Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Urawa qualified to the play-off round of the competition because they are the defending champions and would not qualify to the Champions League by their national competitions. This is due to the club not being able to finish in a sufficiently high position in the J1 League and in the Emperor's Cup during the 2022 season.
The two-legged final was originally scheduled to be played on 19 and 26 February. However, Urawa's main stadium, the Saitama Stadium 2002 was not available due to pitch maintenance around this date, and then, would see Urawa having to host the second leg at the Urawa Komaba Stadium. As a result of this conflict, the AFC decided to rearrange the dates even further on the calendar, rescheduling the matches to late April and early May.