2020 AFC Champions League

39th edition of premier club football tournament organized by the AFC
2020 AFC Champions League
The Ulsan Hyundai team holds the AFC Champions League trophy
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
14–28 January 2020
Competition proper:
10 February – 19 December 2020
TeamsCompetition proper: 29 teams
Total: 52 (from 23 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsSouth Korea Ulsan Hyundai (2nd title)
Runners-upIran Persepolis
Tournament statistics
Matches played93
Goals scored236 (2.54 per match)
Attendance182,388 (1,961 per match)
Top scorer(s)Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah
Brazil Júnior Negrão
(7 goals each)[1]
Best player(s)South Korea Yoon Bit-garam[2]
Fair play awardSouth Korea Ulsan Hyundai
← 2019
2021 →
(Note: All statistics do not include qualifying play-offs and matches voided by AFC)
International football competition

The 2020 AFC Champions League was the 39th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 18th under the current AFC Champions League title.[3]

Ulsan Hyundai won their second Champions League title by defeating Persepolis 2–1 in the final.[4] Ulsan automatically qualify for the 2021 AFC Champions League (although they had already qualified through their domestic performance), the first time since 2008 that the AFC Champions League holders were guaranteed automatic qualification in the following year.[5][6] They also earned the right to play in the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar.

The tournament was the last to involve 32 teams during the group stage, which increased to 40 teams in 2021.[7]

The competition was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia after group stage matches on 4 March 2020,[8] and restarted on 14 September 2020.[9] All matches after the restart were played in Qatar,[10][11][12] with the final played at the Al Janoub Stadium.

Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia were the defending champions, but the club effectively withdrew from the competition when they could not name the required 13 players for their final group stage match, as all but 11 players had tested positive for COVID-19.[13][14] For the first time, the video assistant referee (VAR) system was in use from the quarter-finals onwards.[15]

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):[16]

  • 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 fulfilled 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 got 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 2020 AFC Champions League, the associations were allocated slots according to their association ranking which was published on 15 December 2017,[17] 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, during the period between 2014 and 2017.[16][18]

Participation for 2020 AFC Champions League
Participating
Not participating
West Region (4 groups)
Rank Member
Association 		Points[17] Slots
Group
stage 		Play-off
Region AFC Play-off
round 		Prelim.
round 2 		Prelim.
round 1
1 1  United Arab Emirates 95.940 3 1 0 0
2 4  Saudi Arabia 84.269 3 1 0 0
3 6  Qatar 82.407 2 2 0 0
4 7  Iran 71.851 2 0 2 0
5 9  Uzbekistan 43.305 1 0 2 0
6 11  Iraq 42.141 1 0 1 0
7 12  Tajikistan 30.725 0 0 1 0
8 15  India 29.291 0 0 0 1
9 16  Syria[SYR] 28.983 0 0 0 0
10 18  Jordan 25.649 0 0 0 1
11 19  Kuwait 24.798 0 0 0 1
12 20  Bahrain 24.337 0 0 0 1
Total Participating associations: 11 12 4 6 4
14
26
East Region (4 groups)
Rank Member
Association 		Points[17] Slots
Group
stage 		Play-off
Region AFC Play-off
round 		Prelim.
round 2 		Prelim.
round 1
1 2  South Korea 87.480 3 1 0 0
2 3  China 86.671 3 1 0 0
3 5  Japan 83.464 2 2 0 0
4 8  Australia[AUS] 64.752 2 0 1 0
5 10  Thailand 42.568 1 0 2 0
6 13  Malaysia 29.566 1 0 1 0
7 14  Hong Kong 29.300 0 0 1 0
8 17  Vietnam 27.426 0 0 1 0
9 21  Philippines 21.405 0 0 0 1
10 23  Singapore 17.084 0 0 0 1
11 24  Indonesia 16.871 0 0 0 1
12 25  Myanmar 14.753 0 0 0 1
Total Participating associations: 12 12 4 6 4
14
26

Notes
  1. ^
    Australia (AUS): The top division run by the Football Federation Australia, the A-League, only had nine Australia-based teams in the 2018–19 season, so Australia could only get a maximum of three total slots (Entry Manual 5.4).[16]
  2. ^
    Syria (SYR): Syria did not have any teams which had an AFC Champions League license.[19]

Teams

The following 52 teams from 23 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.

