the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite. 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 2023–24
East Asia
AustraliaAustralia Part ofOFC 2 2 2 2 2 3 1* 3 2* 2* 3 2* 2* 3 0 2* 1
ChinaChina PR 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 3* 4 4 4 2* 2 3*
Hong KongHong Kong 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 1* 1* 0* 0* 1 1 1*
IndonesiaIndonesia 0* 2 2 0 2 0 1* 1* 1* 0* 0 0 0* 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0 0 0*
JapanJapan 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3* 4 4 4
South KoreaSouth Korea 2 2 2 2 3 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
MalaysiaMalaysia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 1* 1* 1 1 1
PhilippinesPhilippines 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 2 1* 1
SingaporeSingapore 0* 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 1 1 1
ThailandThailand 2 2 2 0 1 2 0* 0* 0* 1* 2 1* 1* 1* 1* 1* 1* 1* 4 2* 3*
VietnamVietnam 0* 2 2 2 1 2 0 0* 0 0 0 0* 1* 1* 0* 0* 0* 0* 1 1 1*
Total 8 12 12 8 13 13 16 16 15 15 15 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 20 19 20
West Asia
BahrainBahrain 0* 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0 0 0* 0 0* 0* 0 0
IndiaIndia 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 1 1 1
IranIran 2 2 2 2 1 2 4 4 4 3* 3* 4 4 3* 4 4 3* 4 4 2 3*
IraqIraq 1* 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0 0 1* 1* 2* 1* 1
JordanJordan 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 1 1 1*
KuwaitKuwait 0* 1 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0 0
QatarQatar 1* 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 2* 2* 2* 4 3* 2* 3* 4 2*
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia 1* 2 3 3 2 2 4 4 4 3* 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 4 3* 4 4
SyriaSyria 0* 0 2 2 2 2 0 0* 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0
TajikistanTajikistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 1 1 1
TurkmenistanTurkmenistan 1* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates 1* 3 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 3* 2* 3* 4 4 3* 4 3* 3* 2*
UzbekistanUzbekistan 1* 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3* 2* 1* 4 4 2* 2* 2* 1* 2 2 4
Total 8 14 17 17 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 20 20 20
Total
Finals 16 26 29 25 28 29 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 40 39 40
Qualifying 53 26 29 25 28 29 35 37 36 37 35 47 49 45 47 46 51 52 45 46 53

Prize money

[edit]
Tournament's trophy, used until 2024

Starting with the 2024–25 season, the distribution of the prize money is as follows:[24]

Round Teams Amount
Per team Total
Final (champions) 1 $10 million
Final (runners-up) 1 $4 million
Semi-finals 4 $600,000 $2.4 million
Quarter-finals 8 $400,000 $3.2 million
Round of 16 16 $200,000 $3.2 million
League stage 24 $800,000 $19.2 million
Total 24 $42 million

Marketing

[edit]

Sponsorship

[edit]

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

Official Global Partners

Official Global Supporters

Video game

[edit]

The current license holder for the AFC Champions League video game is Konami with theeFootballseries.[31]The license also includes the competing teams.

