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2023–24 AFC Champions League

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42nd edition of premier club football tournament organized by the AFC
2023–24 AFC Champions League
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
15–22 August 2023
Competition proper:
18 September 2023 – 25 May 2024
TeamsCompetition proper: 40 (from 20 associations)
Total (maximum): 53 (from 23 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsAl Ain (2nd title)
Runners-upYokohama F. Marinos
Tournament statistics
Matches played150
Goals scored471 (3.14 per match)
Attendance1,849,650 (12,331 per match)
Top scorer(s)Soufiane Rahimi (13 goals)
Best player(s)Soufiane Rahimi
2022–23 2024–25 (ACL Elite)
International football competition

The 2023–24 AFC Champions League was the 42nd edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 21st and final under the AFC Champions League title, as the competition would be rebranded as the AFC Champions League Elite starting in 2024–25.

This season was the first to have an inter-year schedule from September (autumn-to-spring), instead of an intra-year schedule (spring-to-autumn), since the 2002–03 season. This edition saw an increase in numbers of preliminary players, with 35 players able to be registered; teams were able to field six foreign players in games, where one of these players had to still be from another Asian nation.

The tournament winner qualified for the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. Additionally, the winner entered the League stage of the brand-new 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite if they had not already qualified through their domestic performance.

Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the group stage.

Association team allocation

The 47 AFC member associations were ranked based on their clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions (their national team's FIFA World Rankings no longer considered). The slots were allocated by the following criteria according to the Entry Manual:

  • The associations were split into two regions (Article 3.1):
  • The top 12 associations in each region could enter the AFC Champions League.
  • In each region, five groups were in the group stage, including 16 direct slots, with the four remaining filled through qualifying play-offs (Article 3.2). The slots in each region were distributed as follows:
    • The associations ranked 1st and 2nd were each allocated three direct slots and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 3rd and 4th were each allocated two direct slots and two play-off slots.
    • The association ranked 5th was allocated one direct slot and two play-off slots.
    • The association ranked 6th was allocated one direct slot and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 7th to 10th were each allocated one direct slot.
    • The associations ranked 11th and 12th were each allocated one play-off slot.
  • The AFC Champions League title holders and AFC Cup title holders were each allocated one play-off slot had they not qualified for the tournament through domestic performance (Article 3.6). The following rules were applied:
    • If the AFC Champions League title holders or AFC Cup title holders were from associations ranked 1st to 6th, their association was allocated the same number of play-off slots, and they replace the lowest-seeded team from their association. Otherwise, their association was allocated one additional play-off slot, and they did not replace any team from their association (Articles 3.8, 3.9, and 3.10).
    • If both the AFC Champions League title holders and AFC Cup title holders were from the same association, which was allocated only one play-off slot, their association was allocated one additional play-off slot, and only the lowest-seeded team from their association was replaced as a result (Article 3.11).
    • The AFC Champions League and AFC Cup title holders were the lowest-seeded teams in the qualifying play-offs if they did not replace any team from their association (Article 3.12).
  • If any association ranked 1st to 6th did not fulfill the AFC Champions League criteria, they would have all their direct slots converted into play-off slots. The direct slots given up would be redistributed to the highest eligible association by the following criteria (Articles 3.13 and 3.14):
    • For each association, the maximum number of total slots was four, and the maximum number of direct slots was three (Articles 3.4 and 3.5).
    • If any association ranked 3rd to 6th was allocated one additional direct slot, one play-off slot was annulled and not redistributed.
    • If any association ranked 5th to 6th was allocated two additional direct slots, one play-off slot was annulled and not redistributed.
  • If any association ranked 7th to 10th did not fulfill the AFC Champions League criteria, they had their direct slot converted into a playoff slot. The direct slot given up was redistributed to the next association ranked 11th or 12th, whose play-off slot was annulled and not redistributed, or if neither was eligible, the highest eligible association by the same criteria mentioned above (Articles 3.16 and 3.17).
  • If any association with only play-off slot(s), including any association ranked 11th to 12th or those mentioned above, did not fulfill the minimum AFC Champions League criteria, the play-off slot(s) was annulled and not redistributed (Articles 3.19 and 3.20).
  • The maximum number of total slots for each association was one-third of eligible teams (excluding foreign teams) in the top division (Article 3.4). If this rule was applied, any direct slots given up would be redistributed by the same criteria as mentioned above, and play-off slots would be annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.10).
  • All participating teams had to be granted an AFC Champions League license and, apart from cup winners, finish in the top half of their top division (Articles 7.1 and 9.5). In the case that any association did not have enough teams that satisfied this criterion, any direct slots given up would be redistributed by the abovementioned criteria, and play-off slots would be annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.9).
  • If any team granted a license refused to participate, their direct or play-off slot was annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.11).

