2018 AFC Champions League knockout stage


The 2018 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 7 May to 10 November 2018. A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2018 AFC Champions League.

Qualified teams

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 and East Region having eight qualified teams.
RegionGroupWinnersRunners-up
West RegionA Al-Ahli Al-Jazira
West RegionB Al-Duhail Zob Ahan
West RegionC Persepolis Al-Sadd
West RegionD Esteghlal Al-Ain
East RegionE Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Tianjin Quanjian
East RegionF Shanghai SIPG Ulsan Hyundai
East RegionG Guangzhou Evergrande Buriram United
East RegionH Suwon Samsung Bluewings Kashima Antlers

Format


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 and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.

Schedule

The schedule of each round was as follows. Matches in the West Region were played on Mondays and Tuesdays, while matches in the East Region were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
RoundFirst legSecond leg
Round of 167–9 May 201814–16 May 2018
Quarter-finals27–29 August 201817–19 September 2018
Semi-finals2–3 October 201823–24 October 2018
Final3 November 201810 November 2018

Bracket

The bracket of the knockout stage was determined as follows:
RoundMatchups
Round of 16
;West Region
  • Runner-up Group A vs. Winner Group C
  • Runner-up Group C vs. Winner Group A
  • Runner-up Group B vs. Winner Group D
  • Runner-up Group D vs. Winner Group B
;East Region
  • Runner-up Group E vs. Winner Group G
  • Runner-up Group G vs. Winner Group E
  • Runner-up Group F vs. Winner Group H
  • Runner-up Group H vs. Winner Group F
Quarter-finals
;West Region
  • QF1
  • QF2
;East Region
  • QF3
  • QF4
Semi-finals
;West Region
  • SF1: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2
;East Region
  • SF2: Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4
Final
  • Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2

The bracket was decided after the draw for the quarter-finals, which was held on 23 May 2018, 16:00 MYT, at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Round of 16

Summary


In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group from the same region, with the group winners hosting the second leg, and the matchups determined by the group stage draw.

West Region

4–4 on aggregate. Persepolis won on away goals.
----
Al-Sadd won 4–3 on aggregate.
----
Esteghlal won 3–2 on aggregate.
----
Al-Duhail won 8–3 on aggregate.

East Region

2–2 on aggregate. Tianjin Quanjian won on away goals.
----
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors won 4–3 on aggregate.
----
Suwon Samsung Bluewings won 3–1 on aggregate.
----
Kashima Antlers won 4–3 on aggregate.

Quarter-finals

Summary


The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 23 May 2018. 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.

West Region

Al-Sadd won 5–3 on aggregate.
----
Persepolis won 3–2 on aggregate.

East Region

Kashima Antlers won 5–0 on aggregate.
----
3–3 on aggregate. Suwon Samsung Bluewings won 4–2 on penalties.

Semi-finals

Summary


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.

West Region

Persepolis won 2–1 on aggregate.

East Region

Kashima Antlers won 6–5 on aggregate.

Final


In the final, the two semi-final winners played each other, with the order of legs reversed from the previous season's final.
Kashima Antlers won 2–0 on aggregate.