Records and statistics

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

Performances by club

[edit]
Main article:List of Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League Elite finals
Performances in the Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League Elite by club
Club 		Title(s) Runners-up Seasons won Seasons runner-up
Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal 4 5 1991,1999–2000,2019,2021 1986,1987,2014,2017,2022
South KoreaPohang Steelers 3 1 1996–97,1997–98,2009 2021
JapanUrawa Red Diamonds 3 1 2007,2017,2022 2019
IranEsteghlal 2 2 1970,1990–91 1991,1998–99
South KoreaSeongnam FC 2 2 1995,2010 1996–97,2004
United Arab EmiratesAl Ain 2 2 2002–03,2023–24 2005,2016
Saudi ArabiaAl-Ittihad 2 1 2004,2005 2009
South KoreaJeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2 1 2006,2016 2011
IsraelMaccabi Tel Aviv 2 0 1969,1971 —
QatarAl-Sadd 2 0 1988–89,2011 —
ThailandThai Farmers Bank 2 0 1993–94,1994–95 —
South KoreaSuwon Samsung Bluewings 2 0 2000–01,2001–02 —
South KoreaUlsan HD 2 0 2012,2020 —
ChinaGuangzhou 2 0 2013,2015 —
JapanJúbilo Iwata 1 2 1998–99 1999–2000,2000–01
IsraelHapoel Tel Aviv 1 1 1967 1970
ChinaLiaoning 1 1 1989–90 1990–91
South KoreaBusan IPark 1 0 1985–86 —
JapanJEF United Chiba 1 0 1986 —
JapanTokyo Verdy 1 0 1987 —
IranPAS Tehran 1 0 1992–93 —
JapanGamba Osaka 1 0 2008 —
AustraliaWestern Sydney Wanderers 1 0 2014 —
JapanKashima Antlers 1 0 2018 —
Saudi ArabiaAl-Ahli 0 2 — 1985–86,2012
JapanYokohama F. Marinos 0 2 — 1989–90,2023–24
South KoreaFC Seoul 0 2 — 2001–02,2013
IranPersepolis 0 2 — 2018,2020
MalaysiaSelangor 0 1 — 1967
South KoreaYangzee 0 1 — 1969
IraqAliyat Al-Shorta 0 1 — 1971
IraqAl-Rasheed 0 1 — 1988–89
Saudi ArabiaAl-Shabab 0 1 — 1992–93
OmanOman Club 0 1 — 1993–94
QatarAl-Arabi 0 1 — 1994–95
Saudi ArabiaAl-Nassr 0 1 — 1995
ChinaDalian Shide 0 1 — 1997–98
ThailandPolice Tero 0 1 — 2002–03
SyriaAl-Karamah 0 1 — 2006
IranSepahan 0 1 — 2007
AustraliaAdelaide United 0 1 — 2008
IranZob Ahan 0 1 — 2010
United Arab EmiratesShabab Al-Ahli 0 1 — 2015


Performances by nation

[edit]
Performances in finals by nation
Nation Titles Runners-up Total
South Korea 12 7 19
Japan 8 5 13
Saudi Arabia 6 10 16
Iran 3 6 9
China 3 2 5
Israel 3 1 4
United Arab Emirates 2 3 5
Qatar 2 1 3
Thailand 2 1 3
Australia 1 1 2
Iraq 0 2 2
Malaysia 0 1 1
Oman 0 1 1
Syria 0 1 1

Performances by region

[edit]
Federation (region) Titles Total
EAFF(East Asia) East Zone 23 26
AFF(Southeast Asia) 3
WAFF(West Asia) West Zone 10 13
CAFA(Central Asia) 3
SAFF(South Asia) 0

Note: Israeli clubs, winners of the1967,1969and1971editions, are not included.

Awards

[edit]