West Region Group stage direct entrants (Groups A–D)
Team Qualifying method App (Last)
United Arab Emirates Sharjah 2018–19 UAE Pro League champions 2nd (2004)
United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli 2018–19 UAE President's Cup winners
2018–19 UAE Pro League runners-up 		1st
United Arab Emirates Al-Wahda 2018–19 UAE Pro League 3rd place 11th (2019)
Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2018–19 Saudi Professional League champions 5th (2019)
Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun 2019 King Cup winners
2018–19 Saudi Professional League 3rd place 		2nd (2017)
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal[Note TH] 2018–19 Saudi Professional League runners-up 16th (2019)
Qatar Al-Sadd 2018–19 Qatar Stars League champions 15th (2019)
Qatar Al-Duhail 2019 Emir of Qatar Cup winners
2018–19 Qatar Stars League runners-up 		9th (2019)
Iran Persepolis 2018–19 Persian Gulf Pro League champions and 2018–19 Hazfi Cup winners and 2019 Iranian Super Cup winners 9th (2019)
Iran Sepahan 2018–19 Persian Gulf Pro League runners-up 12th (2016)
Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 2019 Uzbekistan Super League champions and 2019 Uzbekistan Cup winners 16th (2019)
Iraq Al-Shorta 2018–19 Iraqi Premier League champions 4th (2014)
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in play-off round
Team Qualifying method App (Last)
United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 2018–19 UAE Pro League 4th place 15th (2019)
Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 2018–19 Saudi Professional League 4th place 12th (2019)
Qatar Al-Sailiya 2018–19 Qatar Stars League 3rd place 1st
Qatar Al-Rayyan 2018–19 Qatar Stars League 4th place 10th (2019)
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in preliminary round 2
Team Qualifying method App (Last)
Iran Esteghlal 2018–19 Persian Gulf Pro League 3rd place 11th (2019)
Iran Shahr Khodro 2018–19 Persian Gulf Pro League 4th place 1st
Uzbekistan Lokomotiv Tashkent 2019 Uzbekistan Super League runners-up 8th (2019)
Uzbekistan Bunyodkor 2019 Uzbekistan Super League 3rd place 11th (2017)
Iraq Al-Zawraa 2018–19 Iraq FA Cup winners 5th (2019)
Tajikistan Istiklol 2019 Tajikistan Higher League champions 2nd (2019)
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in preliminary round 1
Team Qualifying method App (Last)
India Chennai City 2018–19 I-League champions 1st
Jordan Al-Faisaly 2018–19 Jordanian Pro League champions 3rd (2018)
Kuwait Al-Kuwait 2018–19 Kuwaiti Premier League champions 7th (2019)
Bahrain Al-Riffa 2018–19 Bahraini Premier League champions 2nd (2015)
East Region Group stage direct entrants (Groups E–H)
Team Qualifying method App (Last)
South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2019 K League 1 champions 13th (2019)
South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2019 Korean FA Cup winners 10th (2018)
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 2019 K League 1 runners-up 8th (2019)
China Guangzhou Evergrande 2019 Chinese Super League champions 9th (2019)
China Shanghai Shenhua 2019 Chinese FA Cup winners 9th (2018)
China Beijing FC 2019 Chinese Super League runners-up 9th (2019)
Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 2019 J1 League champions 4th (2014)
Japan Vissel Kobe 2019 Emperor's Cup winners 1st
Australia Perth Glory 2018–19 A-League premiers 1st
Australia Sydney FC 2019 A-League Grand Final winners
2018–19 A-League regular season runners-up 		6th (2019)
Thailand Chiangrai United 2019 Thai League 1 champions 3rd (2019)
Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim 2019 Malaysia Super League champions 6th (2019)
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in play-off round
Team Qualifying method App (Last)
South Korea FC Seoul 2019 K League 1 3rd place 8th (2017)
China Shanghai SIPG 2019 Chinese Super League 3rd place 5th (2019)
Japan FC Tokyo 2019 J1 League runners-up 3rd (2016)
Japan Kashima Antlers 2019 J1 League 3rd place 10th (2019)
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in preliminary round 2
Team Qualifying method App (Last)
Australia Melbourne Victory 2018–19 A-League regular season 3rd place 8th (2019)
Thailand Port 2019 Thai FA Cup winners 1st
Thailand Buriram United 2019 Thai League 1 runners-up 9th (2019)
Malaysia Kedah 2019 Malaysia FA Cup winners 1st
Hong Kong Tai Po 2018–19 Hong Kong Premier League champions 1st
Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City 2019 V.League 1 runners-up[Note VIE] 2nd (2002–03)
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in preliminary round 1
Team Qualifying method App (Last)
Philippines Ceres–Negros 2019 Philippines Football League champions 3rd (2019)
Singapore Tampines Rovers 2019 Singapore Premier League runners-up[Note SIN] 5th (2018)
Indonesia Bali United 2019 Liga 1 champions 2nd (2018)
Myanmar Shan United 2019 Myanmar National League champions 2nd (2018)

