| Tourney Name: | AFC Champions League |
| Year: | 2022 |
| Dates: | Qualifying: 8–15 March 2022 Competition proper: |
| Num Teams: | Group stage: 39 Total (maximum): 49 |
| Count: | 3 |
| Second Other: | Al-Hilal |
| Matches: | 130 |
| Goals: | 384 |
| Top Scorer: |  Edmilson Junior(8 goals) |
| Player: |  Hiroki Sakai[1] |
| Fair Play: | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| Prevseason: | 2021 |
| Nextseason: | 2023–24 |
The 2022 AFC Champions League was the 41st edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 20th under the current AFC Champions League title.
This edition was the last in an all-year-round (spring-to-autumn) schedule despite actually being held from 2022 to 2023; from the next season onwards, the competition switched to an autumn-to-spring schedule.[2]
This edition saw increase in numbers of preliminary players registration with 35 players, up from 30 in previous editions. This paved the way for more foreign players to be included in squad, although the AFC "3+1" foreign players rule was in effect during the match.[3] [4]
Due to the emerging complications caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and the associated risks, as well as the unique circumstances surrounding the football schedule before and after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it was confirmed that the final, originally scheduled for October 2022, would not be completed until May 2023. As the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup would already be held by that time, the AFC confirmed on 23 December 2022 that Al-Hilal would be their representative at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup as the reigning champions from the 2021 AFC Champions League.
Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia were the defending champions. Urawa Red Diamonds defeated Al-Hilal 2–1 on aggregate in the final to win their third title.[5] As Asian champions, they automatically qualified for the 2023–24 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs since they did not qualify through their domestic performance. In addition, they earned the right to play in both the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
2021 AFC Cup winners Al-Muharraq, having not obtained an AFC license, were not eligible to participate in this edition.[6]
The 47 AFC member associations are ranked based on their clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions (their national team's FIFA World Rankings no longer considered).[7] The slots are allocated by the following criteria according to the Entry Manual:[8]
For the 2022-23 AFC Champions League, the associations are allocated slots according to their AFC Club Competitions Ranking which was published on 29 November 2019,[11] [12] which takes into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup during the period between 2016 and 2019.
| bgcolor=#f7f8ff colspan=2 | Participation for 2022 AFC Champions League | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=#90ee77 width=20 | Participating | ||
| bgcolor=#ffcccc width=20 | Not participating | ||
| align=center width=20 | Number of teams/associations originally entered, before withdrawal of teams from the competition after the draw |
| +West Region (5 groups) | ||||||
| Rank | Member Association | Points | Slots | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | Play-off | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 97.644 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 4 | 88.449 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| 3 | 6 | 81.724 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 7 | 61.870 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 5 | 9 | 48.992 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 6 | 10 | 45.562 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 7 | 12 | 33.852 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | 15 | 29.576 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | 17 | 28.361 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | 20 | 26.532 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | 21 | 24.746 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | 22 | 22.505 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | Participating associations: 11 | 17 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 6 | ||||||
| 23 | ||||||
| +East Region (5 groups) | ||||||
| Rank | Member Association | Points | Slots | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | Play-off | |||||
| 1 | 1 | 100.000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 3 | 93.321 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| 3 | 5 | 85.979 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 4 | 8 | 51.189 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 5 | 11 | 40.896 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | 13 | 32.130 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 7 | 14 | 30.100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | 16 | 28.571 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | 18 | 26.960 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | 19 | 26.607 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | 23 | 19.945 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | 27 | 12.756 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | Participating associations: 10 | 15 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 8 | ||||||
| 23 | ||||||
In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count only those since the 2002–03 season (including qualifying rounds), when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League.
