2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite league stage
The 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite league stage will be played from 16 September 2024 to 19 February 2025.[1]
Draw
[edit]The draw for the league stage took place on 16 August at the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[2]
Seeding
[edit]For each region, the title holder or the highest seeded team from each member association involved were allocated into Pot 1, while the remaining teams were allocated into Pot 2.[3]
| Region | Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
| East Region |
|
|
Grid Result
[edit]Each team was drawn a position in the draw grid for their region: column A-C for West and D-F for East. Teams from Pot 1 were drawn into positions 1 or 2 while teams from Pot 2 were drawn into positions 3 or 4.
Each position had pre-determined matchups as part of a pairings grid. Teams in each column play matches with the other columns in each region.[3]
| Column | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | West Region | East Region | |||||
| 1 |  Pakhtakor
|
 Al-Sadd
|
 Persepolis
|
 Ulsan HD
|
 Shanghai Port
|
 Johor Darul Ta'zim
| |
| 2 |  Al-Hilal
|
 Al-Shorta
|
 Al Ain
|
 Central Coast Mariners
|
 Buriram United
|
 Vissel Kobe
| |
| 3 | Al-Nassr
|
Al-Rayyan
|
Esteghlal
|
Pohang Steelers
|
Shandong Taishan
|
Yokohama F. Marinos
| |
| 4 | Al-Ahli
|
Al-Gharafa
|
Al Wasl
|
Gwangju
|
Shanghai Shenhua
|
Kawasaki Frontale
| |
Schedule
[edit]The schedule of the league stage is as follows.[4]
| Round | Dates (West region) | Dates (East region) |
|---|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 16–17 September 2024 | 17–18 September 2024 |
| Matchday 2 | 30 September–1 October 2024 | 1–2 October 2024 |
| Matchday 3 | 21–22 October 2024 | 22–23 October 2024 |
| Matchday 4 | 4–5 November 2024 | 5–6 November 2024 |
| Matchday 5 | 25–26 November 2024 | 26–27 November 2024 |
| Matchday 6 | 2–3 December 2024 | 3–4 December 2024 |
| Matchday 7 | 3–4 February 2025 | 11–12 February 2025 |
| Matchday 8 | 17–18 February 2025 | 18–19 February 2025 |
League stage
[edit]The detailed schedule was announced on 16 August 2024 after the draw ceremony.[5][6][2]
West Region
[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Hilal
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 5 | +11 | 12 | Advance to round of 16 |
| 2 | Al-Ahli
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 12 | |
| 3 | Al-Nassr
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 10 | |
| 4 | Al-Sadd
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 8 | |
| 5 | Al Wasl
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 | |
| 6 | Al-Gharafa
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 4 | |
| 7 | Al-Rayyan
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 3 | |
| 8 | Esteghlal
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | |
| 9 | Persepolis
|
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 2 | |
| 10 | Pakhtakor
|
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 2 | |
| 11 | Al-Shorta
|
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 2 | |
| 12 | Al Ain
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 1 |
Updated to match(es) played on 5 November 2024. Source: Asian Football Confederation
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) penalty shoot-out if only two teams remain tied and played each other on the final matchday 6) fair play ranking; 7) drawing of lots
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) penalty shoot-out if only two teams remain tied and played each other on the final matchday 6) fair play ranking; 7) drawing of lots
Results summary
[edit]Matches
[edit]Matchday 1
[edit]| Al Ain | 1–1 | Al-Sadd |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Al-Shorta | 1–1 | Al-Nassr |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Al-Ahli | 1–0 | Persepolis |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Matchday 2
[edit]| Persepolis | 1–1 | Pakhtakor |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Al-Gharafa | 4–2 | Al Ain |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Al-Hilal | 5–0 | Al-Shorta |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Matchday 3
[edit]| Al-Sadd | 1–0 | Persepolis |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Al Ain | 4–5 | Al-Hilal |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Al-Rayyan | 1–2 | Al-Ahli |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Esteghlal | 0–1 | Al Nassr |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Rashid Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)[note 4][7]
Attendance: 7,600
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
| Al-Gharafa | 1–2 | Al Wasl |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Matchday 4
[edit]| Persepolis | 1–1 | Al-Gharafa |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)[note 4]
Attendance: 3,941
Referee: Kim Hee-gon (South Korea)
Matchday 5
[edit]Matchday 6
[edit]| Persepolis | v | Al-Shorta |
|---|---|---|
TBD[note 4]
Matchday 7
[edit]Matchday 8
[edit]| Persepolis | v | Al-Nassr |
|---|---|---|
TBD[note 4]
East Region
[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vissel Kobe
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 10 | Advance to round of 16 |
| 2 | Gwangju
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 9 | |
| 3 | Yokohama F. Marinos
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 7 | |
