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AFC Champions League Elite

Asian association football tournament for clubs

Field	Value
logo	AFC Champions League Elite logo.svg
imagesize	150
organiser	AFC
founded	(as Asian Champion Club Tournament)
region	Asia
number of teams	24 (league stage)
qualifier for	FIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Intercontinental Cup
related comps	AFC Champions League Two
(2nd tier)
AFC Challenge League
(3rd tier)
current champions	Al-Ahli (1st title)
most successful club	Al-Hilal (4 titles)
website
current	2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite

FIFA Intercontinental Cup (2nd tier) AFC Challenge League (3rd tier)

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.

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-Ahli are the current champions, having beaten Kawasaki Frontale 2–0 in the 2025 final.

History

Season	Winners	Asian Champion Club Tournament	1973–1984: Not held	Asian Club Championship	AFC Champions League	AFC Champions League Elite
1967	Hapoel Tel Aviv
1969	Maccabi Tel Aviv
1970	Taj Tehran
1971	Maccabi Tel Aviv (2)
1972	Cancelled
1985–86	Daewoo Royals
1986	Furukawa Electric
1987	Yomiuri FC
1988–89	Al-Sadd
1989–90	Liaoning
1990–91	Esteghlal (2)
1991	Al-Hilal
1992–93	PAS Tehran
1993–94	Thai Farmers Bank
1994–95	Thai Farmers Bank (2)
1995	Ilhwa Chunma
1996–97	Pohang Steelers
1997–98	Pohang Steelers (2)
1998–99	Júbilo Iwata
1999–2000	Al-Hilal (2)
2000–01	Suwon Samsung Bluewings
2001–02	Suwon Samsung Bluewings (2)
2002–03	Al Ain
2004	Al-Ittihad
2005	Al-Ittihad (2)
2006	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2007	Urawa Red Diamonds
2008	Gamba Osaka
2009	Pohang Steelers (3)
2010	Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (2)
2011	Al-Sadd (2)
2012	Ulsan Hyundai
2013	Guangzhou Evergrande
2014	Western Sydney Wanderers
2015	Guangzhou Evergrande (2)
2016	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2)
2017	Urawa Red Diamonds (2)
2018	Kashima Antlers
2019	Al-Hilal (3)
2020	Ulsan Hyundai (2)
2021	Al-Hilal (4)
2022	Urawa Red Diamonds (3)
2023–24	Al Ain (2)
2024–25	Al-Ahli

1967–1972: Asian Champion Club Tournament

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) first discussed launching a tournament for the champions of AFC nations in a meeting held on 21 April 1963, with its Secretary Lee Wai Tong announcing the AFC's intention to hold a competition similar to the European Cup. The competition started in 1967 as the Asian Champion Club Tournament and had a variety of different formats in its first few years, with the inaugural tournament staged as a straight knock-out format, and the following three editions consisting of a group stage.

While Israeli clubs dominated the first four editions of the competition, this was partly due to the refusal of Arab clubs to play them:

In 1970, Lebanese club Homenetmen refused to play Hapoel Tel Aviv in the semi-final, which was scratched with Hapoel advancing to the final.
In 1971, Aliyat Al-Shorta of Iraq refused to play Maccabi Tel Aviv on three occasions: in the preliminary round (which was redrawn), in the group stage, and then in the final, which was scratched with Maccabi being awarded the championship. During the award ceremony for Maccabi, Aliyat Al-Shorta players waved the Palestinian flag around the field, with a match being arranged by the AFC and the Thai FA between Maccabi and a Combined Bangkok team in lieu of the final. The Iraqi media considered Aliyat Al-Shorta as the tournament's winners, with the team holding an open top bus parade in Baghdad.

After the 1972 edition had to be cancelled by the AFC for various reasons, including two Arab clubs being excluded for refusing to commit to playing against Israeli club Maccabi Netanya, the AFC suspended the competition for 14 years, while Israel would be expelled from the AFC in 1974.

