2022 AFC Champions League

2022 AFC Champions League
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
8–15 March 2022
Competition proper:
7 April 2022 – 6 May 2023
TeamsGroup stage: 39
Total (maximum): 49
Final positions
ChampionsUrawa Red Diamonds (3rd title)
Runners-upAl-Hilal
Tournament statistics
Matches played130
Goals scored384 (2.95 per match)
Attendance511,749 (3,937 per match)
Top scorer(s)Edmilson Junior
(8 goals)
Best player(s)Hiroki Sakai[1]
Fair play awardUrawa Red Diamonds
← 2021
(Note: All statistics do not include qualifying results)

The 2022 AFC Champions League was the 41st edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 20th under the current AFC Champions League title.

This edition was the last in an all-year-round (spring-to-autumn) schedule despite actually being held from 2022 to 2023; from the next season onwards, the competition switched to an autumn-to-spring schedule.[2]

This edition saw increase in numbers of preliminary players registration with 35 players, up from 30 in previous editions. This paved the way for more foreign players to be included in squad, although the AFC "3+1" foreign players rule was in effect during the match.[3][4]

Due to the emerging complications caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and the associated risks, as well as the unique circumstances surrounding the football schedule before and after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it was confirmed that the final, originally scheduled for October 2022, would not be completed until May 2023. As the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup would already be held by that time, the AFC confirmed on 23 December 2022 that Al-Hilal would be their representative at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup as the reigning champions from the 2021 AFC Champions League.

Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia were the defending champions. Urawa Red Diamonds defeated Al-Hilal 2–1 on aggregate in the final to win their third title.[5] As Asian champions, they automatically qualified for the 2023–24 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs since they did not qualify through their domestic performance. In addition, they earned the right to play in both the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

2021 AFC Cup winners Al-Muharraq, having not obtained an AFC license, were not eligible to participate in this edition.[6]

Association team allocation

The 47 AFC member associations are ranked based on their clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions (their national team's FIFA World Rankings no longer considered).[7] The slots are allocated by the following criteria according to the Entry Manual:[8]

  • The associations are split into two regions (Article 3.1):
  • The top 12 associations in each region are eligible to enter the AFC Champions League.
  • In each region, there are five groups in the group stage, including 16 direct slots, with the 4 remaining slots filled through qualifying play-offs (Article 3.2). The slots in each region are distributed as follows:[9][10]
    • The associations ranked 1st and 2nd are each allocated three direct slots and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 3rd and 4th are each allocated two direct slots and two play-off slots.
    • The associations ranked 5th are each allocated one direct slot and two play-off slots.
    • The associations ranked 6th are each allocated one direct slot and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 7th to 10th are each allocated one direct slot.
    • The associations ranked 11th and 12th are each allocated one play-off slot.
  • The AFC Champions League title holders and AFC Cup title holders are each allocated one play-off slot should they not qualify for the tournament through domestic performance (Article 3.6). The following rules are applied:
    • If the AFC Champions League title holders or AFC Cup title holders are from associations ranked 1st to 6th, their association is allocated the same number of play-off slots, and they replace the lowest-seeded team from their association. Otherwise, their association is allocated one additional play-off slot, and they do 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 are from the same association which is allocated only one play-off slot, their association is allocated one additional play-off slot, and only the lowest-seeded team from their association is replaced as a result (Article 3.11).
    • The AFC Champions League title holders and AFC Cup title holders are the lowest-seeded teams in the qualifying play-offs if they do not replace any team from their association (Article 3.12).
  • If any association ranked 1st to 6th do not fulfill any one of the AFC Champions League criteria, they have all their direct slots converted into play-off slots. The direct slots given up are 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 is four and the maximum number of direct slots is three (Articles 3.4 and 3.5).
    • If any association ranked 3rd to 6th is allocated one additional direct slot, one play-off slot is annulled and not redistributed.
    • If any association ranked 5th to 6th is allocated two additional direct slots, one play-off slot is annulled and not redistributed.
  • If any association ranked 7th to 10th do not fulfill any one of the AFC Champions League criteria, they have their direct slot converted into play-off slot. The direct slot given up is redistributed to the next association ranked 11th or 12th, whose play-off slot is annulled and not redistributed, or if neither are eligible, the highest eligible association by the same criteria as 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, do not fulfill the minimum AFC Champions League criteria, the play-off slot(s) are annulled and not redistributed (Articles 3.19 and 3.20).
  • For each association, the maximum number of total slots is one-third of the total number of eligible teams (excluding foreign teams) in the top division (Article 3.4). If this rule is applied, any direct slots given up are redistributed by the same criteria as mentioned above, and play-off slots are annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.10).
  • All participating teams must 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). If any association do not have enough teams which satisfy these criteria, any direct slots given up are redistributed by the same criteria as mentioned above, and play-off slots are annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.9).
  • If any team granted a license refuses to participate, their slot, either direct or play-off, is annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.11).

