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2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite

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2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
6–13 August 2024
Competition proper:
16 September 2024 – 4 May 2025
TeamsCompetition proper:24 (from 12 associations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played60
Goals scored184 (3.07 per match)
Top scorer(s)AlbaniaJasir Asani(7 goals)
←2023–24(AFC CL)
All statistics correct as of 27 November 2024.

The2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite)is the 43rd edition of Asia's premier clubfootballtournament, organized by theAsian Football Confederation(AFC), and the first since it was rebranded as theAFC Champions League Elite.The revamped format, along with the rebranding, sees 24 teams playing eight games against different opponents in the brand new league phase.[1]

The final stage will be played inSaudi Arabiafrom 25 April to 4 May 2025.[2]The tournament winner will qualify for the2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cupand the2029 FIFA Club World Cup.Additionally, the winner will enter the league stage of the2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite,if they have not already qualified through domestic performance.[3]

Al-Ainare the defending champions, as the AFC Champions League records and statistics are carried forward to the ACL Elite.[4]

Association team allocation

[edit]

The associations are allocated slots according to theirclub competitions rankingwhich was published after the 2022 competitions were completed.[5]

Participation for 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite
Participating
Not participating

Teams

[edit]

In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count since the 2002–03 season, when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League.

Notes
  1. ^
    Iran (IRN):Sepahan were also third place in the Pro League, but qualified for this competition based on their Hazfi Cup performance. Otherwise, the third place in the Pro League would have qualified for the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two.
  2. ^
    Qatar (QAT):Al-Saddhad already qualified for the Champions League Elite as the2023–24 Qatar Stars Leaguechampions has also won the2024 Emir of Qatar Cup.Thus, second-placedAl-Rayyanhave also qualified for the Champions League Elite league stage, while the third-placedAl-Gharafaqualified for the Champions League Elite qualifying play-off.
  3. ^
    South Korea (KOR):Pohang Steelershad already qualified as the2023 K League 1runners-up when they won the2023 Korean FA Cup,so third-placedGwangju FCqualified for the Champions League Elite qualifying play-off. Since both East region finalists in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup (Yokohama F. Marinos and Central Coast Mariners) had already qualified through their domestic performance, Gwangju were later confirmed for the league stage[6]based on their association's higher ranking, leaving only two teams left in the East region qualifying play-off for the remaining league stage slot.
  4. ^
    United Arab Emirates (UAE):Al Wasl had already qualified for the Champions League Elite as the2023–24 UAE Pro Leaguechampions have also won the2023–24 UAE President's Cup.Thus, second-placedShabab Al-Ahlihave qualified for the Champions League Elite qualifying play-off.

Schedule

[edit]

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[7]All matches will be played on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, apart from the quarter-finals and the final. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final matches will be played at a centralized venue in Saudi Arabia.

Stage Round Draw date West region East region
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 No draw[a] 6 August 2024
Preliminary round 2 13 August 2024
League stage Matchday 1 16 August 2024 16–17 September 2024 17–18 September 2024
Matchday 2 30 September–1 October 2024 1–2 October 2024
Matchday 3 21–22 October 2024 22–23 October 2024
Matchday 4 4–5 November 2024 5–6 November 2024
Matchday 5 25–26 November 2024 26–27 November 2024
Matchday 6 2–3 December 2024 3–4 December 2024
Matchday 7 3–4 February 2025 11–12 February 2025
Matchday 8 17–18 February 2025 18–19 February 2025
Round of 16[b] No draw[a] 3–4 and 10–11 March 2025 4–5 and 11–12 March 2025
Final stage[c] Quarter-finals 14 March 2025 25–26 April 2025
Semi-finals 29–30 April 2025
Final 4 May 2025

Qualifying play-offs

[edit]
Main article:2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite qualifying play-offs

The two winners of the play-off round (one from West Region and one from East Region) advanced to theleague stageto join the 22 direct entrants. The losers of the qualifying play-offs entered thegroup stageof the2024–25 AFC Champions League Two.[8]

Preliminary round

[edit]

A total of 2 teams played in the preliminary round.

West Region
Team 1ScoreTeam 2
SepahanIran1–4(a.e.t.)United Arab EmiratesShabab Al-Ahli

Play-off round

[edit]

A total of 4 teams played in the play-off round: 3 teams which entered in this round, and 1 winners of the preliminary round.

