2019 AFC Champions League

The 2019 AFC Champions League was the 38th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 17th under the current AFC Champions League title.[1]

2019 AFC Champions League
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
5–19 February 2019
Competition proper:
4 March – 24 November 2019
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 51 (from 22 associations)
Final positions
Champions Al-Hilal (3rd title)
Runners-up Urawa Red Diamonds
Tournament statistics
Matches played126
Goals scored354 (2.81 per match)
Attendance1,796,810 (14,260 per match)
Top scorer(s) Bafétimbi Gomis
(11 goals)
Best player(s) Bafétimbi Gomis
Fair play award Urawa Red Diamonds

The winners of the competition, Al-Hilal qualified for the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar after beating Urawa Red Diamonds in the final.

Kashima Antlers were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Guangzhou Evergrande in the quarter-finals on away goals.

Association team allocation

The 46 AFC member associations (excluding the associate member Northern Mariana Islands) were ranked, based on their national team's and clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions, with the allocation of slots for the 2019 and 2020 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2017 AFC rankings (Entry Manual Article 2.3):[2]

  • The associations were split into two regions:
  • In each region, there were four groups in the group stage, including a total of 12 direct slots, with the 4 remaining slots filled through play-offs.
  • The top 12 associations in each region as per the AFC rankings were eligible to enter the AFC Champions League, as long as they fulfill the AFC Champions League criteria.
  • The top six associations in each region got at least one direct slot in the group stage, while the remaining associations get only play-off slots (as well as AFC Cup group stage slots):
    • The associations ranked 1st and 2nd each got three direct slots and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 3rd and 4th each got two direct slots and two play-off slots.
    • The associations ranked 5th each got one direct slot and two play-off slots.
    • The associations ranked 6th each got one direct slot and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 7th to 12th each got one play-off slot.
  • The maximum number of slots for each association was one-third of the total number of eligible teams in the top division.
  • If any association gave up its direct slots, they were redistributed to the highest eligible association, with each association limited to a maximum of three direct slots.
  • If any association gave up its play-off slots, they were annulled and not redistributed to any other association.

Association ranking

For the 2019 AFC Champions League, the associations were allocated slots according to their association ranking which was published on 15 December 2017,[3] which took into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, as well as their national team's FIFA World Rankings, between 2014 and 2017.[2][4]

Participation for 2019 AFC Champions League
Participating
Not participating
Notes
  1. ^
    Australia (AUS): The top division run by the Football Federation Australia, the A-League, only had nine Australia-based teams in the 2017–18 season, so Australia could only get a maximum of three total slots (Entry Manual 5.4).[2]
  2. ^
    Bahrain (BHR): Bahrain did not have any teams which had an AFC Champions League license.[5]
  3. ^
    Syria (SYR): Syria did not implement the AFC Champions League club licensing system.[5]

Teams

The following 51 teams from 22 associations entered the competition.

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. TH means title holders.

Notes
  1. ^
    Malaysia (MAS): Pahang, the 2018 Malaysia FA Cup winners, were suspended from all AFC tournaments for not being permitted to apply for AFC licenses for two years. As a result, Perak, the 2018 Malaysia Super League runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.[6][7][8]
  2. ^
    Singapore (SIN): Albirex Niigata Singapore, the 2018 Singapore Premier League champions, is a satellite team of Japanese club Albirex Niigata and thus ineligible to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions. As a result, Home United, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.
Dubai
Riyadh
Jeddah
Qatar
Tehran
Saipa (p)
Zob Ahan (p)
Tashkent
AGMK (p)
Baghdad
Minerva Punjab (p)
Yeongnam
West Kanto
Perak (p)
Hà Nội (p)
Ceres–Negros (p)
Home U (p)
Baghdad teams
Al-Zawraa
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (p)

Dubai teams
Al-Wasl
Al-Nasr (p)

Tashkent teams
Lokomotiv Tashkent
Pakhtakor Tashkent (p)

