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The AFC Asian Champions League is an annual Asian club football competition, hosted by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The league sees 40 clubs, usually representing the top Asian leagues, compete against each other in a multi-stage fixture.
It is the Asian equivalent to the UEFA Champions League. Most clubs qualify for the league by finishing at the top of their respective national leagues. However, a number of teams who do not directly qualify are given the opportunity to play off for a spot in the final 32 before the competition begins.
Australian clubs have competed in the tournament since 2007, when Australia officially moved to the Asian Football Confederation from Oceania.
Normally, the top three A-League teams qualify for the AFC Champions league, however, significant delays to both the A-League and ACL seasons in 2021 saw Australia’s sides all withdraw.
VIEW THE FULL 2021 ASIAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW
The competition followed a new format in 2021, due to the expansion from 32 teams to 40. The 40 teams were divided into a 20-team East division (where Australian clubs would normally play) and a 20-team West division.
Within those divisions, the teams were again divided into five groups of four each, with a round-robin group stage played as home-and-away fixtures over multiple weeks. The top team in each group progressed to the knockout stage, alongside the three top-ranked runners-up, where the 16 remaining sides played off in do-or-die matches to determine the tournament champions.
The most successful club in the competition’s history is Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia. They have won the tournament four times, most recently in 2021. The only Australian side to lift the trophy so far has been the Western Sydney Wanderers, who did so in 2014, while Adelaide United reached the final in 2008.
Since 2007, when Australia joined
| Year | Winner | A-League club(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) | Adelaide United, Sydney FC |
| 2008 | Gamba Osaka (Japan) | Adelaide United, Melbourne Victory |
| 2009 | Pohang Steelers (South Korea) | Central Coast Mariners, Newcatle Jets |
| 2010 | Seongam FC (South Korea) | Adelaide United, Melbourne Victory |
| 2011 | Al-Sadd (Qatar) | Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC |
| 2012 | Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) | Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar, Central Coast Mariners |
| 2013 | Guangzhou Evergrande (China) | Central Coast Mariners |
| 2014 | Western Sydney Wanderers | Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney Wanderers |
| 2015 | Guangzhou Evergrande (China) | Brisbane Roar, Western Sydney Wanderers |
| 2016 | Jeonbuk Hundai Motors (South Korea) | Melbourne victory, Sydney FC |
| 2017 | Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) | Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar, Western Sydney Wanderers |
| 2018 | Kashima Antlers (Japan) | Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC |
| 2019 | Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) | Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC |
| 2020 | Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) | Melbourne Victory, Perth Glory, Sydney FC |
| 2021 | Al Hilal SFC (Saudi Arabia) | None – A-League sides withdrew due to COVID challenges |