1985–2002: Return as the Asian Club Championship

Asia's premier club tournament made its return in 1985 as the Asian Club Championship.

In 1990, the Asian Football Confederation introduced the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, a tournament for the cup winners of each AFC nation, while the 1995 season saw the introduction of the Asian Super Cup, with the winners of the Asian Club Championship and Asian Cup Winners' Cup playing against each other.

2002–2024: AFC Champions League

The 2002–03 season saw the Asian Club Championship, Asian Cup Winners' Cup and Asian Super Cup combine to become the AFC Champions League. League champions and cup winners would qualify for the qualifying playoffs with the best eight clubs from East Asia and the eight best clubs from West Asia progressing to the group stage. The first winners under the AFC Champions League name were Al-Ain, defeating BEC Tero Sasana 2–1 on aggregate. In 2004, 29 clubs from fourteen countries participated and the tournament schedule was changed to March–November.

In the group stage, the 28 clubs were divided into seven groups of four on a regional basis, separating East Asian and West Asian clubs to reduce travel costs, and the groups were played on a home and away basis. The seven group winners along with the defending champions qualified to the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals were played as a two-legged format, with away goals, extra time, and penalties used as tie-breakers.

Expansion

The 2005 season saw Syrian clubs join the competition, thus increasing the number of participating countries to 15, and two years later, following their transfer into the AFC in 2006, Australian clubs were also included in the tournament. However, many blamed the low prize money at that time and expensive travel cost as some of the reasons.

The Champions League was expanded to 32 clubs in 2009 with direct entry to the top ten Asian leagues. Each country received up to 4 slots, though no more than one-third of the number of teams in that country's top division, rounded downwards, depending on the strength of their league, professional league structure, marketability, financial status, as well as other criteria set by the AFC Pro-League Committee. The assessment criteria and ranking for participating associations are revised by AFC every two years.

[[File:Persepolis FC vs Kashima Antlers 10 November 2018 14.jpg	right	thumb	FIFA president [[Gianni Infantino]] and around 100,000 others watching the [[2018 AFC Champions League Final]] at [[Azadi Stadium]].]]

The old format saw the eight group winners and eight runners-up qualify to the round of 16, in which group winners played host to the runners-up in two-legged series, matched regionally, with away goals, extra time, and penalties used as tie-breakers. The regional restriction continues all the way until the final, although clubs from the same country couldn't face each other in the quarterfinals unless that country has three or more representatives in the quarterfinals. Since 2013, the final has also been held as a two-legged series, on a home and away basis.

In 2021, the group stage was expanded from 32 to 40 teams, with both the West and East Regions having five groups of four teams. The slot allocation for the top six member associations in each region remained unchanged. The 10 group winners and top 3 runners-up per region are now seeded based on a combination table for the round of 16, with the games still matched regionally until the final.

On 25 February 2022, it was announced that the AFC Champions League would go back to an inter-year (autumn to spring) schedule starting with the 2023–24 season. In addition, the existing "3+1" rule for foreign players during matches (3 foreign players and 1 Asian foreigner) was expanded to "5+1" (5 foreign players and 1 Asian foreigner).

Women's rights in Iranian football

By 2021, the various problems with the Iranian sides were attracting media attention; international Arabic and English-language media reported the violation of women's rights in the stadiums of Iranian sides.

On top of that, Iranian women were banned from football stadiums for about 40 years, by the Iranian government. In 2019, Iranian women were first allowed to watch football at stadiums, but not during ACL games. Before that, FIFA had pressured Iran to let women into the stadiums; Iran relented, but capped the number of women to watch the 2018 final. In 2021, the AFC investigated the matter, in the hope of allowing unrestricted attendance whenever Iranian clubs are involved.