Association ranking

For the 2022-23 AFC Champions League, the associations are allocated slots according to their AFC Club Competitions Ranking which was published on 29 November 2019,[11][12] which takes into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup during the period between 2016 and 2019.

Participation for 2022 AFC Champions League
Participating
Not participating
(N) Number of teams/associations originally entered, before withdrawal of teams from the competition after the draw
Notes
  1. ^
    Iran (IRN): On 7 January 2022, the AFC announced that Esteghlal and Persepolis had not satisfied the mandatory criteria of the AFC Club Licensing Regulations, and their licences were withdrawn by the AFC's independent Entry Control Body, and thus were declared ineligible to participate in the 2022 AFC Champions League.[13]
  2. ^
    Iraq (IRQ): Al-Najaf, the 2020–21 Iraqi Premier League third place, failed to obtain an AFC license,[14] and Al-Shorta, the league's fourth placed team, declined to participate in Al-Najaf's place.[15] Therefore, Iraq's second play-off round slot was annulled.
  3. ^
    Lebanon (LBN): Lebanon did not implement the club licensing system.[16]
  4. ^
    China (CHN): Changchun Yatai, withdrew from the competition after the draw,[17] with Shanghai Port withdrawing on 11 April, as a result of lockdown measures enforced in Shanghai as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
  5. ^
    North Korea (PRK): North Korea did not implement the club licensing system.[16]
  6. ^
    Myanmar (MYA): The team from Myanmar which originally entered the AFC Champions League, Shan United, withdrew from the competition after the draw.[19]

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.

Notes
  1. ^
    Title holders (TH): Al-Hilal are the title holders.
  2. ^
    Jordan (JOR): The 2021 Jordanian Pro League champions Al-Ramtha were not granted an AFC Champions League license.[16]
  3. ^
    Saudi Arabia (KSA): Al-Ittihad, the 2020–21 Saudi Professional League third place, failed to obtain an AFC license.[20] As a result, Al-Taawoun, the league's fourth-placed team, entered the qualifying play-offs.[21]
  4. ^
    Myanmar (MYA): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar plus the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état and protests, the 2021 Myanmar National League was not held by the Myanmar Football Federation.
  5. ^
    Philippines (PHI): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, the 2021 Philippines Football League was cancelled. The Philippine Football Federation has nominated United City, the 2020 Philippines Football League champions, to participate.[22]
  6. ^
    Syria (SYR): The 2020–21 Syrian Premier League champions Tishreen were not granted an AFC Champions League license, and will play in the 2022 AFC Cup instead.[16][23]
  7. ^
    Turkmenistan (TKM): Only Ahal were granted an AFC Champions League license, so the Ýokary Liga champions Altyn Asyr were only eligible for the 2022 AFC Cup.[16][23]
  8. ^
    Vietnam (VIE): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, the 2021 V.League 1 and 2021 Vietnamese Cup were both abandoned by the Vietnam Football Federation. It was decided that the league's first-place team Hoang Anh Gia Lai at the time of abandonment would take the AFC Champions League slot,[24] with the AFC Cup slots to go to the second-and third-placed teams.[25]
  9. ^
    Withdrawn Teams 1 (WDN1): Shan United withdrew from the competition on 19 January 2022.[26]
  10. ^
    Withdrawn Teams 2 (WDN2): Changchun Yatai withdrew from the competition on 1 March 2022.[27]
  11. ^
    Withdrawn Teams 3 (WDN3): Shanghai Port withdrew from the competition on 11 April 2022, as a result of the lockdown measures enforced in Shanghai.[18]
class=notpageimage|
Location of teams of the 2022 AFC Champions League.
Brown: Group A; Red: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D; Pink: Group E;
Green: Group F; Blue: Group G; Cyan: Group H; Turquoise: Group I; Purple: Group J;
Qualifying play-offs

