AFC Champions League, also known as the Asian Champions League, or AFC Champions League for short, is an Asian club football championship founded by AFC in 2002, formerly known as the Asian Champions Club Championship and the Asian Club Championship.
The AFC Champions League is the highest level of club football in Asia, equivalent to the European Champions League and the Libertadores Cup in South America, and higher than the AFC Champions Cup. The winning team will represent AFC in the FIFA Club World Cup. The top 10 associations in the Asian Games have places to directly participate in the group matches, and the remaining eight group matches will be produced through play-offs.
The first competition was held across the year, and all previous AFC Champions were completed in the same natural year. In February 2022, the AFC officially announced that the AFC Champions League would resume the New Year's Eve system from 2023, and the number of foreign aid places would increase from "3+ 1" to "5+ 1" from the 2023/24 season.
On May 6, 2023, in the second round of the AFC Champions League final, Puhe Red Diamond Football Club defeated Saudi Crescent Football Club 1-0 with a total score of 2-/KLOC-0, and won the AFC Champions League in 2022. This is the third time in the history of Puhe Red Diamond Team to win the AFC Champions League.
Starting from the 2024-2025 season, AFC Champions League and AFC Champions Cup will be replaced by AFC Champions League, AFC Champions League II and AFC Champions League Challenge.
Event history:
The first AFC Champions League was held in the 2002/03 season, and its predecessor was the Asian Championship Club Championship and the Asian Club Championship.
The first Asian Champions Club Championship was held in 1967, with 8 teams participating. The tournament of 197 1 was suspended until 1986 was reopened and renamed as the Asian Club Championship. Only local league champions can participate. The first Asian Cup Winners' Cup was held in 199 1, with the participation of world cup champions. The winners of the two events will compete for the Asian Super Cup.
In the 2007 season, the AFC Champions League began to allow Australian clubs to participate. In the 2009 AFC Champions League, the number of participating clubs increased to 32, and the number of participating countries/associations decreased. Only 1 1 with the highest score can participate. In addition, the champion and runner-up of the AFC Champions Cup can also participate in the new qualifying stage.
The form of the group competition will be the same as before, except that the first and second place of the eight groups can get the right to qualify for the final of 1/8. Starting from this tournament, the new logo of AFC Champions League will be launched. Starting from the 20021season, the AFC Champions League will become 40 teams, from 4 teams in East Asia and West Asia to 5 teams in each region.
The number of teams participating in the AFC Champions League has also become the largest on the African continent. The number of six technical points in Asia will not change, that is, the number of China AFC Champions League is still 3+ 1. 202165438+1October 27th is the draw day after the AFC Champions League group match. Different from previous years, in 20021,the AFC was divided into 40 teams, and the teams in China, Japan and South Korea were scattered, and the number of teams increased from 4 to 5.
On July 5th, 2002/KLOC-0, the AFC announced that the AFC Champions League and AFC Champions Cup knockout round will be held from the final of this season 1/4. In February 2022, the AFC officially announced that the AFC Champions League would start from the 2023-24 season.
The foreign aid quota was increased from "3+ 1" to "5+ 1", that is, five foreign players with unlimited nationality and 1 players from AFC member associations, and the competition system was changed from spring and autumn to autumn, spring and new year.