Most Valuable Player

[edit]
Year Player Club Ref.
1996–97 South KoreaAn Ik-soo South KoreaPohang Steelers [32]
1997–98 Saudi ArabiaAhmed Al-Dokhi Saudi ArabiaAl Hilal [33]
1998–99 Burkina FasoSeydou Traoré United Arab EmiratesAl-Ain [34]
1999–2000 BrazilSérgio Ricardo Saudi ArabiaAl Hilal [35]
2000–01 Federal Republic of YugoslaviaZoltan Sabo South KoreaSuwon Samsung Bluewings [36]
2001–02 —
2002–03 ThailandTherdsak Chaiman ThailandBEC Tero Sasana [37]
2004 Saudi ArabiaRedha Tukar Saudi ArabiaAl-Ittihad [38]
2005 Saudi ArabiaMohammed Noor Saudi ArabiaAl-Ittihad [39]
2006 South KoreaChoi Jin-cheul South KoreaJeonbuk Hyundai Motors [40]
2007 JapanYuichiro Nagai JapanUrawa Red Diamonds
2008 JapanYasuhito Endō JapanGamba Osaka
2009 South KoreaNo Byung-jun South KoreaPohang Steelers [41]
2010 AustraliaSasa Ognenovski South KoreaSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma [42]
2011 South KoreaLee Dong-gook South KoreaJeonbuk Hyundai Motors [43]
2012 South KoreaLee Keun-ho South KoreaUlsan Hyundai [44]
2013 BrazilMuriqui ChinaGuangzhou Evergrande [45]
2014 AustraliaAnte Covic AustraliaWestern Sydney Wanderers [46]
2015 BrazilRicardo Goulart ChinaGuangzhou Evergrande [47]
2016 United Arab EmiratesOmar Abdulrahman United Arab EmiratesAl-Ain [48]
2017 JapanYōsuke Kashiwagi JapanUrawa Red Diamonds [49]
2018 JapanYuma Suzuki JapanKashima Antlers [50]
2019 FranceBafétimbi Gomis Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal [51]
2020 South KoreaYoon Bit-garam South KoreaUlsan Hyundai [52]
2021 Saudi ArabiaSalem Al-Dawsari Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal [53]
2022 JapanHiroki Sakai JapanUrawa Red Diamonds [54]
2023–24 MoroccoSoufiane Rahimi United Arab EmiratesAl Ain [55]

Top scorers

[edit]
Year Player Club Goals
2002–03 ChinaHao Haidong ChinaDalian Shide 9
2004 South KoreaKim Do-hoon South KoreaSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma 9
2005 Sierra LeoneMohamed Kallon Saudi ArabiaAl-Ittihad 6
2006 BrazilMagno Alves JapanGamba Osaka 8
2007 BrazilMota South KoreaSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma 7
2008 ThailandNantawat Tansopa ThailandKrung Thai Bank 9
2009 BrazilLeandro JapanGamba Osaka 10
2010 BrazilJose Mota South KoreaSuwon Samsung Bluewings 9
2011 South KoreaLee Dong-gook South KoreaJeonbuk Hyundai Motors 9
2012 BrazilRicardo Oliveira United Arab EmiratesAl-Jazira 12
2013 BrazilMuriqui ChinaGuangzhou Evergrande 13
2014 GhanaAsamoah Gyan United Arab EmiratesAl-Ain 12
2015 BrazilRicardo Goulart ChinaGuangzhou Evergrande 8
2016 BrazilAdriano South KoreaFC Seoul 13
2017 SyriaOmar Kharbin Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal 10
2018 AlgeriaBaghdad Bounedjah QatarAl-Sadd 13
2019 FranceBafétimbi Gomis Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal 11
2020 MoroccoAbderrazak Hamdallah[56] Saudi ArabiaAl-Nassr 7
2021 KenyaMichael Olunga[57] QatarAl-Duhail 9
2022 BelgiumEdmilson Junior[58] QatarAl-Duhail 8
2023–24 MoroccoSoufiane Rahimi[55] United Arab EmiratesAl Ain 13

