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 scheduling issues, 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 AFC may reallocate one or more associations to another region if necessary for sporting reasons.
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 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 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
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]
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.
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]
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.
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]
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 is 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]
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.
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.
Tiebreakers
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations Article 8.3):[33]
Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;(not applicable since the matches were played in a centralised venue)
If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
Goal difference in all group matches;
Goals scored in all group matches;
Penalty shoot-out if only two teams playing each other in the last round of the group are tied;
Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
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]
^Shan United withdrew from the AFC Champions League and Melbourne Victory entered the play-off round instead of the preliminary round.[34]
^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]
Urawa Red Diamonds (3rd title)
Al-Hilal
Edmilson Junior