| 4 | Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 7 | |
| 5 | Shanghai Shenhua
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 7 | |
| 6 | Buriram United
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 7 | |
| 7 | Pohang Steelers
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 6 | |
| 8 | Kawasaki Frontale
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | |
| 9 | Shandong Taishan
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 4 | |
| 10 | Shanghai Port
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 4 | |
| 11 | Central Coast Mariners
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 1 | |
| 12 | Ulsan HD
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | −10 | 0 |
Updated to match(es) played on 6 November 2024. Source: Asian Football Confederation
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) penalty shoot-out if only two teams remain tied and played each other on the final matchday 6) fair play ranking; 7) drawing of lots
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) penalty shoot-out if only two teams remain tied and played each other on the final matchday 6) fair play ranking; 7) drawing of lots
Results summary
[edit]Matches
[edit]Matchday 1
[edit]| Gwangju | 7–3 | Yokohama F. Marinos |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Shandong Taishan | 3–1 | Central Coast Mariners |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Shanghai Shenhua | 4–1 | Pohang Steelers |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Ulsan HD | 0–1 | Kawasaki Frontale |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Attendance: 9,673
Referee: Omar Mohamed Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)
| Shanghai Port | 2–2 | Johor Darul Ta'zim |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Matchday 2
[edit]| Central Coast Mariners | 1–2 | Buriram United |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Pohang Steelers | 3–0 | Shanghai Port |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Johor Darul Ta'zim | 3–0 | Shanghai Shenhua |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Attendance: 31,386
Referee: Adel Ali Ahmed Khamis Al Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
| Vissel Kobe | 2–1 | Shandong Taishan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Matchday 3
[edit]| Gwangju | 3–1 | Johor Darul Ta'zim |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Shandong Taishan | 2–2 | Yokohama F. Marinos |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Attendance: 24,796
Referee: Omar Mohamed Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)
| Buriram United | 1–0 | Pohang Steelers |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Ulsan HD | 0–2 | Vissel Kobe |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Shanghai Shenhua | 2–0 | Kawasaki Frontale |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Matchday 4
[edit]| Central Coast Mariners | 2–2 | Shanghai Shenhua |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Kawasaki Frontale | 3–1 | Shanghai Port |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Vissel Kobe | 2–0 | Gwangju |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Pohang Steelers | 4–2 | Shandong Taishan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 5–0 | Buriram United |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Attendance: 8,144
Referee: Ali Saeed Al Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
Matchday 5
[edit]Matchday 6
[edit]Matchday 7
[edit]Matchday 8
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d Al-Shorta played their home matches at Al-Madina International Stadium, Baghdad, and Karbala International Stadium, Karbala, instead of their regular home stadium Al-Shaab Stadium, Baghdad.
- ^ a b c d Pakhtakor played their home matches at JAR Stadium, Tashkent, instead of their regular home stadium Pakhtakor Central Stadium, Tashkent.
- ^ a b c d Al-Gharafa played their home matches at Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, instead of their regular home stadium Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Al Rayyan.
- ^ a b c d e f Iranian clubs are required to play their home matches at neutral venues due to security concerns relating to the October 2024 Israeli strikes on Iran.
- ^ Gwangju played their home matches at Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, instead of their regular home stadium Gwangju World Cup Stadium or Gwangju Football Stadium, Gwangju.
- ^ Ulsan HD will play their home matches at Ulsan Stadium, Ulsan, instead of their regular home stadium Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium, Ulsan.
References
[edit]- ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2024 - Jun 2025)" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ a b "#ACLElite League Stage hopefuls learn opponents". Asian Football Confederation. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Live: AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 League Stage Draw" (video). Asian Football Confederation. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". AFC. 1 July 2023.
- ^ "2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite League Stage Draw Results & Match Schedule" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite League Stage Pairings" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "AFC confirms Dubai as venue for Al Nassr upcoming match against Esteghlal". Saudi Gazette. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.