2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite
 The King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah will host the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 6–13 August 2024 Competition proper: 16 September 2024 – 3 May 2025 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 24 (from 12 associations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 105 |
| Goals scored | 310 (2.95 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Salem Al-Dawsari Jasir Asani(9 goals each) |
← 2023–24 (AFC CL) 2025–26 →
All statistics correct as of 25 April 2025. | |
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 finals 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
[edit]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 | |
|
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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
- ^ China (CHN): Considered to have withdrawn at the final match of the league stage.[6]
- ^ Qatar (QAT): As 2024 Emir of Qatar Cup winners Al-Sadd qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Emir of Qatar Cup winners was transferred to the third placed team in the 2023–24 Qatar Stars League.
- ^ South Korea (KOR): As 2023 Korean FA Cup winners Pohang Steelers qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Korean FA Cup winners was transferred to the third placed team in the 2023 K League 1.
As both East region finalists in the 2023–24 AFC Champions League and the 2023–24 AFC Cup (Yokohama F. Marinos and the Central Coast Mariners) qualified for the Champions League Elite through their domestic performance, Gwangju qualified directly into the League stage rather than the qualifying play-off.[7]. - ^ United Arab Emirates (UAE): As 2023–24 UAE President's Cup winners Al Wasl qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the UAE President's Cup winners was transferred to the runners-up of the 2023–24 UAE Pro League.
Schedule
[edit]The schedule of the competition is as follows.[8] All matches will be played on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, apart from the quarter-finals and final. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be played at a centralised 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 | |
| Finals[c] | Quarter-finals | 17 March 2025 | 25–27 April 2025 | |
| Semi-finals | 29–30 April 2025 | |||
| Final | 3 May 2025 at King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah | |||
- Notes
Qualifying play-offs
[edit]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.[9]
Preliminary round
[edit]A total of 2 teams played in the preliminary round.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
Sepahan  | 1–4 (a.e.t.) |  Shabab 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.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
Al-Gharafa SC  | 1–0 | Shabab Al-Ahli |
| East Region | ||
Shandong Taishan  | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p) |  Bangkok United |
League stage
[edit]
Orange: East Region; 
Blue: West RegionWest Region
[edit]- Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Hilal
|
8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 7 | +19 | 22 | Advance to round of 16 |
| 2 | Al-Ahli
|
8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 8 | +13 | 22 | |
| 3 | Al-Nassr
|
8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 17 | |
| 4 | Al-Sadd
|
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 12 | |
| 5 | Al Wasl
|
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 12 | −4 | 11 | |
| 6 | Esteghlal
|
8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 9 | |
| 7 | Al-Rayyan
|
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | −4 | 8 | |
| 8 |  Pakhtakor
|
8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 7 | |
| 9 | Persepolis
|
8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 7 | |
| 10 | Al-Gharafa
|
8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 18 | −8 | 7 | |
| 11 |  Al-Shorta
|
8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 17 | −10 | 6 | |
| 12 | Al Ain
|
8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 22 | −11 | 2 |
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
East Region
[edit]- Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Yokohama F. Marinos
|
7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 7 | +14 | 18 | Advance to round of 16 |
| 2 | Kawasaki Frontale
|
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 15 | |
| 3 |  Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 14 | |
| 4 |  Gwangju
|
7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 14 | |
| 5 | Vissel Kobe
|
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 13 | |
| 6 | Buriram United
|
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 12 | |
| 7 | Shanghai Shenhua
|
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 10 | |
| 8 | Shanghai Port
|
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 18 | −8 | 8 | |
| 9 | Pohang Steelers
|
7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 6 | |
| 10 | Ulsan HD
|
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 16 | −12 | 3 | |
| 11 |  Central Coast Mariners
|
7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 18 | −10 | 1 | |
| 12 | Shandong Taishan
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrawn[a] |
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:
- Results
Knockout stage
[edit]Bracket
[edit]| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Pakhtakor | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 25 April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Al-Hilal | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Al-Hilal | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Gwangju | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Vissel Kobe | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 29 April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Gwangju (a.e.t.) | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Al-Hilal | |||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Al-Ahli | |||||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Al-Rayyan | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 26 April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Al-Ahli | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Al-Ahli | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Buriram United | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Buriram United | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 May – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| W | Winner SF1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Winner SF2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Shanghai Port | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 26 April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Al-Nassr | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Esteghlal | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 30 April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Al-Nassr | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Al-Nassr | |||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Kawasaki Frontale | |||||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Shanghai Shenhua | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 27 April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Kawasaki Frontale | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Kawasaki Frontale (a.e.t.) | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Al-Sadd | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Al-Wasl | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Al-Sadd | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
Round of 16
[edit]A total of 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage, with eight teams in each region.
The first legs were played on 3–5 March, the second legs were played on 10–12 March 2025.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||||
| Pakhtakor | 1–4 | Al-Hilal | 1–0 | 0–4 |
| Al-Rayyan | 1–5 | Al-Ahli | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| Esteghlal | 0–3 | Al-Nassr | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| Al-Wasl | 2–4 | Al-Sadd | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| East Region | ||||
| Shanghai Port | 1–5 | Yokohama FM | 0–1 | 1–4 |
| Shanghai Shenhua | 1–4 | Kawasaki Frontale | 1–0 | 0–4 |
| Buriram United | 1–0 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Vissel Kobe | 2–3 | Gwangju | 2–0 | 0–3 (a.e.t.) |
Finals
[edit]The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 25 April to 3 May 2025. All ties in the final tournament will be played as a single match.
- Quarter-finals
| Al-Hilal | 7–0 | Gwangju |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 1–4 | Al-Nassr |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Al-Sadd |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
- Semi-finals
- Final
| Winner SF1 | v |  Winner SF2 |
|---|---|---|
Top scorers
[edit]- As of 26 April 2025
| Rank | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | MD7 | MD8 | R16-1 | R16-2 | QF | SF | F | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salem Al-Dawsari
|
Al-Hilal
|
1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |||||||
 Riyad Mahrez
|
Al-Ahli
|
1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||
| Jasir Asani
|
Gwangju
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 3 |  Cristiano Ronaldo
|
Al-Nassr
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||||||
 Anderson Lopes
|
Yokohama F. Marinos
|
1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| 6 |  Aleksandar Mitrović
|
Al-Hilal
|
1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||
| 7 | Akram Afif
|
Al-Sadd
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
 Ivan Toney
|
Al-Ahli
|
2 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Roberto Firmino
|
Al-Ahli
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Arif Aiman
|
Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
 Matías Vargas
|
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
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "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.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia to host AFC Champions League Elite – Final Stage". the-AFC. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Pivotal reforms approved by AFC Competitions Committee". AFC. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Latest update on AFC Champions League Elite™". Asian Football Confederation. 19 February 2025.
- ^ "광주FC - GWANGJU FOOTBALL CLUB". www.gwangjufc.com (in Korean). Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". AFC. 1 July 2023.
- ^ "Preliminary battles to kick-start ACL Elite 2024/25". the-AFC. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ "AFC Champions League Elite 2024/25 Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC. 25 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
External links
[edit]- AFC Champions League Elite, the-AFC.com
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