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows. The final version was originally announced on 13 January 2022,[28] with the following modifications made on 9 December 2022: the West Region knockout stage matches were pushed back by two weeks in February, while the final was moved from 19 and 26 February to 29 April and 6 May 2023.[29]

Stage Round Draw date West Region East Region
Preliminary stage Preliminary round No draw — 8 March 2022
Play-off stage Play-off round 15 March 2022
Group stage Matchday 1 17 January 2022 7–8 April 2022 15–16 April 2022
Matchday 2 10–11 April 2022 18–19 April 2022
Matchday 3 14–15 April 2022 21–22 April 2022
Matchday 4 18–19 April 2022 24–25 April 2022
Matchday 5 22–23 April 2022 27–28 April 2022
Matchday 6 26–27 April 2022 30 April – 1 May 2022
Knockout stage Round of 16 19–20 February 2023 18–19 August 2022
Quarter-finals E: 20 August 2022
W: 21 February 2023 		23 February 2023 22 August 2022
Semi-finals 26 February 2023 25 August 2022
Final 29 April and 6 May 2023

Original schedule

The original schedule of the competition, as planned in 2019 before the pandemic, included a two-legged knockout stage.[30]

Original schedule
Stage Round First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 11 January 2022
Preliminary round 2 18 January 2022
Play-off stage Play-off round 25 January 2022
Group stage Matchday 1 7–9 February 2022
Matchday 2 14–16 February 2022
Matchday 3 28 February – 2 March 2022
Matchday 4 14–16 March 2022
Matchday 5 4–6 April 2022
Matchday 6 18–20 April 2022
Knockout stage Round of 16 9–11 May 2022 23–25 May 2022
Quarter-finals 15–17 August 2022 29–31 August 2022
Semi-finals 13–14 September 2022 4–5 October 2022
Final 22 October 2022 29 October 2022

In June 2021, a minor revision was made to the schedule of the preliminary and play-off stages: matches were moved one week earlier in January.[31]

Minor revision to schedule
Stage Round First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 4 January 2022
Preliminary round 2 11 January 2022
Play-off stage Play-off round 18 January 2022

First major revision to schedule

On 5 July 2021, the AFC announced the first revised schedule of the competition, featuring a centralized group stage and single-leg knockout stage matches.[32]

First major revision to schedule
Stage Round West Region East Region
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 15 March 2022 1 March 2022
Preliminary round 2 5 April 2022 8 March 2022
Play-off stage Play-off round 20 April 2022 15 March 2022
Group stage Matchday 1 10–11 May 2022 15–16 April 2022
Matchday 2 13–14 May 2022 18–19 April 2022
Matchday 3 16–17 May 2022 21–22 April 2022
Matchday 4 19–20 May 2022 24–25 April 2022
Matchday 5 22–23 May 2022 27–28 April 2022
Matchday 6 25–26 May 2022 30 April – 1 May 2022
Knockout stage Round of 16 29–31 August 2022
Quarter-finals 12–14 September 2022
Semi-finals 11–12 October 2022
Final 29 October 2022

Second major revision to schedule

On 13 January 2022, the AFC announced the second revised schedule of the competition, with the knockout stage of the West Region pushed back to February 2023, and a two-legged format restored for the final.[28]

Second major revision to schedule
Stage Round West Region East Region
Preliminary stage Preliminary round — 8 March 2022
Play-off stage Play-off round 15 March 2022
Group stage Matchday 1 7–8 April 2022 15–16 April 2022
Matchday 2 10–11 April 2022 18–19 April 2022
Matchday 3 14–15 April 2022 21–22 April 2022
Matchday 4 18–19 April 2022 24–25 April 2022
Matchday 5 22–23 April 2022 27–28 April 2022
Matchday 6 26–27 April 2022 30 April – 1 May 2022
Knockout stage Round of 16 3–4 February 2023 18–19 August 2022
Quarter-finals 7 February 2023 22 August 2022
Semi-finals 10 February 2023 25 August 2022
Final 19 and 26 February 2023

Qualifying play-offs

Main article: 2022 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs

In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[33] The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each region was determined based on each team's association ranking and their seeding within their association, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Teams from the same association could not be placed into the same tie. The seven winners of the play-off round (three from West Region and four from East Region) advanced to the group stage to join the 33 direct entrants.

