AFC Champions League Elite

The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Introduced in 1967 as the Asian Champion Club Tournament, the competition rebranded as AFC Champions League in 2002 following the merger of the Asian Club Championship, the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the Asian Super Cup. It was rebranded again in 2024 to its current name.

A total of 24 clubs compete in the league stage of the competition, divided into East and West regions (12 teams each). The winner of the AFC Champions League Elite qualifies for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, and also for the next edition of the AFC Champions League Elite league stage if they have not already qualified through their domestic performance.

The most successful club in the competition is Al-Hilal with a total of four titles. Al-Ahli are the current champions, having beaten Kawasaki Frontale 2–0 in the 2025 final.

History

List of winners

Season	Winners
Asian Champion Club Tournament
1967	Template:Fbaicon Hapoel Tel Aviv
1969	Template:Fbaicon Maccabi Tel Aviv
1970	Template:Fbaicon Taj Tehran
1971	Template:Fbaicon Maccabi Tel Aviv Template:Small
1972	Cancelled
1973–1984: Not held
Asian Club Championship
1985–86	Template:Fbaicon Daewoo Royals
1986	Template:Fbaicon Furukawa Electric
1987	Template:Fbaicon Yomiuri FC
1988–89	Template:Fbaicon Al-Sadd
1989–90	Template:Fbaicon Liaoning
1990–91	Template:Fbaicon Esteghlal Template:Small
1991	Template:Fbaicon Al-Hilal
1992–93	Template:Fbaicon PAS Tehran
1993–94	Template:Fbaicon Thai Farmers Bank
1994–95	Template:Fbaicon Thai Farmers Bank Template:Small
1995	Template:Fbaicon Ilhwa Chunma
1996–97	Template:Fbaicon Pohang Steelers
1997–98	Template:Fbaicon Pohang Steelers Template:Small
1998–99	Template:Fbaicon Júbilo Iwata
1999–2000	Template:Fbaicon Al-Hilal Template:Small
2000–01	Template:Fbaicon Suwon Samsung Bluewings
2001–02	Template:Fbaicon Suwon Samsung Bluewings Template:Small
AFC Champions League
2002–03	Template:Fbaicon Al Ain
2004	Template:Fbaicon Al-Ittihad
2005	Template:Fbaicon Al-Ittihad Template:Small
2006	Template:Fbaicon Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2007	Template:Fbaicon Urawa Red Diamonds
2008	Template:Fbaicon Gamba Osaka
2009	Template:Fbaicon Pohang Steelers Template:Small
2010	Template:Fbaicon Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma Template:Small
2011	Template:Fbaicon Al-Sadd Template:Small
2012	Template:Fbaicon Ulsan Hyundai
2013	Template:Fbaicon Guangzhou Evergrande
2014	Template:Fbaicon Western Sydney Wanderers
2015	Template:Fbaicon Guangzhou Evergrande Template:Small
2016	Template:Fbaicon Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Template:Small
2017	Template:Fbaicon Urawa Red Diamonds Template:Small
2018	Template:Fbaicon Kashima Antlers
2019	Template:Fbaicon Al-Hilal Template:Small
2020	Template:Fbaicon Ulsan Hyundai Template:Small
2021	Template:Fbaicon Al-Hilal Template:Small
2022	Template:Fbaicon Urawa Red Diamonds Template:Small
2023–24	Template:Fbaicon Al Ain Template:Small
AFC Champions League Elite
2024–25	Template:Fbaicon Al-Ahli

1967–1972: Asian Champion Club Tournament

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) first discussed launching a tournament for the champions of AFC nations in a meeting held on 21 April 1963, with its Secretary Lee Wai Tong announcing the AFC's intention to hold a competition similar to the European Cup.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The competition started in 1967 as the Asian Champion Club Tournament and had a variety of different formats in its first few years, with the inaugural tournament staged as a straight knock-out format, and the following three editions consisting of a group stage.