2024–25 onwards: AFC Champions League Elite

On 23 December 2022, the AFC announced that their club football structure would undergo an overhaul, with the top club competition shrinking from 40 teams in the main stage to 24 teams, divided into East and West regions (12 teams each), with each team in the East and West regions playing eight other teams from their region (four teams at home and four teams away). The top eight teams from each region would advance to the knockout stage, where only the round of 16 would be played over two legs, with all matches from the quarter-finals onward being played in a single-leg format at a centralised venue. On 14 August 2023, it was confirmed that the new format would come into effect from the 2024–25 season, with the name of the competition changing to AFC Champions League Elite. The AFC has also confirmed that AFC Champions League records and statistics would be carried forward to the ACL Elite. In December 2023, Saudi Arabia were awarded hosting duties for the final stage for the first two seasons.

Format

Qualification

AFC member country that has not been represented in the group stage}}

As of the 2024–25 edition of the tournament, the AFC Champions League Elite uses a league stage format of 24 teams, which is preceded by qualifying matches for teams that do not receive direct entry to the competition proper. Teams are also split into East and West zones.

The number of teams that each association enters into the AFC Champions League Elite is determined annually through criteria as set by the AFC Competitions Committee. The criteria, which is a modified version of the UEFA coefficient, measures such thing as marketability and stadia to determine the specific number of berths that an association receives. The higher an association's ranking as determined by the criteria, the more teams represent the association in the competition.

Tournament

The tournament proper begins with a league stage of 24 teams, which are split into two leagues (East and West), with each team playing against eight opponents from their league (four at home and four away).

The top eight teams from each league advance to the round of 16. In this phase, each club face another club from its region in a two-legged, home-and-away tie to decide which eight clubs progress to a centralised Finals tournament. If the aggregate score of the two games is tied after 180 minutes, the clubs play extra time. If still tied after extra time, the tie is decided by a penalty shoot-out.

The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final matches all feature cross-regional pairings, and are played in a single-leg format at centralised venue.

Allocation

Teams from 24 AFC countries have reached the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite. The allocation of teams by member countries is listed below; asterisks represent occasions where at least one team was eliminated in qualification prior to the group stage. 32 AFC countries have had teams participate in qualification, and countries that have never had teams reach the group stage are not shown.

Associations	Entrants	2002–03	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023–24	2024–25	2025–26	East Asia	West Asia	Total
AUS Australia	Part of OFC	2	2	2	2	2	3	1*	3	2*	2*	3	2*	2*	3	0	2*	1	1	1
BRU Brunei	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
CHN China PR	2	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	3*	4	4	4	2*	2	3*	3*	3*
HKG Hong Kong	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	1*	1*	0*	0*	1	1	1*	0	0
IDN Indonesia	0*	2	2	0	2	0	1*	1*	1*	0*	0	0	0*	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0	0	0*	0	0
JPN Japan	2	2	2	2	2	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3*	4	4	4	3	3
KOR South Korea	2	2	2	2	3	2	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3
MAC Macau	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MAS Malaysia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0*	1*	1*	1	1	1	1	1
PHI Philippines	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0*	2	1*	1	0	0
SIN Singapore	0*	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	1	1	1	0	0
THA Thailand	2	2	2	0	1	2	0*	0*	0*	1*	2	1*	1*	1*	1*	1*	1*	1*	4	2*	3*	1*	1*
VIE Vietnam	0*	2	2	2	1	2	0	0*	0	0	0	0*	1*	1*	0*	0*	0*	0*	1	1	1*	0	0
Total	8	12	12	8	13	13	16	16	15	15	15	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	20	19	20	12	12
BHR Bahrain	0*	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0	0	0*	0	0*	0*	0	0	0	0	BAN Bangladesh	0	0	0
IND India	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	1	1	1	0	0
IRN Iran	2	2	2	2	1	2	4	4	4	3*	3*	4	4	3*	4	4	3*	4	4	2	3*	2*	1*
IRQ Iraq	1*	2	2	2	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0	0	0	0	1*	1*	2*	1*	1	1	1
JOR Jordan	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	0*	1	1	1*	0	0
KUW Kuwait	0*	1	2	2	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0	0	0	0*	0*	0*	0	0	0	0
KGZ Kyrgyzstan	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
LIB Lebanon	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MDV Maldives	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
OMN Oman	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0	0
PLE Palestine	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
QAT Qatar	1*	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	4	4	4	2*	2*	2*	4	3*	2*	3*	4	2*	2*	3
KSA Saudi Arabia	1*	2	3	3	2	2	4	4	4	3*	4	4	4	4	4	2	4	4	3*	4	4	3	3
SRI Sri Lanka	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
SYR Syria	0*	0	2	2	2	2	0	0*	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0	0	0
TJK Tajikistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0*	0*	1	1	1	0	0
TKM Turkmenistan	1*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
UAE United Arab Emirates	1*	3	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	4	3*	2*	3*	4	4	3*	4	3*	3*	2*	1*	3
UZB Uzbekistan	1*	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3*	2*	1*	4	4	2*	2*	2*	1*	2	2	4	1	1
YEM Yemen	0*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	8	14	17	17	15	16	16	16	17	17	17	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	20	20	20	12	12
Finals	16	26	29	25	28	29	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	40	39	40	24	24
Qualifying	53	26	29	25	28	29	35	37	36	37	35	47	49	45	47	46	51	52	45	46	53	27	26