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"AFC Champions League: The drama, the glory..."the-AFC.com.17 February 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 9 June 2021.Retrieved12 July2021.
  2. ^"Asian nations soccer contest".The Iraq Times. 18 April 1963.Archivedfrom the original on 7 June 2024.Retrieved11 November2023.
  3. ^Amitsur, D. (22 August 1971)."The Arabs' leg up to Israel in Asian football"(in Hebrew).Davar.Archivedfrom the original on 25 July 2020.Retrieved25 May2020.
  4. ^"Asian Club Competitions 1971".RSSSF.Archivedfrom the original on 22 July 2022.Retrieved15 January2024.
  5. ^"Al-Mal'ab Newspaper - April 1971 - Champions of Asia Return to Baghdad".Kooora(in Arabic). April 1971. Archived fromthe originalon 25 July 2020.Retrieved20 December2017.
  6. ^"History of the Asian Club Championship".Asian Football.9 April 1997.Archivedfrom the original on 9 April 1997.Retrieved5 November2021.
  7. ^"Asian Football Confederation"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 February 2009.Retrieved26 May2008.
  8. ^"Criteria for Participation in AFC Club Competitions"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 18 August 2012.Retrieved5 January2010.
  9. ^"ACL base widened from 2014".AFC.Archivedfrom the original on 30 June 2013.Retrieved26 January2022.
  10. ^"AFC Slots".Archived fromthe originalon 3 December 2013.Retrieved4 July2014.
  11. ^"AFC to invest in new era of national team and club competitions".AFC. 26 October 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 5 February 2020.Retrieved26 October2019.
  12. ^"AFC Executive Committee unveils dynamic enhancements to the AFC Club Competitions".the-AFC.com.Asian Football Confederation. 25 February 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 9 March 2022.Retrieved25 February2022.
  13. ^"ENSPIRE winner Maryam Shojaei on her fight to get Iranian women back in the soccer stadium".ESPN.18 June 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2021.Retrieved2 November2021.
  14. ^abc"زنان در آزادی؛ حاشیهای فراتر از فینال | DW | 11.11.2018".dw.com(in Persian).Deutsche Welle.Archivedfrom the original on 15 June 2021.Retrieved2 November2021.
  15. ^"Iranian women allowed to watch football at stadium for first time in decades".the Guardian.Agence France-Presse. 9 October 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 7 June 2024.Retrieved2 November2021.
  16. ^"In a first for Iran, hundreds of women attend a major soccer match in Tehran".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2021.Retrieved2 November2021.
  17. ^"استقلال و پرسپولیس از لیگ قهرمانان فوتبال آسیا حذف شدند!".ایمنا(in Persian). 31 October 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2021.Retrieved2 November2021.
  18. ^"AFC Competitions Committee recommends strategic reforms to elevate Asian club football".AFC.23 December 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 24 December 2022.Retrieved24 December2022.
  19. ^"AFC Executive Committee approves biggest prize purse in Asian club football history from 2024/25; announces AFC Women's Champions League".AFC.14 August 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 29 October 2023.Retrieved14 August2023.
  20. ^"Pivotal reforms approved by AFC Competitions Committee".AFC.24 May 2024.Archivedfrom the original on 24 May 2024.Retrieved24 May2024.
  21. ^"Saudi Arabia to host AFC Champions League Elite – Final Stage".AFC.1 December 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 9 February 2024.Retrieved18 December2023.
  22. ^"AFC ExCo okays ACL slots, format".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.Archived fromthe originalon 3 December 2013.Retrieved4 July2014.
  23. ^abc"Explained: Asia's new $23m Champions League format as Mariners, Sydney FC chase big payday".A-Leagues.19 June 2024.Retrieved24 June2024.
  24. ^The AFC Hub (19 June 2024).AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25.Retrieved20 June2024– via YouTube.
  25. ^"AFC and NEOM announce global multi-year partnership extension".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.10 July 2024.Retrieved12 July2024.
  26. ^Long, Michael (18 December 2023)."AFC lands six-year Qatar Airways sponsorship deal".SportsPro.Retrieved19 December2023.
  27. ^"AFC and Qatar Airways announce global partnership".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.16 December 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 9 May 2024.Retrieved20 December2023.
  28. ^"AFC and KONAMI sign new sponsorship and licensing deal".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.25 January 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 3 September 2021.Retrieved23 November2023.
  29. ^"AFC appoints world-leading ball manufacturer Molten as official match ball supplier".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.5 May 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 4 May 2018.Retrieved23 November2023.