Association ranking

For the 2023–24 AFC Champions League, the associations were allocated slots according to the November 2021 AFC club competitions ranking, which took into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup during the period between 2018 and 2021.

Participation for 2023–24 AFC Champions League
Participating
Not participating
West Region (5 groups)
Rank Member
association
Points Slots
Group
stage
Play-off
Region AFC
1 1  Saudi Arabia 100.000 3 1
2 4  Iran 77.792 3 1
3 5  Qatar 75.131 2 2
4 6  Uzbekistan 64.712 2 2
5 8  United Arab Emirates 52.588 1 2
6 10  Jordan 46.131 1 1
7 12  Tajikistan 37.323 1 0
8 13  Iraq 35.223 1 0
9 16  Turkmenistan 27.871 1 0
10 17  India 25.290 1 0
11 18  Lebanon 23.618 0 0
12 21  Bangladesh 19.452 0 1
13 34  Oman 5.264 0 0 (+1 AFC)
Total Participating associations: 12 16 11
27
East Region (5 groups)
Rank Member
association
Points Slots
Group
stage
Play-off
Region AFC
1 2  South Korea 95.462 3 1
2 3  Japan 93.412 3 1
3 7  China 59.948 2 2
4 9  Thailand 51.920 2 2
5 11  Hong Kong 40.925 1 2
6 14  Vietnam 34.937 1 1
7 15  North Korea 32.286 0 0
8 19  Philippines 23.080 1 0
9 20  Malaysia 21.087 1 0
10 23  Australia 17.277 1 0
11 24  Singapore 17.016 1 0
12 26  Indonesia 15.960 0 1
Total Participating associations: 11 16 10
26

Notes
  1. Competition in 2020: The 2020 season was not included in the overall ranking due to the cancellation of the remaining matches in the 2020 AFC Cup caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teams

In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count only those since the 2002–03 season (including qualifying rounds), when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League.

