The 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) is the 43rd edition of Asia's premier club football tournament, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the first since it was rebranded as the AFC 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 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 25 April to 3 May 2025.[2] The tournament winner will qualify for the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. Additionally, the winner will enter the league stage of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite, if they have not already qualified through domestic performance.[3]

Al-Ain were the defending champions, as the AFC Champions League records and statistics are carried forward to the ACL Elite, but were eliminated in the league stage.[4]

Association team allocation

The associations are allocated slots according to their club competitions ranking which was published after the 2022 competitions were completed.[5]

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

Teams

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 to the Qualifying play-off after winning the 2023–24 Hazfi Cup.
  2. ^
    Qatar (QAT): Because Al-Sadd (who had already qualified for the League stage as the 2023–24 Qatar Stars League champion) also won the 2024 Emir of Qatar Cup, therefore second-placed Al-Rayyan also qualified for the League stage, while the third-placed Al-Gharafa qualified for the Qualifying play-off.
  3. ^
    South Korea (KOR): Because Pohang Steelers (who had already qualified for the League stage as the 2023 K League 1 runners-up) also won the 2023 Korean FA Cup, therefore third-placed Gwangju FC qualified for the 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 was later confirmed for the League stage based on their association's higher ranking,[6] leaving two teams left in the Qualifying play-offs for the East region.
  4. ^
    United Arab Emirates (UAE): Because Al Wasl (who had already qualified for the League stage as the 2023–24 UAE Pro League champion) also won the 2023–24 UAE President's Cup, therefore second-placed Shabab Al-Ahli qualified for the Qualifying play-off.

Schedule

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 Jeddah.

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 at
King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah
Notes
  1. ^ a b Pre-determined format
  2. ^ two-legged ties
  3. ^ Single leg ties

Qualifying play-offs

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 the league stage to join the 22 direct entrants. The losers of the qualifying play-offs entered the group stage of the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two.[8]

Preliminary round

A total of 2 teams played in the preliminary round.

West Region
Team 1ScoreTeam 2
Sepahan Iran1–4 (a.e.t.)United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli

Play-off round

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 SC Qatar1–0United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli
East Region
Team 1ScoreTeam 2
Shandong Taishan China1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)		Thailand Bangkok United

League stage

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


class=notpageimage|
Location of the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite league stage teams
Orange: East Region; Blue: West Region

West Region

Table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 8 7 1 0 24 7 +17 22 Advance to round of 16
2 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 8 7 1 0 23 8 +15 22
3 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 8 5 2 1 17 6 +11 17
4 Qatar Al-Sadd 8 3 3 2 10 9 +1 12
5 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl 8 3 2 3 8 12 −4 11
6 Iran Esteghlal 8 2 3 3 8 9 −1 9
7 Qatar Al-Rayyan 8 2 2 4 8 12 −4 8
8 Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 8 1 4 3 4 6 −2 7
9 Iran Persepolis 8 1 4 3 6 10 −4 7
10 Qatar Al-Gharafa 8 2 1 5 10 18 −8 7
11 Iraq Al-Shorta 8 1 3 4 7 17 −10 6
12 United Arab Emirates Al Ain 8 0 2 6 11 22 −11 2
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
Al Ain United Arab Emirates1–1Qatar Al-Sadd
Al-Shorta Iraq1–1Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
Esteghlal Iran3–0Qatar Al-Gharafa
Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia1–0Iran Persepolis
Pakhtakor Uzbekistan0–1United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
Al-Rayyan Qatar1–3Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
Matchday 2
Home teamScoreAway team
Al-Sadd Qatar2–0Iran Esteghlal
Persepolis Iran1–1Uzbekistan Pakhtakor
Al Wasl United Arab Emirates0–2Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
Al-Nassr Saudi Arabia2–1Qatar Al-Rayyan
Al-Gharafa Qatar4–2United Arab Emirates Al Ain
Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia5–0Iraq Al-Shorta
Matchday 3
Home teamScoreAway team
Al-Shorta Iraq0–0Uzbekistan Pakhtakor
Al-Sadd Qatar1–0Iran Persepolis
Al Ain United Arab Emirates4–5Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
Al-Rayyan Qatar1–2Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
Esteghlal Iran0–1Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
Al-Gharafa Qatar1–2United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
Matchday 4
Home teamScoreAway team
Al Wasl United Arab Emirates1–1Qatar Al-Sadd
Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia5–1Iraq Al-Shorta
Persepolis Iran1–1Qatar Al-Gharafa
Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia3–0Iran Esteghlal
Pakhtakor Uzbekistan0–1Qatar Al-Rayyan
Al-Nassr Saudi Arabia5–1United Arab Emirates Al Ain
Matchday 5
Home teamScoreAway team
Al Ain United Arab Emirates1–2Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
Esteghlal Iran0–0Uzbekistan Pakhtakor
Al-Gharafa Qatar1–3Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
Al-Rayyan Qatar1–1Iran Persepolis
Al-Shorta Iraq1–3United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
Al-Sadd Qatar1–1Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
Matchday 6
Home teamScoreAway team
Persepolis Iran2–1Iraq Al-Shorta
Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia2–2Iran Esteghlal
Al Wasl United Arab Emirates1–1Qatar Al-Rayyan
Al-Nassr Saudi Arabia1–2Qatar Al-Sadd
Pakhtakor Uzbekistan1–1United Arab Emirates Al Ain
Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia3–0Qatar Al-Gharafa
Matchday 7
Home teamScoreAway team
Al Ain United Arab Emirates1–2Qatar Al-Rayyan
Esteghlal Iran1–1Iraq Al-Shorta
Al-Sadd Qatar1–3Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
Al-Nassr Saudi Arabia4–0United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
Al-Gharafa Qatar1–0Uzbekistan Pakhtakor
Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia4–1Iran Persepolis
Matchday 8
Home teamScoreAway team
Pakhtakor Uzbekistan2–1Qatar Al-Sadd
Al-Shorta Iraq2–0United Arab Emirates Al Ain
Persepolis Iran0–0Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia4–2Qatar Al-Gharafa
Al-Rayyan Qatar0–2Iran Esteghlal
Al Wasl United Arab Emirates0–2Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal

East Region

Table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 7 6 0 1 21 7 +14 18 Advance to round of 16
2 Japan Kawasaki Frontale 7 5 0 2 13 4 +9 15
3 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim 7 4 2 1 16 8 +8 14
4 South Korea Gwangju 7 4 2 1 15 9 +6 14
5 Japan Vissel Kobe 7 4 1 2 14 9 +5 13
6 Thailand Buriram United 8 3 3 2 7 12 −5 12
7 China Shanghai Shenhua 8 3 1 4 13 12 +1 10
8 China Shanghai Port 8 2 2 4 10 18 −8 8
9 South Korea Pohang Steelers 7 2 0 5 9 17 −8 6
10 South Korea Ulsan HD 7 1 0 6 4 16 −12 3
11 Australia Central Coast Mariners 7 0 1 6 8 18 −10 1
12 China Shandong Taishan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrawn[a]
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
Notes:
  1. ^ Shandong Taishan were considered withdrawn from the AFC Champions League Elite after the club confirmed that it did not intend to report for their league stage match against Ulsan HD on 19 February 2025.[9]
Results
Matchday 1
Home teamScoreAway team
Gwangju South Korea7–3Japan Yokohama F. Marinos
Shandong Taishan China3–1Australia Central Coast Mariners
Buriram United Thailand0–0Japan Vissel Kobe
Shanghai Shenhua China4–1South Korea Pohang Steelers
Ulsan HD South Korea0–1Japan Kawasaki Frontale
Shanghai Port China2–2Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
Matchday 2
Home teamScoreAway team
Central Coast Mariners Australia1–2Thailand Buriram United
Kawasaki Frontale Japan0–1South Korea Gwangju
Pohang Steelers South Korea3–0China Shanghai Port
Johor Darul Ta'zim Malaysia3–0China Shanghai Shenhua
Vissel Kobe Japan2–1China Shandong Taishan
Yokohama F. Marinos Japan4–0South Korea Ulsan HD
Matchday 3
Home teamScoreAway team
Gwangju South Korea3–1Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
Shanghai Port China3–2Australia Central Coast Mariners
Shandong Taishan China2–2Japan Yokohama F. Marinos
Buriram United Thailand1–0South Korea Pohang Steelers
Ulsan HD South Korea0–2Japan Vissel Kobe
Shanghai Shenhua China2–0Japan Kawasaki Frontale
Matchday 4
Home teamScoreAway team
Central Coast Mariners Australia2–2China Shanghai Shenhua
Kawasaki Frontale Japan3–1China Shanghai Port
Vissel Kobe Japan2–0South Korea Gwangju
Johor Darul Ta'zim Malaysia3–0South Korea Ulsan HD
Pohang Steelers South Korea4–2China Shandong Taishan
Yokohama F. Marinos Japan5–0Thailand Buriram United
Matchday 5
Home teamScoreAway team
Vissel Kobe Japan3–2Australia Central Coast Mariners
Ulsan HD South Korea1–3China Shanghai Port
Shandong Taishan China1–0Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
Buriram United Thailand0–3Japan Kawasaki Frontale
Gwangju South Korea1–0China Shanghai Shenhua
Yokohama F. Marinos Japan2–0South Korea Pohang Steelers
Matchday 6
Home teamScoreAway team
Central Coast Mariners Australia0–4Japan Yokohama F. Marinos
Pohang Steelers South Korea3–1Japan Vissel Kobe
Johor Darul Ta'zim Malaysia0–0Thailand Buriram United
Shanghai Port China1–1South Korea Gwangju
Kawasaki Frontale Japan4–0China Shandong Taishan
Shanghai Shenhua China1–2South Korea Ulsan HD
Matchday 7
Home teamScoreAway team
Central Coast Mariners Australia1–2Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim
Vissel Kobe Japan4–0China Shanghai Port
Pohang Steelers South Korea0–4Japan Kawasaki Frontale
Shandong Taishan China3–1South Korea Gwangju
Yokohama F. Marinos Japan1–0China Shanghai Shenhua
Buriram United Thailand2–1South Korea Ulsan HD
Matchday 8
Home teamScoreAway team
Gwangju South Korea2–2Thailand Buriram United
Kawasaki Frontale Japan2–0Australia Central Coast Mariners
Shanghai Shenhua China4–2Japan Vissel Kobe
Johor Darul Ta'zim Malaysia5–2South Korea Pohang Steelers
Ulsan HD South KoreaCanc.China Shandong Taishan
Shanghai Port China0–2Japan Yokohama F. Marinos