While Israeli clubs dominated the first four editions of the competition, this was partly due to the refusal of Arab clubs to play them:

• In 1970, Lebanese club Homenetmen refused to play Hapoel Tel Aviv in the semi-final, which was scratched with Hapoel advancing to the final.
• In 1971, Aliyat Al-Shorta of Iraq refused to play Maccabi Tel Aviv on three occasions: in the preliminary round (which was redrawn), in the group stage, and then in the final, which was scratched with Maccabi being awarded the championship.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the award ceremony for Maccabi, Aliyat Al-Shorta players waved the Palestinian flag around the field, with a match being arranged by the AFC and the Thai FA between Maccabi and a Combined Bangkok team in lieu of the final.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Iraqi media considered Aliyat Al-Shorta as the tournament's winners, with the team holding an open top bus parade in Baghdad.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After the 1972 edition had to be cancelled by the AFC for various reasons, including two Arab clubs being excluded for refusing to commit to playing against Israeli club Maccabi Netanya, the AFC suspended the competition for 14 years, while Israel would be expelled from the AFC in 1974.

1985–2002: Return as the Asian Club Championship

Asia's premier club tournament made its return in 1985 as the Asian Club Championship.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1990, the Asian Football Confederation introduced the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, a tournament for the cup winners of each AFC nation, while the 1995 season saw the introduction of the Asian Super Cup, with the winners of the Asian Club Championship and Asian Cup Winners' Cup playing against each other.

2002–2024: AFC Champions League

File:ACL 2009 SAFFC vs Kashima Antlers, 7 April.jpg

Japan's Kashima Antlers and Singapore's Warriors FC during a group stage game during the 2009 season at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

The 2002–03 season saw the Asian Club Championship, Asian Cup Winners' Cup and Asian Super Cup combine to become the AFC Champions League. League champions and cup winners would qualify for the qualifying playoffs with the best eight clubs from East Asia and the eight best clubs from West Asia progressing to the group stage. The first winners under the AFC Champions League name were Al-Ain, defeating BEC Tero Sasana 2–1 on aggregate. In 2004, 29 clubs from fourteen countries participated and the tournament schedule was changed to March–November.

In the group stage, the 28 clubs were divided into seven groups of four on a regional basis, separating East Asian and West Asian clubs to reduce travel costs, and the groups were played on a home and away basis. The seven group winners along with the defending champions qualified to the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals were played as a two-legged format, with away goals, extra time, and penalties used as tie-breakers.

Expansion

The 2005 season saw Syrian clubs join the competition, thus increasing the number of participating countries to 15, and two years later, following their transfer into the AFC in 2006, Australian clubs were also included in the tournament. However, many blamed the low prize money at that time and expensive travel cost as some of the reasons. The Champions League was expanded to 32 clubs in 2009 with direct entry to the top ten Asian leagues. Each country received up to 4 slots, though no more than one-third of the number of teams in that country's top division, rounded downwards, depending on the strength of their league, professional league structure, marketability, financial status, as well as other criteria set by the AFC Pro-League Committee.<ref name="the-afc.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The assessment criteria and ranking for participating associations are revised by AFC every two years.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:Persepolis FC vs Kashima Antlers 10 November 2018 14.jpg FIFA president Gianni Infantino and around 100,000 others watching the 2018 AFC Champions League Final at Azadi Stadium.

The old format saw the eight group winners and eight runners-up qualify to the round of 16, in which group winners played host to the runners-up in two-legged series, matched regionally, with away goals, extra time, and penalties used as tie-breakers. The regional restriction continues all the way until the final, although clubs from the same country couldn't face each other in the quarterfinals unless that country has three or more representatives in the quarterfinals. Since 2013, the final has also been held as a two-legged series, on a home and away basis.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2021, the group stage was expanded from 32 to 40 teams, with both the West and East Regions having five groups of four teams. The slot allocation for the top six member associations in each region remained unchanged. The 10 group winners and top 3 runners-up per region are now seeded based on a combination table for the round of 16, with the games still matched regionally until the final.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 25 February 2022, it was announced that the AFC Champions League would go back to an inter-year (autumn to spring) schedule starting with the 2023–24 season. In addition, the existing "3+1" rule for foreign players during matches (3 foreign players and 1 Asian foreigner) was expanded to "5+1" (5 foreign players and 1 Asian foreigner).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Women's rights in Iranian football

By 2021, the various problems with the Iranian sides were attracting media attention; international Arabic and English-language media reported the violation of women's rights in the stadiums of Iranian sides.