West Region
Team 1ScoreTeam 2
Al-Gharafa SCQatar1–0United Arab EmiratesShabab Al-Ahli
East Region
Team 1ScoreTeam 2
Shandong TaishanChina1–1(a.e.t.)
(4–3p)		ThailandBangkok United

League stage

[edit]
Main article:2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite league stage


class=notpageimage|
Location of the2024–25 AFC Champions League Eliteleague stage teams
Orange: East Region;Blue: West Region

West Region

[edit]
Table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Saudi ArabiaAl-Ahli(Q) 5 5 0 0 12 3 +9 15 Advance toround of 16
2 Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal(Q) 5 4 1 0 17 6 +11 13
3 Saudi ArabiaAl-Nassr(Q) 5 4 1 0 12 4 +8 13
4 United Arab EmiratesAl Wasl 5 3 1 1 7 5 +2 10
5 QatarAl-Sadd 5 2 3 0 6 3 +3 9
6 QatarAl-Rayyan 5 1 1 3 5 8 −3 4
7 IranEsteghlal 5 1 1 3 3 6 −3 4
8 QatarAl-Gharafa 5 1 1 3 7 11 −4 4
9 IranPersepolis 5 0 3 2 3 5 −2 3
10 UzbekistanPakhtakor 5 0 3 2 1 3 −2 3
11 IraqAl-Shorta 5 0 2 3 3 14 −11 2
12 United Arab EmiratesAl Ain 5 0 1 4 9 17 −8 1
Updated to match(es) played on 26 November 2024. Source:Asian Football Confederation
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) penalty shoot-out if only two teams remain tied and played each other on the final matchday 6) fair play ranking; 7) drawing of lots
(Q)Qualified for the phase indicated
Results
Matchday 1
Home teamScoreAway team
Al AinUnited Arab Emirates1–1QatarAl-Sadd
Al-ShortaIraq1–1Saudi ArabiaAl-Nassr
EsteghlalIran3–0QatarAl-Gharafa
Al-AhliSaudi Arabia1–0IranPersepolis
PakhtakorUzbekistan0–1United Arab EmiratesAl Wasl
Al-RayyanQatar1–3Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal
Matchday 2
Home teamScoreAway team
Al-SaddQatar2–0IranEsteghlal
PersepolisIran1–1UzbekistanPakhtakor
Al WaslUnited Arab Emirates0–2Saudi ArabiaAl-Ahli
Al-NassrSaudi Arabia2–1QatarAl-Rayyan
Al-GharafaQatar4–2United Arab EmiratesAl Ain
Al-HilalSaudi Arabia5–0IraqAl-Shorta
Matchday 3
Home teamScoreAway team
Al-ShortaIraq0–0UzbekistanPakhtakor
Al-SaddQatar1–0IranPersepolis
Al AinUnited Arab Emirates4–5Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal
Al-RayyanQatar1–2Saudi ArabiaAl-Ahli
EsteghlalIran0–1Saudi ArabiaAl-Nassr
Al-GharafaQatar1–2United Arab EmiratesAl Wasl
Matchday 4
Home teamScoreAway team
Al WaslUnited Arab Emirates1–1QatarAl-Sadd
Al-AhliSaudi Arabia5–1IraqAl-Shorta
PersepolisIran1–1QatarAl-Gharafa
Al-HilalSaudi Arabia3–0IranEsteghlal
PakhtakorUzbekistan0–1QatarAl-Rayyan
Al-NassrSaudi Arabia5–1United Arab EmiratesAl Ain
Matchday 5
Home teamScoreAway team
Al AinUnited Arab Emirates1–2Saudi ArabiaAl-Ahli
EsteghlalIran0–0UzbekistanPakhtakor
Al-GharafaQatar1–3Saudi ArabiaAl-Nassr
Al-RayyanQatar1–1IranPersepolis
Al-ShortaIraq1–3United Arab EmiratesAl Wasl
Al-SaddQatar1–1Saudi ArabiaAl-Hilal
Matchday 6
Home teamScoreAway team
PersepolisIran2 DecIraqAl-Shorta
Al-AhliSaudi Arabia2 DecIranEsteghlal
Al WaslUnited Arab Emirates2 DecQatarAl-Rayyan
Al-NassrSaudi Arabia2 DecQatarAl-Sadd
PakhtakorUzbekistan3 DecUnited Arab EmiratesAl Ain
Al-HilalSaudi Arabia3 DecQatarAl-Gharafa
Matchday 7
Home teamScoreAway team
Al AinUnited Arab Emirates3 FebQatarAl-Rayyan
EsteghlalIran3 FebIraqAl-Shorta
Al-SaddQatar3 FebSaudi ArabiaAl-Ahli
Al-NassrSaudi Arabia3 FebUnited Arab EmiratesAl Wasl
Al-GharafaQatar4 FebUzbekistanPakhtakor
Al-HilalSaudi Arabia4 FebIranPersepolis
Matchday 8
Home teamScoreAway team
PakhtakorUzbekistan17 FebQatarAl-Sadd
Al-ShortaIraq17 FebUnited Arab EmiratesAl Ain
PersepolisIran17 FebSaudi ArabiaAl-Nassr
Al-AhliSaudi Arabia17 FebQatarAl-Gharafa
Al-RayyanQatar18 FebIranEsteghlal
Al WaslUnited Arab Emirates18 FebSaudi ArabiaAl-Hilal

