2020 AFC Champions League

Encyclopedia

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.

Ulsan Hyundai won their second Champions League title by defeating Persepolis 2–1 in the final. Ulsan automatically qualify for the 2021 AFC Champions League, the first time since 2008 that the AFC Champions League holders were guaranteed automatic qualification in the following year. 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 will increase to 40 teams in 2021.

The competition was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia after group stage matches on 4 March 2020, and restarted on 14 September 2020. All matches after the restart were played in Qatar, 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. For the first time, the video assistant referee (VAR) system was in use from the quarter-finals onwards.

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):

  • The associations were split into two regions:
    • West Region consisted of the associations from the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF), the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA), and the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
    • East Region consisted of the associations from the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF).
  • 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, 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.

Participation for 2020 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 2018–19 season, so Australia could only get a maximum of three total slots (Entry Manual 5.4).
  2. ^
    Syria (SYR): Syria did not have any teams which had an AFC Champions League license.

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.

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. As a result, Hồ Chí Minh City, the league runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.

2020 AFC Champions League is located in Asian Football Confederation

DSA Metropolitan
DSA Metropolitan
Al-Wahda
Al-Wahda
Al-Ain
Al-Ain
Riyadh
Riyadh
Al-Taawoun
Al-Taawoun
Al-Ahli
Al-Ahli
Qatar
Qatar
Tehran
Tehran
Sepahan
Sepahan
Shahr Khodro
Shahr Khodro
Tashkent
Tashkent
Baghdad
Baghdad
Istiklol
Istiklol
Chennai City
Chennai City
Al-Faisaly
Al-Faisaly
Al-Kuwait
Al-Kuwait
Al-Riffa
Al-Riffa
Jeonbuk HM
Jeonbuk HM
Seoul Capital Area
Seoul Capital Area
Ulsan H
Ulsan H
Guangzhou E
Guangzhou E
Shanghai
Shanghai
Beijing
Beijing
West Kanto
West Kanto
V Kobe
V Kobe
Kashima A
Kashima A
Perth Glory
Perth Glory
Sydney
Sydney
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Chiangrai U
Chiangrai U
Port
Port
Buriram U
Buriram U
JDT
JDT
Kedah
Kedah
Tai Po
Tai Po
Hồ Chí Minh City
Hồ Chí Minh City
Ceres–Negros
Ceres–Negros
Tampines R
Tampines R
Bali U
Bali U
Shan U
Shan U
Baghdad teams Al-Shorta Al-Zawraa Tehran teams Persepolis Esteghlal Qatar teams Al-Sadd Al-Duhail Al-Sailiya Al-Rayyan
Baghdad teams
Brown pog.svg Al-Shorta
White pog.svg Al-ZawraaTehran teams
Orange pog.svg Persepolis
Brown pog.svg Esteghlal

Qatar teams
Yellow pog.svg Al-Sadd
Orange pog.svg Al-Duhail
White pog.svg Al-Sailiya
White pog.svg Al-Rayyan

Riyadh teams Al-Nassr Al-Hilal DSA Metropolitan teams Sharjah Shabab Al-Ahli Tashkent teams Pakhtakor Tashkent Lokomotiv Tashkent Bunyodkor
Riyadh teams
Yellow pog.svg Al-Nassr
Red pog.svg Al-HilalDSA Metropolitan teams
Orange pog.svg Sharjah
Red pog.svg Shabab Al-Ahli

Tashkent teams
Red pog.svg Pakhtakor Tashkent
White pog.svg Lokomotiv Tashkent
White pog.svg Bunyodkor

Shanghai teams Shanghai Shenhua Shanghai SIPG West Kanto teams Yokohama F. Marinos FC Tokyo Seoul Capital Area teams Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC Seoul
Shanghai teams
Blue pog.svg Shanghai Shenhua
Pink pog.svg Shanghai SIPGWest Kanto teams
Pink pog.svg Yokohama F. Marinos
Blue pog.svg FC Tokyo

Seoul Capital Area teams
Purple pog.svg Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Green pog.svg FC Seoul

Location of teams of the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage.
Brown pog.svg Brown: Group A; Red pog.svg Red: Group B; Orange pog.svg Orange: Group C; Yellow pog.svg Yellow: Group D;
Green pog.svg Green: Group E; Blue pog.svg Blue: Group F; Purple pog.svg Purple: Group G; Pink pog.svg Pink: Group H; White pog.svg Qualifying play-offs

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows. 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. 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.

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. On 10 September 2020, the AFC announced the new dates for the East Region matches and the final.

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 

Qualifying play-offs

Main article: 2020 AFC Champions League 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). 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. 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 Hồ Chí 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

Main article: 2020 AFC Champions League 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. 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.

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 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. 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.

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 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.

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 0–1 — 2–0 0–6
3 Qatar Al-Duhail 6 3 0 3 7 8 −1 9 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. ^ Jump up to: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 FC 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 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. 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.

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

Main article: 2020 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 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.

 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
27 September – Education City
Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 1
30 September – Jassim Bin Hamad
Saudi Arabia Al-Taawoun 0
Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 2
26 September – Al Janoub
Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli 0
Saudi Arabia Al-Ahli (p) 1 (4)
3 October – Jassim Bin Hamad
United Arab Emirates Shabab Al-Ahli 1 (3)
Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr 1 (3)
27 September – Education City
Iran Persepolis (p) 1 (5)
Iran Persepolis 1
30 September – Jassim Bin Hamad
Qatar Al-Sadd 0
Iran Persepolis 2
26 September – Al Janoub
Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 0
Uzbekistan Pakhtakor 2
19 December – Al Janoub
Iran Esteghlal 1
Iran Persepolis 1
6 December – Education City
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 2
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 3
10 December – Al Janoub
Australia Melbourne Victory 0
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai 2
6 December – Education City
China Beijing FC 0
China Beijing FC 1
13 December – Jassim Bin Hamad
Japan FC Tokyo 0
South Korea Ulsan Hyundai (a.e.t.) 2
7 December – Khalifa International
Japan Vissel Kobe 1
Japan Vissel Kobe 2
10 December – Al Janoub
China Shanghai SIPG 0
Japan Vissel Kobe (p) 1 (7)
7 December – Khalifa International
South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1 (6)
Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 2
South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings 3

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, and the draw for the East Region quarter-finals was held on 8 December 2020.

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

Main article: 2020 AFC Champions League Final

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

19 December 2020
15:00 UTC+3
Persepolis Iran 1–2 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
  • Abdi Goal 45‘
 Live Report
Stats Report
  • Júnior Goal 45+4‘, 55‘ (pen.)
Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Attendance: 8,517
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Awards

Main awards

Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player South Korea Yoon Bit-garam South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
Top Scorer 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).

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
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 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).

Toyota Player of the Week awards

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