Preliminary round

A total of two teams played in the preliminary round.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Sydney FC Australia 5–0 Philippines Kaya–Iloilo
Melbourne Victory Australia Cancelled[note 1] Myanmar Shan United

Play-off round

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Taawoun Saudi Arabia 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–4 p) 		Syria Al-Jaish
Baniyas United Arab Emirates 0–2 Uzbekistan Nasaf Qarshi
Sharjah United Arab Emirates 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(6–5 p) 		Iraq Al-Zawraa
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Changchun Yatai China Cancelled[note 2] Australia Sydney FC
Vissel Kobe Japan 4–3 (a.e.t.) Australia Melbourne Victory
Ulsan Hyundai South Korea 3–0 Thailand Port
Daegu FC South Korea 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 p) 		Thailand Buriram United

Group stage

Main article: 2022 AFC Champions League group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 17 January 2022 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.

In the group stage, each group was played in a double round-robin format in centralised venues. The winners of each group and three best runners-up from each region advanced to the round of 16 of the knockout stage.

Group A

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification HIL RYN SHJ IST
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal (H) 6 4 1 1 11 5 +6 13[a] Advance to Round of 16 — 0–2 2–1 1–0
2 Qatar Al-Rayyan 6 4 1 1 10 7 +3 13[a] 0–3 — 3–1 1–0
3 United Arab Emirates Sharjah 6 1 2 3 7 11 −4 5 2–2 1–1 — 2–1
4 Tajikistan Istiklol 6 1 0 5 5 10 −5 3 0–3 2–3 2–0 —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Equal on head-to-head points. Head-to-head goal difference: Al-Hilal +1, Al-Rayyan –1.

Group B

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SHB MUM QWJ AJZ
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab (H) 6 5 1 0 18 1 +17 16 Advance to Round of 16 — 6–0 3–0 3–0
2 India Mumbai City 6 2 1 3 3 11 −8 7[a] 0–3 — 1–0 0–0
3 Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 6 2 1 3 7 10 −3 7[a] 1–1 1–2 — 3–2
4 United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 6 1 1 4 4 10 −6 4 0–2 1–0 1–2 —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Mumbai City 6, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 0.

Group C

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FOO SAH GHA AHA
1 Iran Foolad 6 3 3 0 5 2 +3 12 Advance to Round of 16 — 1–1 0–0 1–0
2 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli 6 2 4 0 14 7 +7 10 1–1 — 8–2 2–1
3 Qatar Al-Gharafa 6 1 2 3 7 14 −7 5 0–1 1–1 — 2–0
4 Turkmenistan Ahal 6 1 1 4 6 9 −3 4 0–1 1–1 4–2 —
Source: AFC

Group D

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification DUH TWN SEP PAK
1 Qatar Al-Duhail 6 5 0 1 17 9 +8 15 Advance to Round of 16 — 1–2 5–2 3–2
2 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun (H) 6 2 1 3 13 12 +1 7[a] 3–4 — 3–0 0–1
3 Iran Sepahan 6 2 1 3 8 12 −4 7[a] 0–1 1–1 — 2–1
4 Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 6 2 0 4 10 15 −5 6 0–3 5–4 1–3 —
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Al-Taawoun 4, Sepahan 1.

Group E

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FAI NAS SAD WEH
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Faisaly (H) 6 2 3 1 5 4 +1 9[a] Advance to Round of 16 — 0–0 2–1 1–1
2 Uzbekistan Nasaf Qarshi 6 2 3 1 8 5 +3 9[a] 0–1 — 3–1 2–0
3 Qatar Al-Sadd 6 2 1 3 10 11 −1 7 1–0 1–1 — 5–2
4 Jordan Al-Wehdat 6 1 3 2 9 12 −3 6 1–1 2–2 3–1 —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Al-Faisaly 4, Nasaf Qarshi 1.

