2021 AFC Champions League

The 2021 AFC Champions League will be the 40th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 19th under the current AFC Champions League title.

2021 AFC Champions League
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
12–26 January 2021
Competition proper:
8 February – 27 November 2021
TeamsCompetition proper: 40
Total (maximum): 56 (from 24 associations)

The tournament will be the first to involve 40 teams during the group stage, with an increase from the previous 32 teams.[1] The winners of the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2022 AFC Champions League, entering the qualifying play-offs, if they have not qualified through their domestic performance.[2]

Association team allocation

The 46 AFC member associations (excluding the associate member Northern Mariana Islands) 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).[3] The slots are allocated by the following criteria according to the Entry Manual:[4]

  • 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:[5][6]
    • 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 to 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 they 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.
    • If they are from association ranked 7th or below (including those 13th or below which normally do not qualify for the AFC Champions League), 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 obtain an AFC club 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 this 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 with an AFC club license refuses to participate in the AFC Champions League, their slot, either direct or play-off, is annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.11).

Association ranking

For the 2021 AFC Champions League, the associations are allocated slots according to their association ranking which was published on 29 November 2019,[7][8] which takes into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup during the period between 2016 and 2019.

Participation for 2021 AFC Champions League
Participating
Not participating

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.

Note: Only teams assured of a place are displayed.

The following teams may enter either West Region or East Region should they not qualify for the tournament through domestic performance, and if they are from the top six associations, replace the lowest-seeded team from their association.

Qualifying play-off participants
Team Qualifying method App (last)
2020 AFC Champions League winners
2020 AFC Cup winners
Notes
  1. ^
    Iraq (IRQ): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq, the 2019–20 Iraqi Premier League and the 2019–20 Iraq FA Cup were cancelled and declared null and void by the Iraq Football Association. Originally a play-off was to be held to determine the teams from Iraq playing in the 2021 AFC Champions League.[9] However, it was later decided that the results of the previous domestic season (2018–19 Iraqi Premier League and 2018–19 Iraq FA Cup) would be used, subject to the teams passing the club licensing requirements and AFC's approval.[10]
  2. ^
    Lebanon (LIB): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon, the 2019–20 Lebanese Premier League was cancelled and declared null and void by the Lebanese Football Association (the competition was previously suspended due to domestic issues including protests and financial problems).[11][12] The team from Lebanon (if any) playing in the 2021 AFC Champions League is yet to be confirmed.
  3. ^
    Philippines (PHI): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, the 2020 Copa Paulino Alcantara was cancelled and not organized by the Philippine Football Federation. As a result, the 2020 Philippines Football League runners-up will qualify for the 2021 AFC Champions League as Philippines 2.[13]
  4. ^
    Thailand (THA): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, the Football Association of Thailand extended both the 2020 Thai League 1 and 2020 Thai FA Cup to be completed in 2021. The teams from Thailand playing in the 2021 AFC Champions League will be determined by the league positions of the 2020–21 Thai League 1 after the first half of the season.[14][15]
  5. ^
    United Arab Emirates (UAE): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates, the 2019–20 UAE Pro League and the 2019–20 UAE President's Cup were cancelled and declared null and void by the United Arab Emirates Football Association. The teams from the United Arab Emirates playing in the 2021 AFC Champions League will be determined by the results of the previous domestic season (2018–19 UAE Pro League and 2018–19 UAE President's Cup), subject to the teams passing the club licensing requirements and AFC's approval.[16][17]

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[18]

Stage Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 No draw 12 January 2021
Preliminary round 2 19 January 2021
Play-off stage Play-off round 26 January 2021
Group stage Matchday 1 TBA November/December 2020 8–10 February 2021
Matchday 2 15–17 February 2021
Matchday 3 1–3 March 2021
Matchday 4 15–17 March 2021
Matchday 5 12–14 April 2021
Matchday 6 26–28 April 2021
Knockout stage Round of 16 17–19 May 2021 24–26 May 2021
Quarter-finals TBA May/June 2021 23–25 August 2021 13–15 September 2021
Semi-finals 28–29 September 2021 26–27 October 2021
Final 21 November 2021 27 November 2021
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See also

References
  1. "AFC to invest in new era of national team and club competitions". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  2. "More Member Associations to benefit from inclusive AFC Champions League". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  3. "AFC Club Competitions Ranking Mechanics". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  4. "Entry Manual for AFC Club Competitions (2021 Edition)". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  5. "More Member Associations to benefit from inclusive AFC Champions League". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 23 November 2019.
  6. "Four Thailand clubs in AFC Champions League 2021; Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore also get group stage entry – Reports". Fox Sports Asia. 4 December 2019.
  7. "AFC Club Competitions Ranking". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  8. "AFC Country Ranking 2019". FootyRankings. 24 November 2019. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  9. "Iraqi Premier League called off". Asian Football Confederation. 4 June 2020.
  10. "Vice-chairman of the Iraq FA normalisation committee Shamel Kamel in dialogue with Al-Mada Paper". Al-Mada Paper. 1 July 2020.
  11. "الاتحاد اللبناني لكرة القدم يعلن إلغاء الموسم بسبب كورونا". The New Arab. 28 May 2020.
  12. "Football season called off in Lebanon". Asian Football Confederation. 28 May 2020.
  13. Saldajeno, Ivan Stewart (28 May 2020). "PFF to submit protocols to GAB for possible PFL return". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  14. "บทสรุปการจัดการแข่งขันฟุตบอลลีกอาชีพ ไทยลีก 1 -2 ฤดูกาล 2563". Football Association of Thailand. 21 April 2020.
  15. "Thai League 1 teams say no to scrapping results of first four games". The Phuket News. 22 April 2020.
  16. "قرارات الاجتماع الطارئ لمجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة". UAE Football Association. 18 June 2020.
  17. "No champions declared following cancellation of UAE Pro League 2019-20 season". Asian Football Confederation. 19 June 2020.
  18. "AFC Competitions Calendar 2021". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 5 December 2019.
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