East Region

[edit]
Table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 JapanVissel Kobe 5 4 1 0 9 3 +6 13 Advance toround of 16
2 South KoreaGwangju 5 4 0 1 12 6 +6 12
3 JapanYokohama F. Marinos 5 3 1 1 16 9 +7 10
4 JapanKawasaki Frontale 5 3 0 2 7 4 +3 9
5 MalaysiaJohor Darul Ta'zim 5 2 1 2 9 6 +3 7
6 ChinaShanghai Shenhua 5 2 1 2 8 7 +1 7
7 ChinaShandong Taishan 5 2 1 2 9 9 0 7
8 ChinaShanghai Port 5 2 1 2 9 11 −2 7
9 ThailandBuriram United 5 2 1 2 3 9 −6 7
10 South KoreaPohang Steelers 5 2 0 3 8 9 −1 6
11 AustraliaCentral Coast Mariners 5 0 1 4 8 13 −5 1
12 South KoreaUlsan HD 5 0 0 5 1 13 −12 0
Updated to match(es) played on 27 November 2024. Source:Asian Football Confederation
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) penalty shoot-out if only two teams remain tied and played each other on the final matchday 6) fair play ranking; 7) drawing of lots
Results
Matchday 1
Home teamScoreAway team
GwangjuSouth Korea7–3JapanYokohama F. Marinos
Shandong TaishanChina3–1AustraliaCentral Coast Mariners
Buriram UnitedThailand0–0JapanVissel Kobe
Shanghai ShenhuaChina4–1South KoreaPohang Steelers
Ulsan HDSouth Korea0–1JapanKawasaki Frontale
Shanghai PortChina2–2MalaysiaJohor Darul Ta'zim
Matchday 2
Home teamScoreAway team
Central Coast MarinersAustralia1–2ThailandBuriram United
Kawasaki FrontaleJapan0–1South KoreaGwangju
Pohang SteelersSouth Korea3–0ChinaShanghai Port
Johor Darul Ta'zimMalaysia3–0ChinaShanghai Shenhua
Vissel KobeJapan2–1ChinaShandong Taishan
Yokohama F. MarinosJapan4–0South KoreaUlsan HD
Matchday 3
Home teamScoreAway team
GwangjuSouth Korea3–1MalaysiaJohor Darul Ta'zim
Shanghai PortChina3–2AustraliaCentral Coast Mariners
Shandong TaishanChina2–2JapanYokohama F. Marinos
Buriram UnitedThailand1–0South KoreaPohang Steelers
Ulsan HDSouth Korea0–2JapanVissel Kobe
Shanghai ShenhuaChina2–0JapanKawasaki Frontale
Matchday 4
Home teamScoreAway team
Central Coast MarinersAustralia2–2ChinaShanghai Shenhua
Kawasaki FrontaleJapan3–1ChinaShanghai Port
Vissel KobeJapan2–0South KoreaGwangju
Johor Darul Ta'zimMalaysia3–0South KoreaUlsan HD
Pohang SteelersSouth Korea4–2ChinaShandong Taishan
Yokohama F. MarinosJapan5–0ThailandBuriram United
Matchday 5
Home teamScoreAway team
Vissel KobeJapan3–2AustraliaCentral Coast Mariners
Ulsan HDSouth Korea1–3ChinaShanghai Port
Shandong TaishanChina1–0MalaysiaJohor Darul Ta'zim
Buriram UnitedThailand0–3JapanKawasaki Frontale
GwangjuSouth Korea1–0ChinaShanghai Shenhua
Yokohama F. MarinosJapan2–0South KoreaPohang Steelers
Matchday 6
Home teamScoreAway team
Central Coast MarinersAustralia3 DecJapanYokohama F. Marinos
Pohang SteelersSouth Korea3 DecJapanVissel Kobe
Johor Darul Ta'zimMalaysia3 DecThailandBuriram United
Shanghai PortChina3 DecSouth KoreaGwangju
Kawasaki FrontaleJapan4 DecChinaShandong Taishan
Shanghai ShenhuaChina4 DecSouth KoreaUlsan HD
Matchday 7
Home teamScoreAway team
Central Coast MarinersAustralia11 FebMalaysiaJohor Darul Ta'zim
Vissel KobeJapan11 FebChinaShanghai Port
Pohang SteelersSouth Korea11 FebJapanKawasaki Frontale
Shandong TaishanChina11 FebSouth KoreaGwangju
Yokohama F. MarinosJapan12 FebChinaShanghai Shenhua
Buriram UnitedThailand12 FebSouth KoreaUlsan HD
Matchday 8
Home teamScoreAway team
GwangjuSouth Korea18 FebThailandBuriram United
Kawasaki FrontaleJapan18 FebAustraliaCentral Coast Mariners
Shanghai ShenhuaChina18 FebJapanVissel Kobe
Johor Darul Ta'zimMalaysia18 FebSouth KoreaPohang Steelers
Ulsan HDSouth Korea19 FebChinaShandong Taishan
Shanghai PortChina19 FebJapanYokohama F. Marinos