| width=25% | Team | width=60% | Qualifying method | width=15% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Taawoun | 2020–21 Saudi Professional League fourth place | 3rd | |||
| Baniyas | 2020–21 UAE Pro League runners-up | 3rd | |||
| Sharjah | 2020–21 UAE Pro League fourth place | 5th | |||
| Al-Zawraa | 2020–21 Iraqi Premier League runners-up | 7th | |||
| Nasaf Qarshi | 2021 Uzbekistan Cup winners | 7th | |||
| Al-Jaish | 2020–21 Syrian Premier League runners-up | 3rd |
| width=25% | Team | width=60% | Qualifying method | width=15% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shandong Taishan | 2021 Chinese Super League champions and 2021 Chinese FA Cup winners | 10th | |||
| Guangzhou | 2021 Chinese Super League third place | 11th | |||
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2021 J1 League champions | 9th | |||
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2021 Emperor's Cup winners | 8th | |||
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 2021 J1 League runners-up | 5th | |||
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2021 K League 1 champions | 15th | |||
| Jeonnam Dragons | 2021 Korean FA Cup winners | 3rd | |||
| BG Pathum United | 2020–21 Thai League 1 champions | 3rd | |||
| Chiangrai United | 2020–21 Thai FA Cup winners | 5th | |||
| Melbourne City | 2020–21 A-League regular season premiers and 2021 A-League Grand Final winners | 1st | |||
| United City | 2020 Philippines Football League champions | 5th | |||
| 2021 V.League 1 first-placed team | 3rd | ||||
| Johor Darul Ta'zim | 2021 Malaysia Super League champions | 8th | |||
| Lion City Sailors | 2021 Singapore Premier League champions | 3rd | |||
| Kitchee | 2020–21 Hong Kong Premier League champions | 7th |
| width=25% | Team | width=60% | Qualifying method | width=15% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vissel Kobe | 2021 J1 League third place | 2nd | |||
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2021 K League 1 runners-up | 10th | |||
| Daegu FC | 2021 K League 1 third place | 3rd | |||
| Buriram United | 2020–21 Thai League 1 runners-up | 10th | |||
| Port | 2020–21 Thai League 1 third place | 3rd | |||
| Melbourne Victory | 2021 FFA Cup winners | 9th |
| width=25% | Team | width=60% | Qualifying method | width=15% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney FC | 2020–21 A-League regular season second place | 7th | |||
| Kaya FC–Iloilo | 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara winners | 2nd |
| width=25% | Team | width=60% | Qualifying method | width=15% | App. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Changchun Yatai | 2021 Chinese Super League fourth place | 3rd | |||
| Shanghai Port | 2021 Chinese Super League runners-up | 7th | |||
| Shan United | 2020 Myanmar National League champions | 3rd |
The schedule of the competition was as follows. The final version was originally announced on 13 January 2022,[13] with the following modifications made on 9 December 2022: the West Region knockout stage matches were pushed back by two weeks in February, while the final was moved from 19 and 26 February to 29 April and 6 May 2023.[14]
| Stage | Round | Draw date | West Region | East Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round | No draw | 8 March 2022 | |
| Play-off stage | Play-off round | 15 March 2022 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 17 January 2022 | 7–8 April 2022 | 15–16 April 2022 |
| Matchday 2 | 10–11 April 2022 | 18–19 April 2022 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 14–15 April 2022 | 21–22 April 2022 | ||
| Matchday 4 | 18–19 April 2022 | 24–25 April 2022 | ||
| Matchday 5 | 22–23 April 2022 | 27–28 April 2022 | ||
| Matchday 6 | 26–27 April 2022 | 30 April – 1 May 2022 | ||
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 19–20 February 2023 | 18–19 August 2022 | |
| Quarter-finals | E: 20 August 2022 W: 21 February 2023 | 23 February 2023 | 22 August 2022 | |
| Semi-finals | 26 February 2023 | 25 August 2022 | ||
| Final | 29 April and 6 May 2023 | |||
The original schedule of the competition, as planned in 2019 before the pandemic, included a two-legged knockout stage.[15]
| Stage | Round | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round 1 | 11 January 2022 | |
| Preliminary round 2 | 18 January 2022 | ||
| Play-off stage | Play-off round | 25 January 2022 | |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 7–9 February 2022 | |