Prize money

Starting with the 2024–25 season, the distribution of the prize money is as follows:

Round	Teams	Amount	Per team
Final (champions)	1	$10 million
Final (runners-up)	1	$4 million
Semi-finals	4	$600,000	$2.4 million
Quarter-finals	8	$400,000	$3.2 million
Round of 16	16	$200,000	$3.2 million
League stage	24	$800,000	$19.2 million

Trophy

Following the retirement of the AFC Champions League trophy in 2024, English luxury brand Thomas Lyte were commissioned to manufacture a new trophy.

The new trophy stands at 70 cm tall and weighs 12 kg, and is visually similar to its AFC Champions League Two counterpart.

Marketing

Sponsorship

The AFC Champions League Elite is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to the single main sponsor typically found in national top-flight leagues.

Official Global Partners

Neom
Qatar Airways
Visit Saudi

Official Global Supporters

Barbican
Kelme
Midea
Tecno Mobile
Visa Inc.

Video game

The current license holder for the AFC Champions League video game is Konami with the eFootball series. The license also includes the competing teams.

Records and statistics

Main article: Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League Elite records and statistics

Performances by club

Main article: List of Asian Club Championship and AFC Champions League Elite finals

Performances by nation

Performances by region

Zone	Federation (region)	Titles	Total
East Zone	EAFF (East Asia)	23	26
AFF (Southeast Asia)	3
West Zone	WAFF (West Asia)	11	14
CAFA (Central Asia)	3
SAFF (South Asia)	0

Note: Israeli clubs, winners of the 1967, 1969 and 1971 editions, are not included.