Knockout stage

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

Bracket

Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
W8Uzbekistan Pakhtakor1
25–26 April – Jeddah
W1Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal0
W
E
W7Qatar Al-Rayyan1
29 April – Jeddah
W2Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli3
West Region
W6Iran Esteghlal0
25–26 April – Jeddah
W3Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr0
W
E
W5United Arab Emirates Al-Wasl1
4 May – Jeddah (KASCS)
W4Qatar Al-Sadd1
E8China Shanghai Port0
25–26 April – Jeddah
E1Japan Yokohama F. Marinos1
W
E
E7China Shanghai Shenhua1
30 April – Jeddah
E2Japan Kawasaki Frontale0
East Region
E6Thailand Buriram United0
25–26 April – Jeddah
E3Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim0
W
E
E5Japan Vissel Kobe2
E4South Korea Gwangju0

Round of 16

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

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

West Region
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Pakhtakor UzbekistanR16 West 1Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal1–011 Mar
Al-Rayyan QatarR16 West 2Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli1–311 Mar
Esteghlal IranR16 West 3Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr0–010 Mar
Al-Wasl United Arab EmiratesR16 West 4Qatar Al-Sadd1–110 Mar
East Region
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Shanghai Port ChinaR16 East 1Japan Yokohama F. Marinos0–111 Mar
Shanghai Shenhua ChinaR16 East 2Japan Kawasaki Frontale1–012 Mar
Buriram United ThailandR16 East 3Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim0–011 Mar
Vissel Kobe JapanR16 East 4South Korea Gwangju2–012 Mar

Final

Main article: 2025 AFC Champions League Elite final

Top scorers

As of 4 March 2025
  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 Saudi Arabia Salem Al-Dawsari Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 1 3 2 1 7
Albania Jasir Asani South Korea Gwangju 3 1 2 1
Brazil Anderson Lopes Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 1 1 2 1 1 1
4 Algeria Riyad Mahrez Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 1 2 1 1 1 6
Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 1 1 2 2
6 Brazil Élber Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 1 1 2 1 5
Serbia Aleksandar Mitrović Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 1 3 1
Malaysia Arif Aiman Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim 2 1 1 1
England Ivan Toney Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 2 2 1
Argentina Matías Vargas China Shanghai Port 1 1 3
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

Notes

References

  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. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  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. ^ "Pivotal reforms approved by AFC Competitions Committee". AFC. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  5. ^ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  6. ^ "광주FC - GWANGJU FOOTBALL CLUB". www.gwangjufc.com (in Korean). Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  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. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Latest update on AFC Champions League Elite™". Asian Football Confederation. 19 February 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024%E2%80%9325_AFC_Champions_League
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