Notes
  1. ^
    Title holders (TH): Al-Hilal were the title holders.
  2. ^
    Singapore (SIN): DPMM, the 2019 Singapore Premier League champions, were a team from Brunei and thus ineligible to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions. As a result, Tampines Rovers, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.
  3. ^
    Vietnam (VIE): Hà Nội, the 2019 V.League 1 champions, failed to obtain an AFC license as their U15 team did not participate in Vietnam National U-15 Youth League.[20] As a result, Ho Chi Minh City, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.
class=notpageimage|
Location of teams of the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage.
Brown: Group A; Red: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D;
Green: Group E; Blue: Group F; Purple: Group G; Pink: Group H; Qualifying play-offs

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.[21] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only some of the group stage matches on matchdays 1–3 in February and March were played as scheduled, and all matches on matchdays 4–6 were postponed until further notice.[8] The round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals were also initially moved to 10–12 and 24–26 August, 14–16 and 28–30 September, and 20–21 and 27–28 October.[22][23]

The AFC announced the calendar of the remaining matches on 9 July 2020, with all matches before the final played at centralised venues, and all knockout ties played as a single match.[9] On 10 September 2020, the AFC announced the new dates for the East Region matches and the final.[24]

Notes:

  • W: West Region
  • E: East Region
  • Italics: new dates after restart
Stage Round Draw date Match dates
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 No draw 14 January 2020
Preliminary round 2 21 January 2020
Play-off stage Play-off round 28 January 2020
Group stage Matchday 1 10 December 2019 10–12 February 2020, 18–19 November 2020 (E)
Matchday 2 17–19 February 2020, 21–22 November 2020 (E)
Matchday 3 3–4 March 2020 (E), 14–15 September 2020 (W), 24–25 November 2020 (E)
Matchday 4 17–18 September 2020 (W), 27–28 November 2020 (E)
Matchday 5 20–21 September 2020 (W), 30 November – 1 December 2020 (E)
Matchday 6 23–24 September 2020 (W), 3–4 December 2020 (E)
Knockout stage Round of 16 26–27 September 2020 (W), 6–7 December 2020 (E)
Quarter-finals 28 September 2020 (W)
8 December 2020 (E) 		30 September 2020 (W), 10 December 2020 (E)
Semi-finals 3 October 2020 (W), 13 December 2020 (E)
Final 19 December 2020

The original schedule of the competition, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows.

Original schedule for 2020 AFC Champions League
Stage Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 No draw 14 January 2020
Preliminary round 2 21 January 2020
Play-off stage Play-off round 28 January 2020
Group stage Matchday 1 10 December 2019 10–12 February 2020
Matchday 2 17–19 February 2020
Matchday 3 2–4 March 2020
Matchday 4 6–8 April 2020
Matchday 5 20–22 April 2020
Matchday 6 4–6 May 2020
Knockout stage Round of 16 18–19 May 2020 (W),
26–27 May 2019 (E) 		25–26 May 2020 (W),
16–17 June 2020 (E)
Quarter-finals TBD 24–26 August 2020 14–16 September 2020
Semi-finals 29–30 September 2020 20–21 October 2020
Final 22 November 2020 28 November 2020

Qualifying play-offs

In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 9.2).[3] The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each region was determined based on the association ranking of each team, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match.[25] Teams from the same association could not be placed into the same tie. 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 slots entered the AFC Cup group stage.