Knockout stage

[edit]

Round of 16

[edit]
Main article:2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite knockout stage

A total of 16 teams will qualify for the knockout stage, with each region having 8 teams to qualify.

The first legs will be played on 3–5 March, and the second legs will be played on 10–12 March 2025.

West Region
Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
West Region 8thR16 West 1West Region 1st3–4 Mar10–11 Mar
West Region 7thR16 West 2West Region 2nd3–4 Mar10–11 Mar
West Region 6thR16 West 3West Region 3rd3–4 Mar10–11 Mar
West Region 5thR16 West 4West Region 4th3–4 Mar10–11 Mar
East Region
Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
East Region 8thR16 East 1East Region 1st4–5 Mar11–12 Mar
East Region 7thR16 East 2East Region 2nd4–5 Mar11–12 Mar
East Region 6thR16 East 3East Region 3rd4–5 Mar11–12 Mar
East Region 5thR16 East 4East Region 4th4–5 Mar11–12 Mar

Final

[edit]
Main article:2025 AFC Champions League Elite final

Top scorers

[edit]
As of 27 November 2024
Team eliminated for this round.
Player is not in the team but the team is still active for this round.
Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 MD7 MD8 R16-1 R16-2 QF SF F Total
1 AlbaniaJasir Asani South KoreaGwangju 3 1 2 1 7
2 BrazilÉlber JapanYokohama F. Marinos 1 1 2 1 5
ArgentinaMatías Vargas ChinaShanghai Port 1 1 3
4 MalaysiaArif Aiman MalaysiaJohor Darul Ta'zim 2 1 1 4
Saudi ArabiaSalem Al-Dawsari Saudi ArabiaAl Hilal 1 3
SerbiaAleksandar Mitrović Saudi ArabiaAl Hilal 1 3
JapanTaisei Miyashiro JapanVissel Kobe 1 2 1
MoroccoSoufiane Rahimi United Arab EmiratesAl Ain 1 3
PortugalCristiano Ronaldo Saudi ArabiaAl Nassr 1 1 2
10 SpainJoselu QatarAl-Gharafa 2 1 3
BrazilAndré Luis ChinaShanghai Shenhua 1 1 1
AlgeriaRiyad Mahrez Saudi ArabiaAl-Ahli 1 2
Note
  • Goals scored in the qualifying play-offs and matches voided by AFC are not counted when determining top scorer (Regulations Article 64.4)


See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^abPre-determined format
  2. ^two-legged ties
  3. ^centralized venue in Saudi Arabia

References

[edit]
  1. ^"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.
  2. ^"Saudi Arabia to host AFC Champions League Elite – Final Stage".the-AFC.Retrieved1 December2023.
  3. ^"More Member Associations to benefit from inclusive AFC Champions League".the-afc.Asian Football Confederation. 23 November 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 27 November 2019.Retrieved14 January2020.
  4. ^"Pivotal reforms approved by AFC Competitions Committee".AFC.24 May 2024.Retrieved24 May2024.
  5. ^"AFC Club Competitions Ranking".the-afc.Asian Football Confederation.Archivedfrom the original on 7 January 2022.Retrieved10 December2021.
  6. ^"광주FC - GWANGJU FOOTBALL CLUB".gwangjufc(in Korean).Retrieved24 April2024.
  7. ^"AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions".AFC.1 July 2023.
  8. ^"Preliminary battles to kick-start ACL Elite 2024/25".the-AFC.31 July 2024.Retrieved13 August2024.
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