West Region Group stage direct entrants
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2021–22 Saudi Pro League champions and 2022–23 King Cup winners 19th (2022)
Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 2022–23 Saudi Pro League champions 12th (2019)
Saudi Arabia Al-Fayha 2021–22 King Cup winners 1st
Iran Persepolis 2022–23 Persian Gulf Pro League champions and 2022–23 Hazfi Cup winners 11th (2021)
Iran Nassaji 2021–22 Hazfi Cup winners 1st
Iran Sepahan 2022–23 Persian Gulf Pro League runners-up 14th (2022)
Qatar Al-Sadd 2021–22 Qatar Stars League champions 18th (2022)
Qatar Al-Duhail 2022–23 Qatar Stars League champions and 2022 Emir of Qatar Cup winners 12th (2022)
Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 2022 Uzbekistan Super League champions 19th (2022)
Uzbekistan Nasaf 2022 Uzbekistan Cup winners
2022 Uzbekistan Super League third place
8th (2022)
United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 2021–22 UAE Pro League champions 17th (2021)
Jordan Al-Faisaly 2022 Jordanian Pro League champions 4th (2020)
Tajikistan Istiklol 2022 Tajikistan Higher League champions and 2022 Tajikistan Cup winners 5th (2022)
Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2022–23 Iraqi Premier League runners-up
2022–23 Iraq FA Cup winners
7th (2022)
Turkmenistan Ahal Änew 2022 Ýokary Liga champions
2022 Turkmenistan Cup winners
2nd (2022)
India Mumbai City Winners of additional playoff between 2021–22 and 2022–23 Indian Super League League Shield winners 2nd (2022)
Qualifying play-off participants
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2022–23 Saudi Pro League runners-up 7th (2021)
Iran Tractor 2022–23 Persian Gulf Pro League fourth place 7th (2021)
Qatar Al-Arabi 2022–23 Qatar Stars League runners-up
2023 Emir of Qatar Cup winners
2nd (2012)
Qatar Al-Wakrah 2021–22 Qatar Stars League third place 1st
Uzbekistan Navbahor 2022 Uzbekistan Super League runners-up 1st
Uzbekistan AGMK 2022 Uzbekistan Super League fourth place 3rd (2021)
United Arab Emirates Sharjah 2021–22 UAE President's Cup winners and 2022–23 UAE President's Cup winners 6th (2022)
United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli 2022–23 UAE Pro League champions 11th (2022)
Jordan Al-Wehdat 2022 Jordan FA Cup winners
2022 Jordanian Pro League runners-up
8th (2022)
Bangladesh Bashundhara Kings 2021–22 Bangladesh Premier League champions 1st
Oman Al-Seeb 2022 AFC Cup winners 1st
East Region Group stage direct entrants
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 2022 K League 1 champions 11th (2022)
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2022 Korean FA Cup winners
2022 K League 1 runners-up
16th (2022)
South Korea Pohang Steelers 2022 K League 1 third place 9th (2021)
Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 2022 J1 League champions 6th (2022)
Japan Ventforet Kofu 2022 Emperor's Cup winners 1st
Japan Kawasaki Frontale 2022 J1 League runners-up 10th (2022)
China Wuhan Three Towns 2022 Chinese Super League champions 1st
China Shandong Taishan 2022 Chinese FA Cup winners
2022 Chinese Super League runners-up
11th (2022)
Thailand Buriram United 2021–22 Thai League 1 champions, 2021–22 Thai FA Cup winners, 2022–23 Thai League 1 champions, and 2022–23 Thai FA Cup winners 11th (2022)
Thailand Bangkok United 2022–23 Thai League 1 runners-up 4th (2019)
Hong Kong Kitchee 2022–23 Hong Kong Premier League champions and 2022–23 Hong Kong FA Cup winners 8th (2022)
Vietnam Hanoi 2022 V.League 1 champions
2022 Vietnamese Cup winners
6th (2019)
Philippines Kaya-Iloilo 2022–23 Philippines Football League champions 3rd (2022)
Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim 2022 Malaysia Super League champions, 2022 Malaysia FA Cup winners, and 2022 Malaysia Cup winners 9th (2022)
Australia Melbourne City 2021–22 A-League Men premiers
2022–23 A-League Men premiers
2nd (2022)
Singapore Lion City Sailors 2022 Singapore Premier League runners-up 4th (2022)
Qualifying play-off participants
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
South Korea Incheon United 2022 K League 1 fourth place 1st
Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 2022 AFC Champions League winners 9th (2022)
China Zhejiang 2022 Chinese Super League third place 2nd (2011)
China Shanghai Port 2022 Chinese Super League fourth place 8th (2022)
Thailand BG Pathum United 2021–22 Thai League 1 runners-up 4th (2022)
Thailand Port 2022–23 Thai League 1 third place 4th (2022)
Hong Kong Lee Man 2022–23 Hong Kong Premier League runners-up 1st
Hong Kong Rangers 2022–23 Hong Kong Premier League third place 1st
Vietnam Haiphong 2022 V.League 1 runners-up 1st
Indonesia Bali United Winners of additional playoff between 2021–22 and 2022–23 Liga 1 champions 3rd (2020)

