AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition in Asian football, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national associations.
| Organising body | AFC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1967 (rebranded in 2002) |
| Region | Asia |
| Number of teams | 40 (group stage) |
| Qualifier for | FIFA Club World Cup FIFA Intercontinental Cup |
| Related competitions | AFC Cup (2nd tier) |
| Current champions | Urawa Red Diamonds (3rd title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Al-Hilal (4 titles) |
| Website | the-afc.com/champions-league |
| 2023–24 AFC Champions League | |
Introduced in 1967 as the Asian Champion Club Tournament, the competition rebranded and took on its current name in 2002 following the merger of the Asian Club Championship, the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the Asian Super Cup.
A total of 40 clubs compete in the round-robin group stage of the competition. Clubs from Asia's strongest national leagues receive automatic berths, with clubs from lower-ranked nations eligible to qualify via the qualifying playoffs, in addition to being eligible to participate in the AFC Cup. The winner of the AFC Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup.
The most successful club in the competition is Al-Hilal with a total of four titles. Urawa Red Diamonds are the current champions, having beaten Al-Hilal in the 2022 final.