Preliminary round 1

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Chennai City India 0–1 Bahrain Al-Riffa
Al-Faisaly Jordan 1–2 (a.e.t.) Kuwait Al-Kuwait
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Ceres–Negros Philippines 3–2 Myanmar Shan United
Tampines Rovers Singapore 3–5 (a.e.t.) Indonesia Bali United

Preliminary round 2

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Bunyodkor Uzbekistan 4–1 Iraq Al-Zawraa
Lokomotiv Tashkent Uzbekistan 0–1 Tajikistan Istiklol
Shahr Khodro Iran 2–1 Bahrain Al-Riffa
Esteghlal Iran 3–0 Kuwait Al-Kuwait
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Kedah Malaysia 5–1 Hong Kong Tai Po
Buriram United Thailand 2–1 Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City
Port Thailand 0–1 Philippines Ceres–Negros
Melbourne Victory Australia 5–0 Indonesia Bali United

Play-off round

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Ain United Arab Emirates 1–0 Uzbekistan Bunyodkor
Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia 1–0 Tajikistan Istiklol
Al-Sailiya Qatar 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p) 		Iran Shahr Khodro
Al-Rayyan Qatar 0–5 Iran Esteghlal
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
FC Seoul South Korea 4–1 Malaysia Kedah
Shanghai SIPG China 3–0 Thailand Buriram United
FC Tokyo Japan 2–0 Philippines Ceres–Negros
Kashima Antlers Japan 0–1 Australia Melbourne Victory

Group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 10 December 2019, 16:30 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[26] 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 double round-robin basis, with matches played home-and-away before the suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but moved to centralised venues after restart. The winners and runners-up of each group 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 10.5):[3]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams; (this tiebreaker was removed since the matches were played in centralised venues after restart)
  5. 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;
  6. Goal difference in all group matches;
  7. Goals scored in all group matches;
  8. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams playing each other in the last round of the group were tied;
  9. 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);
  10. Association ranking.

Group A

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AHL EST SHO WAH
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 4 2 0 2 4 6 −2 6 Advance to knockout stage — 2–1 1–0 20 Sep
2 Iran Esteghlal 4 1 2 1 6 4 +2 5 3–0 — 1–1 17 Sep
3 Iraq Al-Shorta 4 1 2 1 4 4 0 5 2–1 1–1 — 0–1
4 United Arab Emirates Al-Wahda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew[a] 1–1 14 Sep 23 Sep —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ Al-Wahda were unable to travel to Qatar to play the final four matches of the group stage due to several team members testing positive for COVID-19.[27] They were considered to have withdrawn from the competition, and all previous matches played by them shall be considered "null and void" and would not be considered in determining the final group rankings.[28]

Group B

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PAK SAH SHK HIL
1 Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 4 3 1 0 6 1 +5 10 Advance to knockout stage — 2–1 3–0 0–0
2 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli 4 2 1 1 3 2 +1 7 0–0 — 1–0 1–2
3 Iran Shahr Khodro 4 0 0 4 0 6 −6 0 0–1 0–1 — 0–0
4 Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew[a] 2–1 23 Sep 2–0 —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ Al-Hilal failed to name the required 13 players and were unable to play their final match of the group stage against Shabab Al-Ahli due to them having only 11 players left with the remaining team members testing positive for COVID-19. They were considered to have withdrawn from the competition, and all previous matches played by them shall be considered "null and void" and would not be considered in determining the final group rankings.[13]

Group C

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PRS TAW DUH SHJ
1 Iran Persepolis 6 3 1 2 8 5 +3 10 Advance to knockout stage — 1–0 0–1 4–0
2 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun 6 3 0 3 4 8 −4 9[a] 0–1 — 2–0 0–6
3 Qatar Al-Duhail 6 3 0 3 7 8 −1 9[a] 2–0 0–1 — 2–1
4 United Arab Emirates Sharjah 6 2 1 3 13 11 +2 7 2–2 0–1 4–2 —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Al-Taawoun 6, Al-Duhail 0.