Qatar teams
Al-Duhail
Al-Sadd
Al-Rayyan (p)
Al-Gharafa (p)
Jeddah teams
Al-Ittihad
Al-Ahli

Riyadh teams
Al-Hilal
Al-Nassr (p)

Tehran teams
Persepolis
Esteghlal
Location of teams of the 2019 AFC Champions League.
West Region
East Region
(p) Qualifying play-off participants

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[9]

Stage Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 No draw 5 February 2019
Preliminary round 2 12 February 2019
Play-off stage Play-off round 19 February 2019
Group stage Matchday 1 22 November 2018 4–6 March 2019
Matchday 2 11–13 March 2019
Matchday 3 8–10 April 2019
Matchday 4 22–24 April 2019
Matchday 5 6–8 May 2019
Matchday 6 20–22 May 2019
Knockout stage Round of 16 18–19 June 2019 (E), 5–6 August 2019 (W) 25–26 June 2019 (E), 12–13 August 2019 (W)
Quarter-finals 2 July 2019 26–28 August 2019 16–18 September 2019
Semi-finals 1–2 October 2019 22–23 October 2019
Final 9 November 2019 24 November 2019

Qualifying play-offs
Main article: 2019 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 (Regulations Article 9.2). The eight winners of the play-off round (four each from both West Region and East Region) advanced to the group stage to join the 24 direct entrants. All losers in each round from associations with only play-off slot entered the AFC Cup group stage.[1] The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each region, determined based on the association ranking of each team, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match, was officially announced by the AFC prior to the group stage draw on 22 November 2018.[10] Teams from the same association could not be placed into the same tie.

Preliminary round 1
Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Wehdat 2–3 Al-Kuwait
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Ceres–Negros 1–2 Yangon United
Home United 1–3 Persija Jakarta

Preliminary round 2
Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Pakhtakor 2–1 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
AGMK 4–2 Istiklol
Saipa 4–0 Minerva Punjab
Zob Ahan 1–0 (a.e.t.) Al-Kuwait
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Perak 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(6–5 p)		 Kitchee
Bangkok United 0–1 Hà Nội
Chiangrai United 3–1 Yangon United
Newcastle Jets 3–1 (a.e.t.) Persija Jakarta

Play-off round
Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Nasr 1–2 Pakhtakor
Al-Nassr 4–0 AGMK
Al-Rayyan 3–1 Saipa
Al-Gharafa 2–3 Zob Ahan
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Ulsan Hyundai 5–1 Perak
Shandong Luneng 4–1 Hà Nội
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)		 Chiangrai United
Kashima Antlers 4–1 Newcastle Jets

Group stage
Main article: 2019 AFC Champions League group stage

The draw for the group stage was held in 22 November 2018, 16:30 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[10] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four: four groups each in the West Region (Groups A–D) and the East Region (Groups E–H). Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16 of the knockout stage.

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ZOB NAS ZAW WAS
1 Zob Ahan 6 3 3 0 10 5 +5 12 Round of 16 — 0–0 0–0 2–0
2 Al-Nassr 6 3 1 2 11 7 +4 10 2–3 — 4–1 3–1
3 Al-Zawraa 6 2 2 2 14 9 +5 8 2–2 1–2 — 5–0
4 Al-Wasl 6 1 0 5 4 18 −14 3 1–3 1–0 1–5 —
Source: AFC

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification WAH ITH LOK RAY
1 Al-Wahda 6 4 1 1 14 9 +5 13 Round of 16 — 4–1 3–1 4–3
2 Al-Ittihad 6 3 2 1 13 9 +4 11 1–1 — 3–2 5–1
3 Lokomotiv Tashkent 6 2 1 3 10 11 −1 7 2–0 1–1 — 3–2
4 Al-Rayyan 6 1 0 5 9 17 −8 3 1–2 0–2 2–1 —
Source: AFC

Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification HIL DUH EST AIN
1 Al-Hilal 6 4 1 1 10 5 +5 13 Round of 16 — 3–1 1–0 2–0
2 Al-Duhail 6 2 3 1 11 8 +3 9 2–2 — 3–0 2–2
3 Esteghlal 6 2 2 2 6 8 −2 8 2–1 1–1 — 1–1
4 Al-Ain 6 0 2 4 4 10 −6 2 0–1 0–2 1–2 —
Source: AFC

Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SAD AHL PAK PER
1 Al-Sadd 6 3 1 2 7 8 −1 10 Round of 16 — 2–1 2–1 1–0
2 Al-Ahli 6 3 0 3 7 7 0 9 2–0 — 2–1 2–1
3 Pakhtakor 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8 2–2 1–0 — 1–0
4 Persepolis 6 2 1 3 6 5 +1 7 2–0 2–0 1–1 —
Source: AFC

Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SDL KAS GYE JDT
1 Shandong Luneng 6 3 2 1 10 8 +2 11 Round of 16 — 2–2 2–1 2–1
2 Kashima Antlers 6 3 1 2 9 8 +1 10 2–1 — 0–1 2–1
3 Gyeongnam FC 6 2 2 2 9 8 +1 8 2–2 2–3 — 2–0
4 Johor Darul Ta'zim 6 1 1 4 4 8 −4 4 0–1 1–0 1–1 —
Source: AFC

Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SAN GZE DAE MVC
1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 6 5 0 1 9 4 +5 15 Round of 16 — 1–0 2–0 2–1
2 Guangzhou Evergrande 6 3 1 2 9 5 +4 10 2–0 — 1–0 4–0
3 Daegu FC 6 3 0 3 10 6 +4 9 0–1 3–1 — 4–0
4 Melbourne Victory 6 0 1 5 4 17 −13 1 1–3 1–1 1–3 —
Source: AFC

Group G
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JEO URA BJG BUR
1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 6 4 1 1 7 3 +4 13 Round of 16 — 2–1 3–1 0–0
2 Urawa Red Diamonds 6 3 1 2 9 4 +5 10 0–1 — 3–0 3–0
3 Beijing FC 6 2 1 3 6 8 −2 7 0–1 0–0 — 2–0
4 Buriram United 6 1 1 4 3 10 −7 4 1–0 1–2 1–3 —
Source: AFC

Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ULS SSI KAW SYD
1 Ulsan Hyundai 6 3 2 1 5 7 −2 11 Round of 16 — 1–0 1–0 1–0
2 Shanghai SIPG 6 2 3 1 13 8 +5 9 5–0 — 1–0 2–2
3 Kawasaki Frontale 6 2 2 2 9 6 +3 8 2–2 2–2 — 1–0
4 Sydney FC 6 0 3 3 5 11 −6 3 0–0 3–3 0–4 —
Source: AFC

Knockout stage
Main article: 2019 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. Each tie is played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 11.3).[1]

Bracket

The bracket was decided after the draw for the quarter-finals, which was held on 2 July 2019, 16:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[11][12]

  Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                                             
Al-Nassr 1 3 4  
Al-Wahda 1 2 3  
  Al-Nassr 2 1 3  
  Al-Sadd 1 3 4  
Al-Duhail 1 1 2
Al-Sadd 1 3 4  
  Al-Sadd 1 4 5  
West Region
  Al-Hilal 4 2 6  
Al-Ittihad 2 4 6  
Zob Ahan 1 3 4  
  Al-Ittihad 0 1 1
  Al-Hilal 0 3 3  
Al-Ahli 2 1 3
Al-Hilal 4 0 4  
  Al-Hilal 1 2 3
  Urawa Red Diamonds 0 0 0
Shanghai SIPG (p) 1 1 2 (5)  
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1 1 2 (3)  
  Shanghai SIPG 2 1 3
  Urawa Red Diamonds (a) 2 1 3  
Urawa Red Diamonds 1 3 4
Ulsan Hyundai 2 0 2  
  Urawa Red Diamonds 2 1 3
East Region
  Guangzhou Evergrande 0 0 0  
Guangzhou Evergrande (p) 2 2 4 (6)  
Shandong Luneng 1 3 4 (5)  
  Guangzhou Evergrande (a) 0 1 1
  Kashima Antlers 0 1 1  
Kashima Antlers (a) 1 2 3
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0 3 3  