| Matchday 2 | 14–16 February 2022 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 28 February – 2 March 2022 | ||
| Matchday 4 | 14–16 March 2022 | ||
| Matchday 5 | 4–6 April 2022 | ||
| Matchday 6 | 18–20 April 2022 | ||
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 9–11 May 2022 | 23–25 May 2022 |
| Quarter-finals | 15–17 August 2022 | 29–31 August 2022 | |
| Semi-finals | 13–14 September 2022 | 4–5 October 2022 | |
| Final | 22 October 2022 | 29 October 2022 | |
In June 2021, a minor revision was made to the schedule of the preliminary and play-off stages: matches were moved one week earlier in January.[16]
| Stage | Round | First leg | Second leg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round 1 | 4 January 2022 | ||
| Preliminary round 2 | 11 January 2022 | |||
| Play-off stage | Play-off round | 18 January 2022 | ||
On 5 July 2021, the AFC announced the first revised schedule of the competition, featuring a centralized group stage and single-leg knockout stage matches.[17]
| Stage | Round | West Region | East Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round 1 | 15 March 2022 | 1 March 2022 |
| Preliminary round 2 | 5 April 2022 | 8 March 2022 | |
| Play-off stage | Play-off round | 20 April 2022 | 15 March 2022 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 10–11 May 2022 | 15–16 April 2022 |
| Matchday 2 | 13–14 May 2022 | 18–19 April 2022 | |
| Matchday 3 | 16–17 May 2022 | 21–22 April 2022 | |
| Matchday 4 | 19–20 May 2022 | 24–25 April 2022 | |
| Matchday 5 | 22–23 May 2022 | 27–28 April 2022 | |
| Matchday 6 | 25–26 May 2022 | 30 April – 1 May 2022 | |
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 29–31 August 2022 | |
| Quarter-finals | 12–14 September 2022 | ||
| Semi-finals | 11–12 October 2022 | ||
| Final | 29 October 2022 | ||
On 13 January 2022, the AFC announced the second revised schedule of the competition, with the knockout stage of the West Region pushed back to February 2023, and a two-legged format restored for the final.[13]
| Stage | Round | West Region | East Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round | 8 March 2022 | |
| Play-off stage | Play-off round | 15 March 2022 | |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 7–8 April 2022 | 15–16 April 2022 |
| Matchday 2 | 10–11 April 2022 | 18–19 April 2022 | |
| Matchday 3 | 14–15 April 2022 | 21–22 April 2022 | |
| Matchday 4 | 18–19 April 2022 | 24–25 April 2022 | |
| Matchday 5 | 22–23 April 2022 | 27–28 April 2022 | |
| Matchday 6 | 26–27 April 2022 | 30 April – 1 May 2022 | |
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 3–4 February 2023 | 18–19 August 2022 |
| Quarter-finals | 7 February 2023 | 22 August 2022 | |
| Semi-finals | 10 February 2023 | 25 August 2022 | |
| Final | 19 and 26 February 2023 | ||
See main article: 2022 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs.
See main article: 2022 AFC Champions League group stage.
See main article: 2022 AFC Champions League knockout stage.
See main article: 2022 AFC Champions League final.
| Rank | Player | Team | Total | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmilson Junior |  Al-Duhail | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |||||||
| 2 |  Odion Ighalo | Al-Hilal | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | ||||||||
 Zeca | Daegu FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| 4 | Bergson | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||||||||
| Yusuke Matsuo | Urawa Red Diamonds | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | bgcolor=#DDDDDD colspan=2 | ||||||||
 Michael Olunga | Al-Duhail | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||
| 7 |  Federico Cartabia | Shabab Al-Ahli | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | bgcolor=silver colspan=4 | 5 | ||||||
| Carlos | Al-Shabab | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
 David Moberg Karlsson | Urawa Red Diamonds | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| 10 |  Yohan Boli | Al-Rayyan | 2 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
| Salem Al-Dawsari | Al-Hilal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Yu Kobayashi | Kawasaki Frontale | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
| Kasper Junker | Urawa Red Diamonds | 1 | 2 | 1 | bgcolor=#DDDDDD colspan=2 | |||||||||
 Arslanmyrat Amanow | Ahal | 1 | 3 |