Group D

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification NAS SAD SEP AIN
1 Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 6 3 2 1 9 5 +4 11 Advance to knockout stage — 2–2 2–0 0–1
2 Qatar Al-Sadd 6 2 3 1 14 8 +6 9 1–1 — 3–0 4–0
3 Iran Sepahan 6 2 1 3 6 8 −2 7 0–2 2–1 — 0–0
4 United Arab Emirates Al-Ain 6 1 2 3 5 13 −8 5 1–2 3–3 0–4 —
Source: AFC

Group E

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BEI MVC SEO CHI
1 China Beijing Guoan 6 5 1 0 12 4 +8 16 Advance to knockout stage — 3–1 3–1 1–1
2 Australia Melbourne Victory 6 2 1 3 6 9 −3 7 0–2 — 2–1 1–0
3 South Korea FC Seoul 6 2 0 4 10 9 +1 6 1–2 1–0 — 5–0
4 Thailand Chiangrai United 6 1 2 3 5 11 −6 5 0–1 2–2 2–1 —
Source: AFC

Group F

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ULS TOK SSH PRG
1 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 6 5 1 0 14 5 +9 16 Advance to knockout stage — 1–1 3–1 2–0
2 Japan FC Tokyo 6 3 1 2 6 5 +1 10 1–2 — 0–1 1–0
3 China Shanghai Shenhua 6 2 1 3 9 13 −4 7 1–4 1–2 — 3–3
4 Australia Perth Glory 6 0 1 5 5 11 −6 1 1–2 0–1 1–2 —
Source: AFC

Group G

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification VIS SUW GZE JDT
1 Japan Vissel Kobe 4 2 0 2 4 5 −1 6 Advance to knockout stage — 0–2 0–2 5–1
2 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 4 1 2 1 3 2 +1 5 0–1 — 0–0 25 Nov
3 China Guangzhou Evergrande 4 1 2 1 4 4 0 5 1–3 1–1 — 4 Dec
4 Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew[a] 1 Dec 2–1 19 Nov —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ Johor Darul Ta'zim were unable to travel to Qatar to play the final four matches of the group stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions after they were denied permission to travel by the Malaysian government.[29] They were considered to have withdrawn from the competition, and all previous matches played by them shall be considered "null and void" and would not be considered in determining the final group rankings.[30]

Group H

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification YOK SSI JEO SYD
1 Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 6 4 1 1 13 5 +8 13 Advance to knockout stage — 1–2 4–1 4–0
2 China Shanghai SIPG 6 3 0 3 6 10 −4 9 0–1 — 0–2 0–4
3 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 6 2 1 3 8 10 −2 7 1–2 1–2 — 1–0
4 Australia Sydney FC 6 1 2 3 8 10 −2 5 1–1 1–2 2–2 —
Source: AFC

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 was played as a single-leg match at centralised venues, instead of the usual home-and-away two-legged basis as planned before the COVID-19 pandemic. Extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winners if necessary.

Bracket

The bracket was decided after the draw for the quarter-finals. The draw for the West Region quarter-finals was held on 28 September 2020, 11:00 AST (UTC+3), and the draw for the East Region quarter-finals was held on 8 December 2020, 11:30 AST (UTC+3), both in Doha, Qatar.[31][32][33][34]

 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
              
 
27 September – Al Rayyan
 
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr1
 
30 September – Doha (Jassim)
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun0
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr2
 
26 September – Al Wakrah
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli0
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli (p)1 (4)
 
3 October – Doha (Jassim)
 
United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli1 (3)
 
Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr1 (3)
 
27 September – Al Rayyan
 
Iran Persepolis (p)1 (5)
 
Iran Persepolis1
 
30 September – Doha (Jassim)
 
Qatar Al-Sadd0
 
Iran Persepolis2
 
26 September – Al Wakrah
 
Uzbekistan Pakhtakor0
 
Uzbekistan Pakhtakor2
 
19 December – Al Wakrah
 
Iran Esteghlal1
 
Iran Persepolis1
 
6 December – Al Rayyan
 
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai2
 
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai3
 
10 December – Al Wakrah
 
Australia Melbourne Victory0
 
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai2
 
6 December – Al Rayyan
 
China Beijing FC0
 
China Beijing FC1
 
13 December – Doha (Jassim)
 
Japan FC Tokyo0
 
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai (a.e.t.)2
 
7 December – Doha (Khalifa)
 
Japan Vissel Kobe1
 
Japan Vissel Kobe2
 
10 December – Al Wakrah
 
China Shanghai SIPG0
 
Japan Vissel Kobe (p)1 (7)
 
7 December – Doha (Khalifa)
 
South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings1 (6)
 
