 | |
| Organising body | AFC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1967 (as Asian Champion Club Tournament) |
| Region | Asia |
| Number of teams | 24 (league stage) |
| Qualifier for | FIFA Club World Cup FIFA Intercontinental Cup |
| Related competitions | AFC Champions League Two (2nd tier) AFC Challenge League (3rd tier) |
| Current champions |  Al Ain (2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Al-Hilal (4 titles) |
| Website | www.the-afc.com |
 2024–25 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.[1]
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 Ain are the current champions, having beaten Yokohama F. Marinos in the 2024 final.
- ^ "AFC Champions League: The drama, the glory..." the-AFC.com. 17 February 2015. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.