Notes
  1. Iraq (IRQ): The 2022–23 Iraqi Premier League champions Al-Shorta were not granted an AFC Champions League license.
  2. Uzbekistan (UZB): Nasaf Qarshi, the winners of the 2022 Uzbekistan Cup, was already qualified directly to the group stage. Thus, fourth-placed AGMK qualified for the qualifying play-offs.
  3. South Korea (KOR): Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors was already qualified as the 2022 K League 1 runners-up when they won the 2022 Korean FA Cup. Thus, third-placed Pohang Steelers qualified directly to the group stage, while the fourth-placed Incheon United qualified for the qualifying play-offs.
  4. Japan (JPN): Urawa Red Diamonds qualified as the winners of the 2022 AFC Champions League, replacing Sanfrecce Hiroshima (the third-placed team of the 2022 J1 League).
  5. Singapore (SIN): Albirex Niigata (S), the 2022 Singapore Premier League champions, were a team from Japan and thus ineligible to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions. As a result, Lion City Sailors, the Singapore Premier League runners-up, qualified for the Champions League.
  6. Thailand (THA): Due to changing the competition date to autumn–spring format, the Thai League decided to split their 2+2 quota to take 1+1 over the next two seasons. This meant that only the winners of the 2021–22 Thai League 1 and the winners of the 2022–23 Thai League 1 would qualify directly for the group stage, while the winners of the 2021–22 Thai FA Cup and the winners of the 2022–23 Thai FA Cup would qualify for the qualifying play-off. As the 2021–22 Thai League 1 champions Buriram United also won the 2021–22 Thai FA Cup, the slot reserved for the cup winners of the 2021–22 season went to the season's league runners-up BG Pathum United. Since they also won both the 2022–23 Thai League 1 and the 2022–23 Thai FA Cup, the slot reserved for these two spots went to that season's league runners-up Bangkok United and third-placed team Port.
  7. Australia (AUS): Due to the change of the competition date to the autumn–spring format, the Australian Professional Leagues modified the criteria for qualification so that the solitary qualifier was whichever of the A-League Men premiers for the 2021–22 or the 2022–23 season accrued the most combined points over both seasons. Melbourne City were premiers for both seasons.
  8. Hong Kong (HKG): Since the 2022–23 Hong Kong Premier League winners Kitchee already directly qualified for the group stage as the league winners and 2022–23 Hong Kong FA Cup winners, league third-place BC Rangers qualified for the qualifying play-offs.
  9. Vietnam (VIE): Since the 2022 Vietnamese Cup winners Hanoi already directly qualified for the group stage as the league winners, league runners-up Haiphong qualified for the qualifying play-offs.

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.

Stage Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round No draw 15–16 August 2023
Play-off stage Play-off round 22 August 2023
Group stage Matchday 1 24 August 2023 18–20 September 2023
Matchday 2 2–4 October 2023
Matchday 3 23–25 October 2023
Matchday 4 6–8 November 2023
Matchday 5 27–29 November 2023
Matchday 6 4–6 & 12–13 December 2023
Knockout stage Round of 16 28 December 2023 13–15 February 2024 20–22 February 2024
Quarter-finals 4–6 March 2024 11–13 March 2024
Semi-finals 17 April 2024 23–24 April 2024
Final 11 May 2024 25 May 2024

Qualifying play-offs

Main article: 2023–24 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs

Preliminary round

A total of 10 teams played in the preliminary round.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Shabab Al-Ahli United Arab Emirates 3–0 Jordan Al-Wehdat
Sharjah United Arab Emirates 2–0 Bangladesh Bashundhara Kings
AGMK Uzbekistan 1–0 Oman Al-Seeb
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Rangers Hong Kong 1–4 (a.e.t.) Vietnam Haiphong
Lee Man Hong Kong 5–1 Indonesia Bali United

