2019 AFC Champions League
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| Founded | 1967 (since 2002 in its current format) |
|---|---|
| Region | Asia |
| Number of teams | 45 (total) 32 (group stage) (24 associations) |
| Related competitions | FIFA Club World Cup |
| Current champions |
 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors(2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) |
Pohang Steelers (3 titles) |
| Website | Official website |
 2017 AFC Champions League
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The AFC Champions League, commonly known as the Asian Champions League, is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Introduced in 2002, the competition replaced the Asian Club Championship which had run since 1985 and which had replaced the Asian Champion Club Tournament (1967–1971) after a 14-year hiatus. It is the premier club tournament in Asia, equivalent to the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores, and the UEFA, CAF, CONCACAF and OFC Champions League competitions.
A total of 32 clubs compete in the round robin group stage of the competition. Clubs from Asia's strongest national leagues receive automatic berths, with clubs from other nations eligible to qualify via the qualifying playoffs and, in addition, they are also eligible to participate in the AFC Cup. Since 2009, the champions do not qualify automatically for the following year competition. The winner of the AFC Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup.
The most successful club in the competition is the Pohang Steelers with a total of three titles. The reigning champions of the competition are the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, they were excluded from the 2017 season due to bribery scandal in the domestic K League Classic. Jeonbuk appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but their request for provisional measures was rejected on 3 February.
The competition started as the Asian Champion Club Tournament, the competition had a variety of different formats with the inaugural tournament staged as a straightforward knockout format. The two most successful clubs of this era were Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv from Israel. The tournament was not held after the 1971 edition for fourteen years due to a lack of professionalism and interest.
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