The AFC headquarters in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, will host the draw for the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite, the new version of the tournament featuring the best 24 teams in the yellow continent.
Starting this season, there will be 3 club competitions in Asia: the Elite Champions League, followed by the AFC Champions League 2 with 32 teams participating, and finally the AFC Challenge Cup.
Al Ain of the Emirates is the title holder of the last edition of the AFC Champions League, and will seek to retain its title amidst fierce competition that it will face, whether from the western teams led by the Saudi clubs crowded with stars, or the eastern clubs that are always a tough opponent to beat.
Club Rankings in AFC Champions League Elite Draw 2024-2025
Below, we will learn together about the date of the draw for the AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25, the system, the qualified teams, and the channels broadcasting this anticipated event.
When is the draw for the AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25?
The draw for the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite will be held on Friday, August 16, 2024.
The draw ceremony will start at 12:00 noon Mecca and Doha time, 1:00 pm Abu Dhabi time.
Channels broadcasting the draw for the AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25
The draw for the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite will be broadcast on beIN Sports, which has dedicated the open beIN Sports News HD channel to follow the proceedings moment by moment.
You can follow the live broadcast of the Champions League draw in its new format through the official account of the “beIN Sports” channel on YouTube, as well as the accounts of the Asian Football Confederation across various platforms.
AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25 Draw System
The draw will be conducted by computer and not manually as has always been the case due to the new tournament system.
The 24 teams will be divided into two groups, one for the East and one for the West, each of which includes 12 teams. Each team will play 8 matches, 4 of which will be at home and the same number away.
The draw prohibits two teams from the same country from meeting in the groups, which means there will be no Saudi, Emirati, Qatari or Iranian derbies in the West Group, from which the first 8 teams will qualify for the round of 16, which is scheduled to be held on a home and away basis.
Which teams qualified for the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite?
Al Ain, as the title holder, is the first team to qualify for the AFC Champions League for the elite, along with the UAE league champion, Al Wasl. From Saudi Arabia, the trio Al Hilal and Al Nasr qualified, and from Qatar, Al Sadd and Al Rayyan qualified.
From Iran, Persepolis and Esteghlal qualified, along with Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan, Al-Shorta, the Iraqi league champion, and a team from Shabab Al-Ahli of the Emirates and Al-Gharafa of Qatar, which will be determined by the winner of the play-off match between them.
In the West there are 3 Japanese teams: Vissel Kobe, Kawasaki Frontale and Yokohama F. Marinos, 3 South Korean teams: Ulsan, Pohang Steelers and Guangzhou, and 3 Chinese teams: Shanghai Port, Shanghai Shenhua and Shandong.
The previous clubs are Central Coast FC of Australia, Johor of Malaysia and Buriram United of Thailand.
AFC Champions League Elite Groups 2024-25
| West Group | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrangement | team | game | phase | balance | lost | from the | attic | difference | Points |
| 1 | Eye | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Crescent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Victory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Al-Ahly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | The Dam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Rayyan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Persepolis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | independence | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Connection | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Pakhtakor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Police | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Al Gharafa or Shabab Al Ahli | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| East Group | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrangement | team | game | phase | balance | lost | from the | attic | difference | Points |
| 1 | Vissel Kobe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Ulsan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Shanghai Port | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Buriram United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Central Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Jewel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Kawasaki Frontal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Yokohama Marinos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Pohang Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Shanghai Shenhua | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Gwangju | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Shandong | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ranking of teams qualified for the AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25
The AFC divides the clubs into two categories, and prevents two teams from the same category from meeting, while maintaining the prohibition of any two teams from the same country facing each other in the group stage.
AFC Champions League Elite Ranking 2024-25 West
- First ClassificationAl Hilal Saudi Arabia, Al Ain UAE, Al Sadd Qatar, Persepolis Iran, Pakhtakor Uzbekistan, Al Shorta Iraq.
- Second ClassificationAl-Ahly Saudi Arabia, Al-Nassr Saudi Arabia, Al-Rayyan Qatar, Esteghlal Iran, Al-Wasl UAE, and the winner of the match between Al-Gharafa Qatar and Shabab Al-Ahli UAE.
AFC Champions League Elite Ranking 2024-25 East
- The first bowl: Vissel Kobe of Japan, Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea, Shanghai SIPG of China, Buriram United of Thailand, Central Coast Mariners of Australia, Johor Darul Taksim of Malaysia.
- The second bowl: Kawasaki Frontale of Japan, Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan, Pohang Steelers and Guangzhou of South Korea, Shanghai Shenhua of China, Shandong of China.