On top of that, Iranian women were banned from football stadiums for about 40 years, by the Iranian government.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2019, Iranian women were first allowed to watch football at stadiums, but not during ACL games.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Before that, FIFA had pressured Iran to let women into the stadiums; Iran relented, but capped the number of women to watch the 2018 final.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2021, the AFC investigated the matter, in the hope of allowing unrestricted attendance whenever Iranian clubs are involved.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2024–25 onwards: AFC Champions League Elite

On 23 December 2022, the AFC announced that their club football structure would undergo an overhaul, with the top club competition shrinking from 40 teams in the main stage to 24 teams, divided into East and West regions (12 teams each), with each team in the East and West regions playing eight other teams from their region (four teams at home and four teams away). The top eight teams from each region would advance to the knockout stage, where only the round of 16 would be played over two legs, with all matches from the quarter-finals onward being played in a single-leg format at a centralised venue.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 14 August 2023, it was confirmed that the new format would come into effect from the 2024–25 season, with the name of the competition changing to AFC Champions League Elite.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The AFC has also confirmed that AFC Champions League records and statistics would be carried forward to the ACL Elite.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In December 2023, Saudi Arabia were awarded hosting duties for the final stage for the first two seasons.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Format

Qualification

File:AFC members Champions League participants.svg

Map of AFC countries whose teams reached the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite Template:Legend Template:Legend

As of the 2024–25 edition of the tournament, the AFC Champions League Elite uses a league stage format of 24 teams, which is preceded by qualifying matches for teams that do not receive direct entry to the competition proper. Teams are also split into East and West zones.

The number of teams that each association enters into the AFC Champions League Elite is determined annually through criteria as set by the AFC Competitions Committee.<ref name="ACL format">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The criteria, which is a modified version of the UEFA coefficient, measures such thing as marketability and stadia to determine the specific number of berths that an association receives. The higher an association's ranking as determined by the criteria, the more teams represent the association in the competition.

Tournament

The tournament proper begins with a league stage of 24 teams, which are split into two leagues (East and West), with each team playing against eight opponents from their league (four at home and four away).<ref name="format24">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The top eight teams from each league advance to the round of 16. In this phase, each club face another club from its region in a two-legged, home-and-away tie to decide which eight clubs progress to a centralised Finals tournament.<ref name="format24"/> If the aggregate score of the two games is tied after 180 minutes, the clubs play extra time. If still tied after extra time, the tie is decided by a penalty shoot-out.

The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final matches all feature cross-regional pairings, and are played in a single-leg format at centralised venue.<ref name="format24"/>

Allocation

Teams from 24 AFC countries have reached the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite. The allocation of teams by member countries is listed below; asterisks represent occasions where at least one team was eliminated in qualification prior to the group stage. 32 AFC countries have had teams participate in qualification, and countries that have never had teams reach the group stage are not shown.

Associations	Entrants
	2002–03	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023–24	2024–25	2025–26
East Asia
Template:Flagicon Australia	Template:Small				2	2	2	2	2	3	1*	3	2*	2*	3	2*	2*	3	0	2*	1	1	1
Template:Flagicon China PR	2	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	3*	4	4	4	2*	2	3*	3*	3*
Template:Flagicon Hong Kong	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	1*	1*	0*	0*	1	1	1*	0	0
Template:Flagicon Indonesia	0*	2	2	0	2	0	1*	1*	1*	0*	0	0	0*	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0	0	0*	0	0
Template:Flagicon Japan	2	2	2	2	2	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3*	4	4	4	3	3
Template:Flagicon South Korea	2	2	2	2	3	2	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3
Template:Flagicon Malaysia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0*	1*	1*	1	1	1	1	1
Template:Flagicon Philippines	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0*	2	1*	1	0	0
Template:Flagicon Singapore	0*	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	1	1	1	0	0
Template:Flagicon Thailand	2	2	2	0	1	2	0*	0*	0*	1*	2	1*	1*	1*	1*	1*	1*	1*	4	2*	3*	1*	1*
Template:Flagicon Vietnam	0*	2	2	2	1	2	0	0*	0	0	0	0*	1*	1*	0*	0*	0*	0*	1	1	1*	0	0
Total	8	12	12	8	13	13	16	16	15	15	15	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	20	19	20	12	12
West Asia
Template:Flagicon Bahrain	0*	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0	0	0*	0	0*	0*	0	0	0	0
Template:Flagicon India	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	1	1	1	0	0
Template:Flagicon Iran	2	2	2	2	1	2	4	4	4	3*	3*	4	4	3*	4	4	3*	4	4	2	3*	2*	1*
Template:Flagicon Iraq	1*	2	2	2	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0	0	0	0	1*	1*	2*	1*	1	1	1
Template:Flagicon Jordan	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	1	1	1*	0	0
Template:Flagicon Kuwait	0*	1	2	2	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0	0	0	0
Template:Flagicon Qatar	1*	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	4	4	4	2*	2*	2*	4	3*	2*	3*	4	2*	2*	3
Template:Flagicon Saudi Arabia	1*	2	3	3	2	2	4	4	4	3*	4	4	4	4	4	2	4	4	3*	4	4	3	3
Template:Flagicon Syria	0*	0	2	2	2	2	0	0*	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0	0	0
Template:Flagicon Tajikistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	1	1	1	0	0
Template:Flagicon Turkmenistan	1*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
Template:Flagicon United Arab Emirates	1*	3	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	4	3*	2*	3*	4	4	3*	4	3*	3*	2*	1*	3
Template:Flagicon Uzbekistan	1*	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3*	2*	1*	4	4	2*	2*	2*	1*	2	2	4	1	1
Total	8	14	17	17	15	16	16	16	17	17	17	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	20	20	20	12	12
Total
Finals	16	26	29	25	28	29	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	40	39	40	24	24
Qualifying	53	26	29	25	28	29	35	37	36	37	35	47	49	45	47	46	51	52	45	46	53	27	26