Awards

Most Valuable Player

Year	Player	Club	Ref.
1996–97	KOR An Ik-soo	KOR Pohang Steelers	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970707233755/http://www.asian-football.com/comp/club/index.club.html	url=http://www.asian-football.com/comp/club/index.club.html	title=1996 ASIAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP	publisher=Asian Football Confederation	date=7 July 1997	archive-date=1997-07-07}}
1997–98	KSA Ahmed Al-Dokhi	KSA Al Hilal
1998–99	BFA Seydou Traoré	UAE Al-Ain
1999–2000	BRA Sérgio Ricardo	KSA Al Hilal
2000–01	FR Yugoslavia Zoltan Sabo	KOR Suwon Samsung Bluewings
2001–02	colspan="3" align="center"
2002–03	THA Therdsak Chaiman	THA BEC Tero Sasana
2004	KSA Redha Tukar	KSA Al-Ittihad
2005	KSA Mohammed Noor	KSA Al-Ittihad
2006	KOR Choi Jin-cheul	KOR Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2007	JPN Yuichiro Nagai	JPN Urawa Red Diamonds
2008	JPN Yasuhito Endō	JPN Gamba Osaka
2009	KOR No Byung-jun	KOR Pohang Steelers	title=Triple treat for Steelers	url=http://www.the-afc.com/en/afc-champions-league-2009/25921-acl-awards	work=AFC	publisher=Asian Football Confederation	date=7 November 2009	access-date=7 November 2009	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915133546/http://www.the-afc.com/en/afc-champions-league-2009/25921-acl-awards	archive-date=15 September 2018	url-status = dead	df=dmy-all }}
2010	AUS Sasa Ognenovski	KOR Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
2011	KOR Lee Dong-gook	KOR Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	url=http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/clubs/afc-champions-league/834-afc-champions-league-2011/37034-acl-final-awards	title=Double delight for Lee	work=The-AFC.com	publisher=Asian Football Confederation	date=5 November 2011	access-date=5 November 2011 }}
2012	KOR Lee Keun-ho	KOR Ulsan Hyundai	url=http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/clubs/afc-champions-league/935-afc-champions-league-2012/40521-livewire-lee-name-mvp	title=Livewire Lee name MVP	publisher=AFC	date=10 November 2012	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117014522/http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/clubs/afc-champions-league/935-afc-champions-league-2012/40521-livewire-lee-name-mvp	archive-date=17 November 2012 }}
2013	BRA Muriqui	CHN Guangzhou Evergrande	url=http://www.the-afc.com/en/acl-news/acl-all-news/27183-triple-delight-muriqui.html	title=Triple delight for Muriqui	publisher=AFC	date=10 November 2013	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109205114/http://www.the-afc.com/en/acl-news/acl-all-news/27183-triple-delight-muriqui.html	archive-date=9 November 2013	df=dmy }}
2014	AUS Ante Covic	AUS Western Sydney Wanderers	url=http://www.the-afc.com/afc-champions-league-2014/custodian-covic-named-most-valuable-player	title=Custodian Covic named Most Valuable Player	publisher=AFC	date=2 November 2014	access-date=30 March 2022	archive-date=18 October 2021	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018074358/https://www.the-afc.com/afc-champions-league-2014/custodian-covic-named-most-valuable-player	url-status=live}}
2015	BRA Ricardo Goulart	CHN Guangzhou Evergrande	url=http://www.the-afc.com/afc-champions-league-2015/hotshot-goulart-adds-awards-to-acl-title-success	title=Hotshot Goulart adds awards to ACL title success	publisher=AFC	date=22 November 2015	access-date=30 March 2022	archive-date=24 November 2015	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124051229/http://www.the-afc.com/afc-champions-league-2015/hotshot-goulart-adds-awards-to-acl-title-success	url-status=live}}
2016	UAE Omar Abdulrahman	UAE Al-Ain	url=http://www.the-afc.com/afc-champions-league-2016/omar-abdulrahman-lands-afc-champions-league-2016-mvp-award	title=Omar Abdulrahman lands AFC Champions League 2016 MVP award	publisher=AFC	date=27 November 2016	access-date=6 November 2016	archive-date=3 December 2016	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203083626/http://www.the-afc.com/afc-champions-league-2016/omar-abdulrahman-lands-afc-champions-league-2016-mvp-award	url-status=live}}
2017	JPN Yōsuke Kashiwagi	JPN Urawa Red Diamonds	url=http://www.the-afc.com/afc-champions-league-2017/yosuke-kashiwagi-clinches-afc-champions-league-mvp-award	title=Yosuke Kashiwagi clinches AFC Champions League MVP Award	publisher=AFC	date=25 November 2017	access-date=25 November 2017	archive-date=1 December 2017	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042600/http://www.the-afc.com/afc-champions-league-2017/yosuke-kashiwagi-clinches-afc-champions-league-mvp-award	url-status=live}}
2018	JPN Yuma Suzuki	JPN Kashima Antlers	url=http://www.the-afc.com/competitions/afc-champions-league/latest/news/yuma-suzuki-of-kashima-named-2018-mvp	title=Yuma Suzuki of Kashima named 2018 MVP	publisher=AFC	date=10 November 2018	access-date=30 March 2022	archive-date=21 February 2024	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221151104/https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league/news/yuma_suzuki_of_kashima_named_2018_mvp.html	url-status=live}}
2019	FRA Bafétimbi Gomis	KSA Al-Hilal	url=https://www.the-afc.com/competitions/afc-champions-league/latest/news/al-hilal-s-gomis-wins-mvp-top-scorer-awards	title=Al Hilal's Gomis wins MVP, Top Scorer awards	publisher=Asian Football Confederation	date=24 November 2019	access-date=24 November 2019	archive-date=8 January 2020	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200108235151/https://www.the-afc.com/competitions/afc-champions-league/latest/news/al-hilal-s-gomis-wins-mvp-top-scorer-awards	url-status=live}}
2020	KOR Yoon Bit-garam	KOR Ulsan Hyundai	title=Ulsan Hyundai's Yoon Bit-garam named 2020 AFC Champions League MVP	url=https://www.the-afc.com/competitions/afc-champions-league/latest/news/ulsan-hyundai-s-yoon-bit-garam-named-2020-afc-champions-league-mvp	website=the-afc.com	publisher=Asian Football Confederation	access-date=19 December 2020	date=19 December 2020	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130044726/https://www.the-afc.com/competitions/afc-champions-league/latest/news/ulsan-hyundai-s-yoon-bit-garam-named-2020-afc-champions-league-mvp	archive-date=30 January 2021}}
2021	KSA Salem Al-Dawsari	KSA Al-Hilal
2022	JPN Hiroki Sakai	JPN Urawa Red Diamonds
2023–24	MAR Soufiane Rahimi	UAE Al Ain	title=Al Ain's Rahimi wins MVP, Top Scorer awards	url=https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league/news/al_ains_rahimi_wins_mvp_top_scorer_awards.html	access-date=27 May 2024	date=25 May 2024	website=the-afc.com	publisher=Asian Football Confederation	archive-date=25 May 2024	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525191058/https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league/news/al_ains_rahimi_wins_mvp_top_scorer_awards.html	url-status=live}}
2024–25	BRA Roberto Firmino	KSA Al-Ahli	title=Al Ahli's Firmino named MVP	url=https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_champions_league_elite.html/news/al-ahli%E2%80%99s-roberto-firmino-named-mvp-1	access-date=3 May 2025	date=3 May 2025	website=the-afc.com	publisher=Asian Football Confederation}}