Group F

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification DAE URA LCS SDT
1 South Korea Daegu FC 6 4 1 1 14 4 +10 13[a] Advance to Round of 16 — 1–0 0–3 4–0
2 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 6 4 1 1 20 2 +18 13[a] 0–0 — 6–0 5–0
3 Singapore Lion City Sailors 6 2 1 3 8 14 −6 7 1–2 1–4 — 3–2
4 China Shandong Taishan 6 0 1 5 2 24 −22 1 0–7 0–5 0–0 —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Daegu FC 4, Urawa Red Diamonds 1.

Group G

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BGP MCY JND UCT
1 Thailand BG Pathum United (H) 6 3 3 0 11 2 +9 12 Advance to Round of 16 — 1–1 0–0 5–0
2 Australia Melbourne City 6 3 3 0 10 3 +7 12 0–0 — 2–1 3–0
3 South Korea Jeonnam Dragons 6 2 2 2 5 5 0 8 0–2 1–1 — 2–0
4 Philippines United City 6 0 0 6 1 17 −16 0 1–3 0–3 0–1 —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Group H

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification YFM JBH HOA SYD
1 Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 6 4 1 1 9 3 +6 13 Advance to Round of 16 — 0–1 2–0 3–0
2 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 6 3 3 0 7 4 +3 12 1–1 — 1–0 0–0
3 Vietnam Hoang Anh Gia Lai (H) 6 1 2 3 4 7 −3 5 1–2 1–1 — 1–0
4 Australia Sydney FC 6 0 2 4 3 9 −6 2 0–1 2–3 1–1 —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Group I

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JDT KSF ULS GZH
1 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim (H) 6 4 1 1 11 7 +4 13 Advance to Round of 16 — 0–5 2–1 5–0
2 Japan Kawasaki Frontale 6 3 2 1 17 4 +13 11 0–0 — 1–1 1–0
3 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 6 3 1 2 14 7 +7 10 1–2 3–2 — 3–0
4 China Guangzhou 6 0 0 6 0 24 −24 0 0–2 0–8 0–5 —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Group J

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification VKO KIT CRU SHP
1 Japan Vissel Kobe 4 2 2 0 10 3 +7 8 Advance to Round of 16 — 2–1 6–0 Canc.
2 Hong Kong Kitchee 4 2 1 1 7 6 +1 7 2–2 — 1–0 Canc.
3 Thailand Chiangrai United (H) 4 0 1 3 2 10 −8 1 0–0 2–3 — Canc.
4 China Shanghai Port 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew[36] Canc. Canc. Canc. —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Ranking of second-placed teams

West Region

Pos Grp Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A Qatar Al-Rayyan 6 4 1 1 10 7 +3 13 Advance to Round of 16
2 C United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli 6 2 4 0 14 7 +7 10
3 E Uzbekistan Nasaf Qarshi 6 2 3 1 8 5 +3 9
4 D Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun 6 2 1 3 13 12 +1 7
5 B India Mumbai City 6 2 1 3 3 11 −8 7
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.

East Region

As Group J only had three teams remaining, the results against fourth-placed teams in Groups F–I were omitted in this ranking.[36]

Pos Grp Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 H South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 4 2 2 0 3 1 +2 8 Advance to Round of 16
2 F Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 4 2 1 1 10 2 +8 7
3 J Hong Kong Kitchee 4 2 1 1 7 6 +1 7
4 G Australia Melbourne City 4 1 3 0 4 3 +1 6
5 I Japan Kawasaki Frontale 4 1 2 1 8 4 +4 5
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.