Prize money

File:AFC Champions League trophy.jpg

Tournament's trophy, used until 2024

Starting with the 2024–25 season, the distribution of the prize money is as follows:<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

Round	Teams	Amount
		Per team	Total
Final (champions)	1	$10 million
Final (runners-up)	1	$4 million
Semi-finals	4	$600,000	$2.4 million
Quarter-finals	8	$400,000	$3.2 million
Round of 16	16	$200,000	$3.2 million
League stage	24	$800,000	$19.2 million
Total	24	$42 million

Trophy

Following the retirement of the AFC Champions League trophy in 2024, English luxury brand Thomas Lyte were commissioned to manufacture a new trophy.<ref name="trophy1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The new trophy stands at Template:Convert tall and weighs Template:Convert, and is visually similar to its AFC Champions League Two counterpart.<ref name="trophy1"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Marketing

Sponsorship

The AFC Champions League Elite is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to the single main sponsor typically found in national top-flight leagues.

Official Global Partners

• Neom<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Qatar Airways<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Visit Saudi

Official Global Supporters

• Kelme<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Midea<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Tecno Mobile<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Visa Inc.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Video game

The current license holder for the AFC Champions League video game is Konami with the eFootball series.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The license also includes the competing teams.

Records and statistics

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:See also

Performances by club

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League Elite performances by club

Performances by region

Zone	Federation (region)	Titles	Total
East Zone	EAFF (East Asia)	23	26
	AFF (Southeast Asia)	3
West Zone	WAFF (West Asia)	11	14
	CAFA (Central Asia)	3
	SAFF (South Asia)	0

Note: Israeli clubs, winners of the 1967, 1969 and 1971 editions, are not included.