Play-off round

A total of 16 teams played in the play-off round: 11 teams which entered in this round, and 5 winners of the preliminary round.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Nassr Saudi Arabia 4–2 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli
Tractor Iran 1–3 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
Al-Arabi Qatar 0–1 Uzbekistan AGMK
Al-Wakrah Qatar 0–1 (a.e.t.) Uzbekistan Navbahor
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Incheon United South Korea 3–1 (a.e.t.) Vietnam Haiphong
Urawa Red Diamonds Japan 3–0 Hong Kong Lee Man
Zhejiang China 1–0 Thailand Port
Shanghai Port China 2–3 Thailand BG Pathum United

Group stage

Main article: 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 24 August 2023 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 40 teams were drawn into ten groups of four: five groups each in the West Region (Groups A–E) and the East Region (Groups F–J). For each region, teams were seeded into four pots and drawn into the relevant positions within each group, based on their association ranking and their seeding within their association, in consideration of the technical balance between groups. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.

2023–24 AFC Champions League is located in Asian Football ConfederationDohaDohaRiyadhRiyadhAl-FayhaAl-FayhaAl-IttihadAl-IttihadSepahanSepahanNassajiNassajiPersepolisPersepolisSharjahSharjahAl AinAl AinAl-Quwa Al-JawiyaAl-Quwa Al-JawiyaTashkentTashkentNasafNasafNavbahorNavbahorAl-FaisalyAl-FaisalyMumbai CityMumbai CityIstiklolIstiklolAhalAhalShandong TaishanShandong TaishanZhejiangZhejiangWuhan Three TownsWuhan Three TownsTokyoTokyoVentforet KofuVentforet KofuJeonbukJeonbukIncheonIncheonYeongnamYeongnamPathum ThaniPathum ThaniBuriram UnitedBuriram UnitedMelbourne CityMelbourne CityKaya–IloiloKaya–IloiloHanoiHanoiJohor Darul Ta'zimJohor Darul Ta'zimLion City SailorsLion City SailorsKitcheeKitcheeDoha teams Al-Sadd Al-Duhail Riyadh teams Al-Hilal Al NassrDoha teams
Al-Sadd
Al-Duhail

Riyadh teams
Al-Hilal
Al NassrYeongnam teams Ulsan Hyundai Pohang Steelers Tokyo teams Kawasaki Frontale Urawa Red Diamonds Yokohama F. Marinos Pathum Thani teams BG Pathum United Bangkok UnitedYeongnam teams
Ulsan Hyundai
Pohang Steelers

Tokyo teams
Kawasaki Frontale
Urawa Red Diamonds
Yokohama F. Marinos

Pathum Thani teams
BG Pathum United
Bangkok United

Tashkent teams Pakhtakor AGMKTashkent teams
Pakhtakor
AGMK

class=notpageimage| Location of the 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage teams
Brown: Group A; Cyan: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D; Pink: Group E;
Green: Group F; Blue: Group G; Red: Group H; Turquoise: Group I; Purple: Group J

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AIN FEI PAK AHA
1 United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 6 5 0 1 17 9 +8 15 Advance to round of 16 4–1 1–3 4–2
2 Saudi Arabia Al-Fayha 6 3 0 3 12 10 +2 9 2–3 2–0 3–1
3 Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 6 2 1 3 8 11 −3 7 0–3 1–4 3–0
4 Turkmenistan Ahal 6 1 1 4 6 13 −7 4 1–2 1–0 1–1
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification NAS SAD SHJ FAI
1 Uzbekistan Nasaf 6 3 2 1 10 6 +4 11 Advance to round of 16 3–1 1–1 3–1
2 Qatar Al Sadd 6 2 2 2 11 7 +4 8 2–2 0–0 6–0
3 United Arab Emirates Sharjah 6 2 2 2 4 5 −1 8 1–0 0–2 1–0
4 Jordan Al-Faisaly 6 2 0 4 5 12 −7 6 0–1 2–0 2–1
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ Ranked on head-to-head points: Al Sadd 4, Sharjah 1.