Top scorers

Year	Player	Club	Goals
1996–97	KOR Park Tae-ha	KOR Pohang Steelers	3
2002–03	CHN Hao Haidong	CHN Dalian Shide	9
2004	KOR Kim Do-hoon	KOR Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	9
2005	SLE Mohamed Kallon	KSA Al-Ittihad	6
2006	BRA Magno Alves	JPN Gamba Osaka	8
2007	BRA Mota	KOR Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	7
2008	THA Nantawat Tansopa	THA Krung Thai Bank	9
2009	BRA Leandro	JPN Gamba Osaka	10
2010	BRA Jose Mota	KOR Suwon Samsung Bluewings	9
2011	KOR Lee Dong-gook	KOR Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	9
2012	BRA Ricardo Oliveira	UAE Al-Jazira	12
2013	BRA Muriqui	CHN Guangzhou Evergrande	13
2014	GHA Asamoah Gyan	UAE Al-Ain	12
2015	BRA Ricardo Goulart	CHN Guangzhou Evergrande	8
2016	BRA Adriano	KOR FC Seoul	13
2017	SYR Omar Kharbin	KSA Al-Hilal	10
2018	ALG Baghdad Bounedjah	QAT Al-Sadd	13
2019	FRA Bafétimbi Gomis	KSA Al-Hilal	11
2020	Morocco Abderrazak Hamdallah	KSA Al-Nassr	7
2021	KEN Michael Olunga	QAT Al-Duhail	9
2022	BEL Edmilson Junior	QAT Al-Duhail	8
2023–24	MAR Soufiane Rahimi	UAE Al Ain	13
2024–25	KSA Salem Al-Dawsari	KSA Al-Hilal	10

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