Japan Yokohama F. Marinos2
 
 
South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings3
 

Round of 16

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

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p) 		United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli
Pakhtakor Uzbekistan 2–1 Iran Esteghlal
Persepolis Iran 1–0 Qatar Al-Sadd
Al-Nassr Saudi Arabia 1–0 Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Beijing FC China 1–0 Japan FC Tokyo
Ulsan Hyundai South Korea 3–0 Australia Melbourne Victory
Vissel Kobe Japan 2–0 China Shanghai SIPG
Yokohama F. Marinos Japan 2–3 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Quarter-finals

In the quarter-finals, the four teams from the West Region played in two ties, and the four teams from the East Region played in two ties, with the matchups decided by draw, without any seeding or country protection. The draw for the West Region quarter-finals was held on 28 September 2020,[31][32] and the draw for the East Region quarter-finals was held on 8 December 2020.[33][34]

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Nassr Saudi Arabia 2–0 Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
Persepolis Iran 2–0 Uzbekistan Pakhtakor
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Ulsan Hyundai South Korea 2–0 China Beijing FC
Vissel Kobe Japan 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(7–6 p) 		South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, the two quarter-final winners from the West Region played against each other, and the two quarter-final winners from the East Region played against each other.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Nassr Saudi Arabia 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–5 p) 		Iran Persepolis
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Ulsan Hyundai South Korea 2–1 (a.e.t.) Japan Vissel Kobe

Final

In the final, the two semi-final winners played against each other, at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar.[12]

Persepolis Iran1–2South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
 Live Report
Stats Report

Awards

Main awards

Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player[2] South Korea Yoon Bit-garam South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
Top Scorer[1] Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
Fair Play Award South Korea Ulsan Hyundai

Note: Abderrazak Hamdallah finished ahead of Júnior Negrão to win the Top Scorer award despite scoring the same number of goals, and also having the same number of assists (first tiebreaker), since he played fewer minutes throughout the competition (second tiebreaker).[1]

All Star Squad

Source:[35]

Position Player Team
Goalkeeper South Korea Jo Su-huk South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
Iran Hamed Lak Iran Persepolis
Defenders Netherlands Dave Bulthuis South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
Iran Saeid Aghaei Iran Persepolis
Iran Hossein Kanaanizadegan Iran Persepolis
Saudi Arabia Sultan Al-Ghanam Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
Uzbekistan Anzur Ismailov Uzbekistan Pakhtakor Tashkent
Midfielders Iran Ahmad Nourollahi Iran Persepolis
Iran Siamak Nemati Iran Persepolis
Iraq Bashar Resan Iran Persepolis
Brazil Renato Augusto China Beijing Guoan
South Korea Yoon Bit-garam South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
South Korea Kim In-sung South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
South Korea Sin Jin-ho South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
South Korea Ko Seung-beom South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Japan Hotaru Yamaguchi Japan Vissel Kobe
Forwards Iran Mehdi Abdi Iran Persepolis
Syria Omar Al Somah Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli
Brazil Douglas Japan Vissel Kobe
Japan Gotoku Sakai Japan Vissel Kobe
Morocco Abderazak Hamdallah Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
Norway Bjørn Maars Johnsen South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
Brazil Júnior Negrão South Korea Ulsan Hyundai

Opta Best XI

Source:[36]

Position Player Team
Goalkeeper Australia Brad Jones Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
Defenders China Wang Gang China Beijing Guoan
China Yu Yang China Beijing Guoan
South Korea Min Sang-gi South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Thailand Theerathon Bunmathan Japan Yokohama F. Marinos
Midfielders South Korea Yoon Bit-garam South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
Japan Teruhito Nakagawa Japan Yokohama F. Marinos
Spain Jonathan Viera China Beijing Guoan
Forwards Japan Ado Onaiwu Japan Yokohama F. Marinos
Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
Brazil Alan China Beijing Guoan

Fans' awards

The AFC took polls of fans in its website after the tournament.