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ITH SEP QWJ AGK
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 6 5 0 1 11 4 +7 15 Advance to round of 16 2–1 1–0 3–0
2 Iran Sepahan 6 3 1 2 16 8 +8 10 0–3 1–0 9–0
3 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 6 3 1 2 9 7 +2 10 2–0 2–2 3–2
4 Uzbekistan AGMK 6 0 0 6 5 22 −17 0 1–2 1–3 1–2
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ Ranked on head-to-head points: Sepahan 4, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1.
  2. The match was abandoned after Al-Ittihad walked off in protest due to the presence of a sculpture of Qasem Soleimani on the pitch. The match was awarded a 3–0 win to Al-Ittihad, with Sepahan also being fined $200,000 and banned from hosting its next three Asian Champions League matches at home.

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification HIL NAV NAS MUM
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 6 5 1 0 16 2 +14 16 Advance to round of 16 1–1 2–1 6–0
2 Uzbekistan Navbahor 6 4 1 1 11 6 +5 13 0–2 2–1 3–0
3 Iran Nassaji Mazandaran 6 2 0 4 7 10 −3 6 0–3 1–3 2–0
4 India Mumbai City 6 0 0 6 1 17 −16 0 0–2 1–2 0–2
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification NSR PRS DUH IST
1 Saudi Arabia Al Nassr 6 4 2 0 13 7 +6 14 Advance to round of 16 0–0 4–3 3–1
2 Iran Persepolis 6 2 2 2 5 5 0 8 0–2 1–2 2–0
3 Qatar Al-Duhail 6 2 1 3 9 9 0 7 2–3 0–1 2–0
4 Tajikistan Istiklol 6 0 3 3 3 9 −6 3 1–1 1–1 0–0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification UTD JBH LCS KIT
1 Thailand Bangkok United 6 4 1 1 11 8 +3 13 Advance to round of 16 3–2 1–0 1–1
2 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 6 4 0 2 12 9 +3 12 3–2 3–0 2–1
3 Singapore Lion City Sailors 6 2 0 4 5 9 −4 6 1–2 2–0 0–2
4 Hong Kong Kitchee 6 1 1 4 7 9 −2 4 1–2 1–2 1–2
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group G

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FMA SHT ICN KAY
1 Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 6 4 0 2 12 7 +5 12 Advance to round of 16 3–0 2–4 3–0
2 China Shandong Taishan 6 4 0 2 14 7 +7 12 0–1 3–1 6–1
3 South Korea Incheon United 6 4 0 2 14 9 +5 12 2–1 0–2 4–0
4 Philippines Kaya–Iloilo 6 0 0 6 4 21 −17 0 1–2 1–3 1–3
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ Head-to-head goal difference: Yokohama F. Marinos +1, Shandong Taishan 0, Incheon United −1.

Group H

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification VEN MCY ZHP BUR
1 Japan Ventforet Kofu 6 3 2 1 11 8 +3 11 Advance to round of 16 3–3 4–1 1–0
2 Australia Melbourne City 6 2 3 1 8 6 +2 9 0–0 1–1 0–1
3 China Zhejiang 6 2 1 3 9 13 −4 7 2–0 1–2 3–2
4 Thailand Buriram United 6 2 0 4 9 10 −1 6 2–3 0–2 4–1
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group I

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification KWF UHD JDT BGP
1 Japan Kawasaki Frontale 6 5 1 0 17 6 +11 16 Advance to round of 16 1–0 5–0 4–2
2 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 6 3 1 2 12 8 +4 10 2–2 3–1 3–1
3 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim 6 3 0 3 11 13 −2 9 0–1 2–1 4–1
4 Thailand BG Pathum United 6 0 0 6 9 22 −13 0 2–4 1–3 2–4
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group J