Knockout stage

Main article: 2022 AFC Champions League knockout stage

In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split into the two regions until the final. All ties were played as a single-leg match (Regulations Article 9.1), except for the final, which was played over two legs. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winners if necessary (Regulations Article 9.3 and 10.1).[33]

Bracket

 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
                      
 
19 February 2023 – Doha
 
 
Qatar Al-Duhail (p)1 (7)
 
23 February 2023 – Doha
 
Qatar Al-Rayyan1 (6)
 
Qatar Al-Duhail2
 
19 February 2023 – Al Wakrah
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab1
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab2
 
26 February 2023 – Doha
 
Uzbekistan Nasaf Qarshi0
 
Qatar Al-Duhail0
 
20 February 2023 – Doha
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal7
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Faisaly0
 
23 February 2023 – Al Wakrah
 
Iran Foolad1
 
Iran Foolad0
 
20 February 2023 – Al Wakrah
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal1
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal3
 
29 April and 6 May 2023
 
United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli1
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal101
 
18 August 2022 – Saitama
 
Japan Urawa Red Diamonds112
 
Japan Vissel Kobe3
 
22 August 2022 – Saitama
 
Japan Yokohama F. Marinos2
 
Japan Vissel Kobe1
 
18 August 2022 – Saitama
 
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (a.e.t.)3
 
South Korea Daegu FC1
 
25 August 2022 – Saitama
 
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (a.e.t.)2
 
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors2 (1)
 
19 August 2022 – Saitama
 
Japan Urawa Red Diamonds (p)2 (3)
 
Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim0
 
22 August 2022 – Saitama
 
Japan Urawa Red Diamonds5
 
Japan Urawa Red Diamonds4
 
19 August 2022 – Saitama
 
Thailand BG Pathum United0
 
Thailand BG Pathum United4
 
 
Hong Kong Kitchee SC0
 

Round of 16

The round of 16 was played over one leg, with the matchups determined by the combination tables based on which group runners-up qualified.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia 3–1 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli
Al-Shabab Saudi Arabia 2–0 Uzbekistan Nasaf Qarshi
Al-Duhail Qatar 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(7–6 p) 		Qatar Al-Rayyan
Al-Faisaly Saudi Arabia 0–1 Iran Foolad
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Daegu FC South Korea 1–2 (a.e.t.) South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
BG Pathum United Thailand 4–0 Hong Kong Kitchee
Johor Darul Ta'zim Malaysia 0–5 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
Vissel Kobe Japan 3–2 Japan Yokohama F. Marinos

Quarter-finals

The quarter-finals were played over one leg.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Duhail Qatar 2–1 Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab
Foolad Iran 0–1 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Vissel Kobe Japan 1–3 (a.e.t.) South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Urawa Red Diamonds Japan 4–0 Thailand BG Pathum United

Semi-finals

The semi-finals were played over one leg.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Duhail Qatar 0–7 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors South Korea 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(1–3 p) 		Japan Urawa Red Diamonds

Final

Main article: 2022 AFC Champions League final

The final was played over two legs.

Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia1–1Japan Urawa Red Diamonds
 Report
Attendance: 50,881
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
Urawa Red Diamonds Japan1–0Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal
Carrillo 48' (o.g.) Report
Attendance: 53,574
Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Urawa Red Diamonds won 2–1 on aggregate.

Top scorers

  Team eliminated for this round.
  Player was not in the team but the team was still active for this round.
Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 R16 QF SF F1 F2 Total
1 Belgium Edmilson Junior Qatar Al-Duhail 1 3 2 2 8
2 Nigeria Odion Ighalo Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 2 1 4 7
Brazil Zeca South Korea Daegu FC 3 1 1 1 1
4 Brazil Bergson Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim 3 1 2 6
Japan Yusuke Matsuo Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 1 2 2 1
Kenya Michael Olunga Qatar Al-Duhail 1 1 2 2
7 Argentina Federico Cartabia United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli 1 1 1 2 5
Brazil Carlos Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab 2 2 1
Sweden David Moberg Karlsson Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 1 1 2 1
10 Ivory Coast Yohan Boli Qatar Al-Rayyan 2 1 4
Saudi Arabia Salem Al-Dawsari Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 1 1 1 1
Japan Yu Kobayashi Japan Kawasaki Frontale 2 2
Denmark Kasper Junker Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 1 2 1
Turkmenistan Arslanmyrat Amanow Turkmenistan Ahal 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).[33]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Shan United withdrew from the AFC Champions League and Melbourne Victory entered the play-off round instead of the preliminary round.[34]
  2. ^ Changchun Yatai withdrew from the competition after the draw. AFC decided to cancel the play-off match, and the winner of preliminary stage, Sydney FC, automatically advanced to the group stage.[35]

References

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