Round of 16

In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group from the same region, with the group winners hosting the second leg, and the matchups determined by the group stage draw.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Al-Nassr 4–3 Al-Wahda 1–1 3–2
Al-Ittihad 6–4 Zob Ahan 2–1 4–3
Al-Duhail 2–4 Al-Sadd 1–1 1–3
Al-Ahli 3–4 Al-Hilal 2–4 1–0
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Region
Kashima Antlers 3–3 (a) Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1–0 2–3
Guangzhou Evergrande 4–4 (6–5 p) Shandong Luneng 2–1 2–3 (a.e.t.)
Urawa Red Diamonds 4–2 Ulsan Hyundai 1–2 3–0
Shanghai SIPG 2–2 (5–3 p) Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1–1 1–1 (a.e.t.)

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 2 July 2019.[12] In the quarter-finals, the four round of 16 winners from the West Region (whose identity was not known at the time of the draw) played in two ties, and the four round of 16 winners from the East Region played in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs decided by draw, without any seeding or country protection.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Al-Nassr 3–4 Al-Sadd 2–1 1–3
Al-Ittihad 1–3 Al-Hilal 0–0 1–3
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Region
Shanghai SIPG 3–3 (a) Urawa Red Diamonds 2–2 1–1
Guangzhou Evergrande 1–1 (a) Kashima Antlers 0–0 1–1

Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, the two quarter-final winners from the West Region played each other, and the two quarter-final winners from the East Region played each other, with the order of legs determined by the quarter-final draw.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Region
Al-Sadd 5–6 Al-Hilal 1–4 4–2
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Region
Urawa Red Diamonds 3–0 Guangzhou Evergrande 2–0 1–0

Final
Main article: 2019 AFC Champions League Final

In the final, the two semi-final winners played each other, with the order of legs (first leg hosted by team from the West Region, second leg hosted by team from the East Region) reversed from the previous season's final.

Al-Hilal 1–0 Urawa Red Diamonds
 Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 22,549
Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)
Urawa Red Diamonds 0–2 Al-Hilal
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 58,109

Al-Hilal won 3–0 on aggregate.

Awards
Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player[13] Bafétimbi Gomis Al-Hilal
Top Goalscorer[13] Bafétimbi Gomis Al-Hilal
Fair Play Award[13] — Urawa Red Diamonds

Top scorers
  Team eliminated / inactive for this round.
  Player is not in the team but team still active for this round.
Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 2R1 2R2 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2 F1 F2 Total
1 Bafétimbi Gomis Al-Hilal 1123211 11
2 Leonardo Al-Wahda 21411 9
3 Shinzo Koroki Urawa Red Diamonds 1112111 8
4 Omar Al Somah Al-Ahli 22111 7
5 Alaa Abbas Al-Zawraa 2112 6
Giuliano Al-Nassr 11121
Hulk Shanghai SIPG 1212
Graziano Pellè Shandong Luneng 2211
9 Temurkhuja Abdukholiqov Lokomotiv Tashkent 1112 5
Akram Afif Al-Sadd 11111
Romarinho Al-Ittihad 1112
Talisca Guangzhou Evergrande 1121

Note: Goals scored in the qualifying play-offs are not counted when determining top scorer (Regulations Article 64.4).[1]

Source: AFC[14]

Player of the week awards
Matchday Toyota Player of the Week
Player Team Ref.
Group stage
Matchday 1 Cesinha Daegu FC [15]
Matchday 2 Alaa Abbas Al-Zawraa [16]
Matchday 3 Talisca Guangzhou Evergrande [17]
Matchday 4 Leonardo Al-Wahda [18]
Matchday 5 Hulk Shanghai SIPG [19]
Matchday 6 Yasuto Wakizaka Kawasaki Frontale [20]
Knockout stage
Round of 16 1st leg – East Kenyu Sugimoto Urawa Red Diamonds [21]
Round of 16 2nd leg – East Shoma Doi Kashima Antlers [22]
Round of 16 1st leg – West Bafétimbi Gomis Al-Hilal [23]
Round of 16 2nd leg – West Romarinho Al-Ittihad [24]
Quarter-finals 1st leg Giuliano Al-Nassr [25]
Quarter-finals 2nd leg Salem Al-Dawsari Al-Hilal [26]
Semi-finals 1st leg Bafétimbi Gomis Al-Hilal [27]
Semi-finals 2nd leg Shusaku Nishikawa Urawa Red Diamonds [28]
Final 1st leg Mohammed Al-Breik Al-Hilal [29]
Final 2nd leg Salem Al-Dawsari Al-Hilal [30]
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See also