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification POH RED HAN WTT
1 South Korea Pohang Steelers 6 5 1 0 14 5 +9 16 Advance to round of 16 2–1 2–0 3–1
2 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 6 2 1 3 12 9 +3 7 0–2 6–0 2–1
3 Vietnam Hanoi FC 6 2 0 4 7 16 −9 6 2–4 2–1 2–1
4 China Wuhan Three Towns 6 1 2 3 8 11 −3 5 1–1 2–2 2–1
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Ranking of second-placed teams

West Region

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D Uzbekistan Navbahor 6 4 1 1 11 6 +5 13 Advance to round of 16
2 C Iran Sepahan 6 3 1 2 16 8 +8 10
3 A Saudi Arabia Al-Fayha 6 3 0 3 12 10 +2 9
4 B Qatar Al Sadd 6 2 2 2 11 7 +4 8
5 E Iran Persepolis 6 2 2 2 5 5 0 8
Source: AFC

East Region

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 G China Shandong Taishan 6 4 0 2 14 7 +7 12 Advance to round of 16
2 F South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 6 4 0 2 12 9 +3 12
3 I South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 6 3 1 2 12 8 +4 10
4 H Australia Melbourne City 6 2 3 1 8 6 +2 9
5 J Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 6 2 1 3 12 9 +3 7
Source: AFC

Knockout stage

Main article: 2023–24 AFC Champions League knockout stage

Bracket

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2 1 3
South Korea Pohang Steelers 0 1 1
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1 0 1
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 1 1 2
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 3 2 5
Japan Ventforet Kofu 0 1 1
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 1 2 3 (4)
Japan Yokohama F. Marinos (p) 0 3 3 (5)
China Shandong Taishan 2 4 6
Japan Kawasaki Frontale 3 2 5
China Shandong Taishan 1 0 1
Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 2 1 3
Thailand Bangkok United 2 0 2
Japan Yokohama F. Marinos (a.e.t.) 2 1 3
Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 2 1 3
United Arab Emirates Al Ain 1 5 6
Uzbekistan Nasaf 0 1 1
United Arab Emirates Al Ain 0 2 2
United Arab Emirates Al Ain (p) 1 3 4 (3)
Saudi Arabia Al Nassr 0 4 4 (1)
Saudi Arabia Al-Fayha 0 0 0
Saudi Arabia Al Nassr 1 2 3
United Arab Emirates Al Ain 4 1 5
Saudi Arabia Al Hilal 2 2 4
Iran Sepahan 1 1 2
Saudi Arabia Al Hilal 3 3 6
Saudi Arabia Al Hilal 2 2 4
Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 0 0 0
Uzbekistan Navbahor 0 1 1
Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 0 2 2

Round of 16

The first legs were played on 13–15 February, and the second legs were played on 20–22 February 2024.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Nasaf Uzbekistan 1–2 United Arab Emirates Al Ain 0–0 1–2
Al-Fayha Saudi Arabia 0–3 Saudi Arabia Al Nassr 0–1 0–2
Sepahan Iran 2–6 Saudi Arabia Al Hilal 1–3 1–3
Navbahor Uzbekistan 1–2 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 0–0 1–2
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Region
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors South Korea 3–1 South Korea Pohang Steelers 2–0 1–1
Ulsan Hyundai South Korea 5–1 Japan Ventforet Kofu 3–0 2–1
Shandong Taishan China 6–5 Japan Kawasaki Frontale 2–3 4–2
Bangkok United Thailand 2–3 Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 2–2 0–1 (a.e.t.)

