The 2017 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 22 May to 25 November 2017.[1] A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2017 AFC Champions League.[2]
The winners and runners-up of each of the eight groups in the group stage advanced to the round of 16, with both West Region (Groups A–D) and East Region (Groups E–H) having eight qualified teams.
| width=90 | Region | Group | width=200 | Winners | width=200 | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Region | A | Al-Ahli |  Esteghlal | |||
| B |  Lekhwiya | Esteghlal Khuzestan | ||||
| C | Al-Ain | Al-Ahli | ||||
| D | Al-Hilal | Persepolis | ||||
| East Region | E |  Kashima Antlers |  Muangthong United | |||
| F | Urawa Red Diamonds |  Shanghai SIPG | ||||
| G | Kawasaki Frontale | Guangzhou Evergrande | ||||
| H | Jiangsu Suning |  Jeju United |
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 on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals would not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 11.3).[2]
The schedule of each round was as follows.[1] Matches in the West Region were played on Mondays and Tuesdays, while matches in the East Region were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
| Round | First leg | Second leg | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | 22–24 May 2017 | 29–31 May 2017 | |
| Quarter-finals | 21–23 August 2017 | 11–13 September 2017 | |
| Semi-finals | 26–27 September 2017 | 17–18 October 2017 | |
| Final | 18 November 2017 | 25 November 2017 |
The bracket of the knockout stage was determined as follows:
| Round | Matchups | |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | (Group winners host second leg)
| |
| Quarter-finals | (Matchups and order of legs decided by draw, involving four round of 16 winners each in West Region and East Region)
| |
| Semi-finals | (Winners QF1 and QF3 host first leg, Winners QF2 and QF4 host second leg)
| |
| Final | (Winner SF1 host first leg, Winner SF2 host second leg, as reversed from previous season's final)
|
In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group from the same region, with the matchups determined by the group stage draw, and the group winners hosting the second leg.[3]
|-|+West Region|+East Region
Al-Ain won 6–2 on aggregate.----Al-Ahli (KSA) won 4–2 on aggregate.----Al-Hilal won 4–2 on aggregate.----Persepolis won 1–0 on aggregate.
Kawasaki Frontale won 7–2 on aggregate.----2–2 on aggregate. Guangzhou Evergrande won on away goals.----Shanghai SIPG won 5–3 on aggregate.----Urawa Red Diamonds won 3–2 on aggregate.
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 6 June 2017. 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 and order of legs decided by draw, without any seeding or country protection.[4] [5] [6]
|-|+West Region|+East Region|}
Al Hilal won 3–0 on aggregate.----Persepolis won 5–3 on aggregate.
5–5 on aggregate. Shanghai SIPG won 5–4 on penalties.
----Urawa Red Diamonds won 5–4 on aggregate.
In the semi-finals, the two quarter-final winners from the West Region played each other, and the two quarter-final winners from the East Region played each other, with the order of legs determined by the quarter-final draw.[4]
|-|+West Region|+East Region|}
Al Hilal won 6–2 on aggregate.
Urawa Red Diamonds won 2–1 on aggregate.
See main article: article and 2017 AFC Champions League Final. In the final, the two semi-final winners played each other, with the order of legs (first leg hosted by team from the West Region, second leg hosted by team from the East Region) reversed from the previous season's final.[4] Urawa Red Diamonds won 2–1 on aggregate.