References
  1. "2019 AFC Champions League Competition Regulations" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation.
  2. "Entry Manual: AFC Club Competitions 2017–2020" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation.
  3. "AFC Club Competitions Ranking (as of 15 December 2017)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation.
  4. "AFC Club Competitions Ranking Mechanics (2017 version)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation.
  5. "List of Licensed Clubs for the 2019 AFC Champions League" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation.
  6. "Pahang can forget playing AFC Cup competitions for 2 years". nst.com.my. 21 December 2017.
  7. "Two years can't apply for AFC Club License". hmetro.com.my. 21 December 2017.
  8. "Pahang FA was suspended for 2 years". utusan.com.my. 22 December 2017. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  9. "AFC Competitions Calendar 2019". Asian Football Confederation. 28 November 2017.
  10. "Continent's elite set for 2019 campaign". AFC. 22 November 2018.
  11. "Asian clubs continue pursuit for glory". AFC. 1 July 2019.
  12. "Quarter-final ties confirmed". AFC. 2 July 2019.
  13. "Al Hilal's Gomis wins MVP, Top Scorer awards". Asian Football Confederation. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  14. "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2019 AFC Champions League (Group stage, Round of 16, Knock-out stage)". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  15. "ACL2019 MD1 Toyota Player of the Week: Cesinha (Daegu FC)". Asian Football Confederation. 8 March 2019.
  16. "ACL2019 MD2 Toyota Player of the Week: Alaa Abbas (Al Zawraa)". Asian Football Confederation. 15 March 2019.
  17. "ACL2019 MD3 Toyota Player of the Week: Anderson Talisca". Asian Football Confederation. 12 April 2019.
  18. "ACL2019 MD4 Toyota Player of the Week: Leonardo". Asian Football Confederation. 26 April 2019.
  19. "ACL2019 MD5 Toyota Player of the Week: Hulk". Asian Football Confederation. 10 May 2019.
  20. "ACL2019 MD6 Toyota Player of the Week: Yasuto Wakizaka". Asian Football Confederation. 24 May 2019.
  21. "ACL2019 Round of 16, First Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Kenyu Sugimoto". Asian Football Confederation. 21 June 2019.
  22. "ACL2019 Round of 16, Second Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Shoma Doi". Asian Football Confederation. 28 June 2019.
  23. "ACL 2019 Round of 16 First Leg – West: Toyota Player of the Week". Asian Football Confederation. 9 August 2019.
  24. "ACL 2019 Round of 16 Second Leg – West: Toyota Player of the Week". Asian Football Confederation. 16 August 2019.
  25. "ACL 2019 QF First Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Giuliano". Asian Football Confederation. 30 August 2019.
  26. "ACL 2019 QF Second Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Salem Al Dawsari". Asian Football Confederation. 20 September 2019.
  27. "ACL 2019 SF First Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Bafetimbi Gomis". Asian Football Confederation. 4 October 2019.
  28. "ACL 2019 SF Second Leg Toyota Player of the Week: Shusaku Nishikawa". Asian Football Confederation. 25 October 2019.
  29. "2019 Final, 1st Leg – Toyota Player of the Week: Mohammed Al Burayk". Asian Football Confederation. 11 November 2019.
  30. "2019 Final, 2nd Leg – Toyota Player of the Week: Salem Al Dawsari". Asian Football Confederation. 26 November 2019.
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