Quarter-finals

The first legs were played on 4–6 March 2024, and the second legs were played on 11–13 March 2024.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Al Ain United Arab Emirates 4–4 (3–1 p) Saudi Arabia Al Nassr 1–0 3–4 (a.e.t.)
Al Hilal Saudi Arabia 4–0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad 2–0 2–0
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Region
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors South Korea 1–2 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 1–1 0–1
Shandong Taishan China 1–3 Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 1–2 0–1

Semi-finals

The first legs were played on 17 April, and the second legs were played on 23 and 24 April 2024.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Al Ain United Arab Emirates 5–4 Saudi Arabia Al Hilal 4–2 1–2
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Region
Ulsan Hyundai South Korea 3–3 (4–5 p) Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 1–0 2–3 (a.e.t.)

Final

Main article: 2024 AFC Champions League final

The East Region team hosted the first leg as pre-determined on a rotation basis.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Yokohama F. Marinos Japan 3–6 United Arab Emirates Al Ain 2–1 1–5
Yokohama F. Marinos Japan2–1United Arab Emirates Al Ain
Report
Nissan Stadium, YokohamaAttendance: 53,704Referee: Salman Falahi (Qatar)
Al Ain United Arab Emirates5–1Japan Yokohama F. Marinos
Report
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al AinAttendance: 24,826Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

Top scorers

  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 R16-1 R16-2 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2 F1 F2 Total
1 Morocco Soufiane Rahimi United Arab Emirates Al Ain 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 13
2 Brazil Cryzan China Shandong Taishan 1 1 1 3 2 8
Serbia Aleksandar Mitrović Saudi Arabia Al Hilal 1 3 1 1 1 1
Togo Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba United Arab Emirates Al Ain 2 1 2 1 2
5 Saudi Arabia Salem Al-Dawsari Saudi Arabia Al Hilal 1 1 1 1 1 1 6
Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Saudi Arabia Al Nassr 1 2 1 1 1
Brazil Talisca Saudi Arabia Al Nassr 2 1 3
Brazil Anderson Lopes Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 1 1 1 1 1 1
9 Hungary Martin Ádám South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 3 2 5
Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah Qatar Al Sadd 3 1 1
Uzbekistan Khojimat Erkinov Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 1 1 2 1
Iran Ramin Rezaeian Iran Sepahan 2 1 1 1
Brazil Hernandes Rodrigues South Korea Incheon United / South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2 1 1 1
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

References

  1. "Al Ain's Rahimi wins MVP, Top Scorer awards". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  2. "AFC Executive Committee unveils dynamic enhancements to the AFC Club Competitions". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  3. "More Member Associations to benefit from inclusive AFC Champions League". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  4. "AFC Club Competitions Ranking Mechanics". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  5. "Entry Manual for AFC Club Competitions (2021 Edition)". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  6. "More Member Associations to benefit from inclusive AFC Champions League". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  7. "Four Thailand clubs in AFC Champions League 2021; Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore also get group stage entry – Reports". Fox Sports Asia. 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  8. "Slot allocation for AFC Champions League and AFC Cup 2023 confirmed". AFC. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  9. ^ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  10. "AFC Country Ranking 2021". FootyRankings. 24 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  11. "List of Licensed Clubs for the 2023/24 AFC Champions League" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  12. TL Central (21 May 2022). "Thai League decides to split the 2+2 quota to take 1+1 over the next two seasons". Twitter. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  13. "A big AFC change has sparked a new A-Leagues table scramble: How it works". Australian Professional Leagues. 30 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  14. "Asian Football Calendar (Aug 2023 - Jul 2024)". The AFC. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  15. "#ACL: Teams learn the path to glory". AFC. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  16. Blow, Tom (2 October 2023). "Al-Ittihad match cancelled as they refuse to play in Iran due to statue by pitch". The Mirror. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  17. "Iranian club Sepahan penalized over canceled ACL match after Saudi team's walkout". AP News. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  18. "Al-Ittihad's match against Iran's Sepahan 3-0 for saudi side due to Qassem Soleimani busts in stadium". Arab News. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.

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