Single awards
Award Player Team
Fans' Best Player Iran Hamed Lak Iran Persepolis
Best Goal Iran Mehdi Abdi Iran Persepolis
Fans' Best XI[37]
Position Player Team
Goalkeeper Iran Hamed Lak Iran Persepolis
Defenders Saudi Arabia Sultan Al-Ghanam Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
Iran Shojae Khalilzadeh Iran Persepolis
Iran Hossein Kanaanizadegan Iran Persepolis
Iran Saeid Aghaei Iran Persepolis
Midfielders Japan Teruhito Nakagawa Japan Yokohama F. Marinos
Iraq Bashar Resan Iran Persepolis
Japan Takuya Kida Japan Yokohama F. Marinos
Forwards Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr
Brazil Júnior Negrão South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
Iran Mehdi Abdi Iran Persepolis

Statistics

Statistical leaders

Category[38] Player Team Figure
Goals Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 7
Brazil Júnior Negrão South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 7
Chances created South Korea Yoon Bit-garam South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 22
Clearances Brazil Maicon Pereira Roque Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 34
Duels won Serbia Dragan Ćeran Uzbekistan Pakhtakor Tashkent 54
Shooting accuracy Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah Qatar Al-Sadd 61.1%
Passing accuracy Iran Kamal Kamyabinia Iran Persepolis 91.6%
Saves South Korea Jo Su-huk South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 26

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 R16 QF SF F Total
1 Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 1 1 2 1 1 1 7
Brazil Júnior Negrão South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 1 1 2 1 2
3 Australia Trent Buhagiar Australia Sydney FC 1 1 2 1 5
Norway Bjørn Maars Johnsen South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 2 2 1
5 China Alan China Beijing FC 1 1 1 1 4
Iran Issa Alekasir Iran Persepolis 1 1 2
Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah Qatar Al-Sadd 1 2 1
Japan Ado Onaiwu Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 2 1 1
South Korea Yoon Bit-garam South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 2 2
10 Iran Mehdi Abdi Iran Persepolis 1 1 1 3
Qatar Akram Afif Qatar Al-Sadd 1 1 1
Qatar Almoez Ali Qatar Al-Duhail 1 1 1
Qatar Hassan Al-Haydos Qatar Al-Sadd 1 2
South Korea Cho Gue-sung South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1 2
Japan Kyogo Furuhashi Japan Vissel Kobe 1 1 1
Colombia Giovanni Moreno China Shanghai Shenhua 1 2
Japan Teruhito Nakagawa Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 2 1
South Korea Park Chu-young South Korea FC Seoul 1 1 1
Brazil Welliton United Arab Emirates Sharjah 3
China Yu Hanchao China Shanghai Shenhua 1 1 1
South Korea Yun Ju-tae South Korea FC Seoul 2 1

Note: Goals scored in the qualifying play-offs and matches voided by AFC are not counted when determining top scorer (Regulations Article 64.4).[3]