  30. ^"TECNO becomes Official Global Supporter of AFC Club Competitions".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.13 August 2024.Retrieved14 August2024.
  31. ^Wicherek, Michael (12 October 2023)."Konami adds huge new license to eFootball 2024".VideoGamer.Archivedfrom the original on 2 December 2023.Retrieved6 December2023.
  32. ^"1996 ASIAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP".Asian Football Confederation. 7 July 1997. Archived fromthe originalon 7 July 1997.
  33. ^"الدوخي أفضل لاعب في البطولة".al-jazirah.com(in Arabic).Archivedfrom the original on 2 September 2021.Retrieved2 September2021.
  34. ^"Asian Club Championship 18th Edition 1998/99".Asian Football Confederation. 22 April 1999. Archived fromthe originalon 22 April 1999.
  35. ^"مالي الدنيا وشاغل الناس خطف الكأس".al-jazirah.com(in Arabic). 24 April 2000. Archived fromthe originalon 2 September 2021.Retrieved2 September2021.
  36. ^"수원 삼성, 아시아클럽축구 평정".The Chosun Ilbo(in Korean). 27 May 2001. Archived fromthe originalon 7 June 2021.Retrieved14 September2021.
  37. ^"AFC Champions League – MVP Memories: Therdsak Chaiman".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.11 October 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 16 October 2023.Retrieved19 December2020.
  38. ^"Shandong Luneng suffer 7–2 blow at Champions League".China Daily.22 September 2005.Archivedfrom the original on 16 October 2023.Retrieved20 December2020.
  39. ^"Preparation was vital for MVP Noor".Asian Football Confederation. 5 November 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 7 November 2005.
  40. ^"전북 현대 AFC 챔피언스리그 우승".Yonhap News Agency(in Korean). 9 November 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 2 September 2021.Retrieved2 September2021.
  41. ^"Triple treat for Steelers".AFC.Asian Football Confederation.7 November 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 15 September 2018.Retrieved7 November2009.
  42. ^"Ognenovski crowned AFC player of the year".FIFA.24 November 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2010.Retrieved5 January2013.
  43. ^"Double delight for Lee".The-AFC.com.Asian Football Confederation. 5 November 2011.Retrieved5 November2011.
  44. ^"Livewire Lee name MVP".AFC. 10 November 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 17 November 2012.
  45. ^"Triple delight for Muriqui".AFC. 10 November 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 9 November 2013.
  46. ^"Custodian Covic named Most Valuable Player".AFC. 2 November 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2021.Retrieved30 March2022.
  47. ^"Hotshot Goulart adds awards to ACL title success".AFC. 22 November 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 24 November 2015.Retrieved30 March2022.
  48. ^"Omar Abdulrahman lands AFC Champions League 2016 MVP award".AFC. 27 November 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 3 December 2016.Retrieved6 November2016.
  49. ^"Yosuke Kashiwagi clinches AFC Champions League MVP Award".AFC. 25 November 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 1 December 2017.Retrieved25 November2017.
  50. ^"Yuma Suzuki of Kashima named 2018 MVP".AFC. 10 November 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 21 February 2024.Retrieved30 March2022.
  51. ^"Al Hilal's Gomis wins MVP, Top Scorer awards".Asian Football Confederation. 24 November 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 8 January 2020.Retrieved24 November2019.
  52. ^"Ulsan Hyundai's Yoon Bit-garam named 2020 AFC Champions League MVP".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.19 December 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 30 January 2021.Retrieved19 December2020.
  53. ^"Al-Hilal reign in Asia after tale of two Al-Dawsaris in AFC Champions League triumph".Arab News.24 November 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 25 December 2021.Retrieved24 November2021.
  54. ^"Urawa's Hiroki Sakai crowned Most Valuable Player".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.6 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2023.Retrieved6 May2023.
  55. ^ab"Al Ain's Rahimi wins MVP, Top Scorer awards".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.25 May 2024.Archivedfrom the original on 25 May 2024.Retrieved27 May2024.
  56. ^"Al Nassr's Abderrazak Hamdallah wins 2020 AFC Champions League Top Scorer award".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.19 December 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 17 April 2021.Retrieved19 December2020.
  57. ^"Kenya's Michael Olunga wins AFC Champions League Golden Boot".The East African.24 November 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 25 May 2023.Retrieved24 November2021.
  58. ^"Al Duhail's Edmilson Junior scoops Top Scorer Award".the-afc.com.Asian Football Confederation.6 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2023.Retrieved6 May2023.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related toAFC Champions League.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=AFC_Champions_League_Elite&oldid=1245318899"