Awards

Most Valuable Player

Year	Player	Club	Ref.
1996–97	Template:Flagicon An Ik-soo	Template:Flagicon Pohang Steelers	<ref name="96acc">Template:Cite news</ref>
1997–98	Template:Flagicon Ahmed Al-Dokhi	Template:Flagicon Al Hilal	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1998–99	Template:Flagicon Seydou Traoré	Template:Flagicon Al-Ain	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1999–2000	Template:Flagicon Sérgio Ricardo	Template:Flagicon Al Hilal	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2000–01	Template:Flagicon Zoltan Sabo	Template:Flagicon Suwon Samsung Bluewings	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2001–02	colspan="3" align="center" Template:NA
2002–03	Template:Flagicon Therdsak Chaiman	Template:Flagicon BEC Tero Sasana	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2004	Template:Flagicon Redha Tukar	Template:Flagicon Al-Ittihad	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2005	Template:Flagicon Mohammed Noor	Template:Flagicon Al-Ittihad	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2006	Template:Flagicon Choi Jin-cheul	Template:Flagicon Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2007	Template:Flagicon Yuichiro Nagai	Template:Flagicon Urawa Red Diamonds
2008	Template:Flagicon Yasuhito Endō	Template:Flagicon Gamba Osaka
2009	Template:Flagicon No Byung-jun	Template:Flagicon Pohang Steelers	<ref name="Pohang">Template:Cite news</ref>
2010	Template:Flagicon Sasa Ognenovski	Template:Flagicon Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2011	Template:Flagicon Lee Dong-gook	Template:Flagicon Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2012	Template:Flagicon Lee Keun-ho	Template:Flagicon Ulsan Hyundai	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2013	Template:Flagicon Muriqui	Template:Flagicon Guangzhou Evergrande	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2014	Template:Flagicon Ante Covic	Template:Flagicon Western Sydney Wanderers	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2015	Template:Flagicon Ricardo Goulart	Template:Flagicon Guangzhou Evergrande	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2016	Template:Flagicon Omar Abdulrahman	Template:Flagicon Al-Ain	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2017	Template:Flagicon Yōsuke Kashiwagi	Template:Flagicon Urawa Red Diamonds	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2018	Template:Flagicon Yuma Suzuki	Template:Flagicon Kashima Antlers	<ref name="Yuma">Template:Cite news</ref>
2019	Template:Flagicon Bafétimbi Gomis	Template:Flagicon Al-Hilal	<ref name="Gomis">Template:Cite news</ref>
2020	Template:Flagicon Yoon Bit-garam	Template:Flagicon Ulsan Hyundai	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2021	Template:Flagicon Salem Al-Dawsari	Template:Flagicon Al-Hilal	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2022	Template:Flagicon Hiroki Sakai	Template:Flagicon Urawa Red Diamonds	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2023–24	Template:Flagicon Soufiane Rahimi	Template:Flagicon Al Ain	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2024–25	Template:Flagicon Roberto Firmino	Template:Flagicon Al-Ahli	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Top scorers

Year	Player	Club	Goals	Ref.
1996–97	Template:Flagicon Park Tae-ha	Template:Flagicon Pohang Steelers	3	<ref name="96acc"/>
2002–03	Template:Flagicon Hao Haidong	Template:Flagicon Dalian Shide	9
2004	Template:Flagicon Kim Do-hoon	Template:Flagicon Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	9	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2005	Template:Flagicon Mohamed Kallon	Template:Flagicon Al-Ittihad	6
2006	Template:Flagicon Magno Alves	Template:Flagicon Gamba Osaka	8
2007	Template:Flagicon Mota	Template:Flagicon Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	7
2008	Template:Flagicon Nantawat Tansopa	Template:Flagicon Krung Thai Bank	9
2009	Template:Flagicon Leandro	Template:Flagicon Gamba Osaka	10
2010	Template:Flagicon Jose Mota	Template:Flagicon Suwon Samsung Bluewings	9
2011	Template:Flagicon Lee Dong-gook	Template:Flagicon Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	9
2012	Template:Flagicon Ricardo Oliveira	Template:Flagicon Al-Jazira	12
2013	Template:Flagicon Muriqui	Template:Flagicon Guangzhou Evergrande	13
2014	Template:Flagicon Asamoah Gyan	Template:Flagicon Al-Ain	12
2015	Template:Flagicon Ricardo Goulart	Template:Flagicon Guangzhou Evergrande	8
2016	Template:Flagicon Adriano	Template:Flagicon FC Seoul	13
2017	Template:Flagicon Omar Kharbin	Template:Flagicon Al-Hilal	10
2018	Template:Flagicon Baghdad Bounedjah	Template:Flagicon Al-Sadd	13
2019	Template:Flagicon Bafétimbi Gomis	Template:Flagicon Al-Hilal	11
2020	Template:Flagicon Abderrazak Hamdallah	Template:Flagicon Al-Nassr	7	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2021	Template:Flagicon Michael Olunga	Template:Flagicon Al-Duhail	9	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2022	Template:Flagicon Edmilson Junior	Template:Flagicon Al-Duhail	8	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2023–24	Template:Flagicon Soufiane Rahimi	Template:Flagicon Al Ain	13	<ref name="2024award"/>
2024–25	Template:Flagicon Salem Al-Dawsari	Template:Flagicon Al-Hilal	10	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• AFC Champions League Two
• AFC Challenge League
• Continental football championships
• List of association football competitions

External links

• Template:Official website