Toyota Player of the Week awards

Stage Matchday Player of the Week Team Ref.
Group stage Matchday 1 Japan Keijiro Ogawa Japan Vissel Kobe [39]
Matchday 2 Japan Teruhito Nakagawa Japan Yokohama F. Marinos [40]
China Li Shenglong China Shanghai SIPG [41]
Matchday 3 – East Australia Terry Antonis South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings [42]
South Korea Song Bum-keun South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors [43]
Matchday 3 – West Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr [44]
Matchday 4 – East Brazil Bill Thailand Chiangrai United [45]
Matchday 4 – West United Arab Emirates Khaled Ba Wazir United Arab Emirates Sharjah [46]
Matchday 5 – East Thailand Theerathon Bunmathan Japan Yokohama F. Marinos [47]
Matchday 5 – West Brazil Caio United Arab Emirates Sharjah [48]
Matchday 6 – East Japan Daiki Niwa Japan FC Tokyo [49]
Matchday 6 – West Iran Mehdi Ghayedi Iran Esteghlal [50]
Knockout stage Round of 16 – East South Korea Kim Tae-hwan South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings [51]
Round of 16 – West Iran Issa Alekasir Iran Persepolis [52]
Quarter-finals – East South Korea Park Sang-hyeok South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings [53]
Quarter-finals – West Saudi Arabia Sultan Al-Ghanam Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr [54]
Semi-finals – East Japan Daiya Maekawa Japan Vissel Kobe [55]
Semi-finals – West Iran Shoja' Khalilzadeh Iran Persepolis [56]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Al Nassr's Abderrazak Hamdallah wins 2020 AFC Champions League Top Scorer award". Asian Football Confederation. 19 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Ulsan Hyundai's Yoon Bit-garam named 2020 AFC Champions League MVP". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 19 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "2020 AFC Champions League Competition Regulations" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation.
  4. ^ Rajan, Adwaidh (19 December 2020). "Star power lifts Ulsan to the AFC Champions League title". ESPN. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  5. ^ "More Member Associations to benefit from inclusive AFC Champions League". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
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  21. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar 2020". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 4 April 2018.
  22. ^ "East Zone teams agree to new dates". AFC. 2 March 2020.
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  26. ^ "ACL2020 draw sets stage for spectacular affair". Asian Football Confederation. 10 December 2019.
  27. ^ "Al Wahda unable to travel to AFC Champions League (West)". Asian Football Confederation. 10 September 2020.
  28. ^ "AFC COVID-19 Sub Committee's decision on Al Wahda". Asian Football Confederation. 14 September 2020.
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  31. ^ a b "AFC Champions League (West): Quarter-finalists confirmed". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 27 September 2020.
  32. ^ a b "AFC Champions League (West): Quarter-finals decided". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 28 September 2020.
  33. ^ a b "2020 AFC Champions League (East): Quarter-final cast finalised". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 7 December 2020.
  34. ^ a b "Epic clashes ahead following 2020 AFC Champions League (East) knockout stage draw". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 8 December 2020.
  35. ^ "AFC Champions League 2020 Technical Report & Statistics". Asian Football Confederation.
  36. ^ "The Best 2020 AFC Champions League XI announced!". Asian Football Confederation. 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  37. ^ "The Best ACL2019 XI announced!". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 13 September 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  38. ^ "2020 AFC Champions League: The Stats Leaders". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 25 December 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  39. ^ "ACL2020 MD1 Toyota Player of the Week: Keijiro Ogawa". Asian Football Confederation. 14 February 2020.
  40. ^ "ACL2020 MD2 Toyota Player of the Week: Teruhito Nakagawa". Asian Football Confederation. 21 February 2020.
  41. ^ "AFC Champions League (EAST) Toyota Player of the Week: Li Shenglong". Asian Football Confederation. 25 November 2020.
  42. ^ "ACL2020 Toyota Player of the Week: Terry Antonis". Asian Football Confederation. 6 March 2020.
  43. ^ "AFC Champions League (EAST) Toyota Player of the Week: Song Beom-keun". Asian Football Confederation. 28 November 2020.
  44. ^ "ACL2020 MD3 (WEST) Toyota Player of the Week: Abderrazak Hamdallah". Asian Football Confederation. 17 September 2020.
  45. ^ "AFC Champions League (EAST) Toyota Player of the Week: Bill". Asian Football Confederation. 1 December 2020.
  46. ^ "AFC Champions League MD4 (WEST) Toyota Player of the Week: Khaled Bawazir". Asian Football Confederation. 21 September 2020.
  47. ^ "AFC Champions League (EAST) Toyota Player of the Week: Theerathon Bunmathan". Asian Football Confederation. 4 December 2020.
  48. ^ "AFC Champions League MD5 (WEST) Toyota Player of the Week: Caio". Asian Football Confederation. 24 September 2020.
  49. ^ "AFC Champions League (EAST) Toyota Player of the Week: Daiki Niwa". Asian Football Confederation. 7 December 2020.
  50. ^ "AFC Champions League MD6 (WEST) Toyota Player of the Week: Mehdi Ghaedi". Asian Football Confederation. 27 September 2020.
  51. ^ "AFC Champions League (EAST) Toyota Player of the Week: Kim Tae-hwan". Asian Football Confederation. 10 December 2020.
  52. ^ "AFC Champions League Round of 16 (WEST) Toyota Player of the Week: Isa Al Kasir". Asian Football Confederation. 30 September 2020.
  53. ^ "AFC Champions League (EAST) Toyota Player of the Week: Park Sang-hyeok". Asian Football Confederation. 13 December 2020.
  54. ^ "AFC Champions League Quarter-finals (WEST) Toyota Player of the Week: Sultan Al Ghannam". Asian Football Confederation. 3 October 2020.
  55. ^ "AFC Champions League Semi-final (EAST) AFC Champions League (EAST) Toyota Player of the Week: Daiya Maekawa". Asian Football Confederation. 6 October 2020.
  56. ^ "AFC Champions League Semi-final (WEST) Toyota Player of the Week: Shojae Khalilzadeh". Asian Football Confederation. 6 October 2020.

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