AFC Champions League

2022 - 12 - 31

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Image courtesy of "Inside World Football"

AFC plans radical revamp of its Champions League and AFC Cup ... (Inside World Football)

December 28 – The Asian Football Confederation is undertaking a major revision of its men's club competitions as it injects a more competitive foundation into ...

Overall the number of games will increase from 274 to 287 but what will stimulate the commercial marketplace is the increased meaningfulness and competitiveness of those games. Earlier this year the AFC had approved an increase in the foreign players quota the existing 3+1 quota to 5+1 (five players of any nationality and one from an AFC MA). The Quarter Finals and Semi Finals will be played over two legs, both home and away before the Final is staged over a single leg contest. The clubs will play home and away in a round robin format in the Group Stage, with the top two sides advancing to the Round of 16. The name for the new club competition is still to be decided but it is in essence an adaptation and radical updating of the current AFC Champions League. The top teams from the leading nations will compete more frequently against each other but it will be on a merit basis,” said AFC general secretary Windsor John.

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Image courtesy of "World Soccer Talk"

Asian Football Confederation to overhaul AFC club competitions (World Soccer Talk)

The current two-competition structure with the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup will be transformed into a three-tier system. The number of teams participating ...

Whenever the rights hit the market (expected in the second half of 2023), look for CBS to have some competition from Apple, Amazon and perhaps even ESPN. Teams losing in the preliminary and playoff rounds move down a tier to remain active in other competitions. Still, CBS and other other bidders could find themselves in a battle to grab the rights. The last eight and last four of the competition have traditional home and away ties. The top eight teams from each league advance to the Round of 16. Time zone differences with the United States tend to negatively affect the value of said rights. Following the Round of 16, the Quarterfinals, Semifinals & Final follow a traditional tournament style in a single country. Therefore, the major changes to the competitions begin with whoever owns the rights after the current CBS/Paramount+ deal expires. Then, the final is a single event. The 12 teams in each league play a total of eight matches. The number of teams participating in the three competitions, 76, does not change. Eventually, the total number of games increases from 274 to 287.

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