2020 AFC Champions League
The 2020 AFC Champions League is the 39th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation, and the 18th under the current AFC Champions League title.
The winners of the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2021 AFC Champions League, entering the qualifying play-offs if they have not qualified through their domestic performance, the first time since 2008 that an AFC Champions League holders are guaranteed automatic qualification. and also earn the right to play in the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar. The runners-up will also qualify if the winners are from Qatar. Both finalists are guaranteed to qualify for the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in China alongside the hosts' representative and the winning club from a playoff involving the losing semi-finalists. The tournament is the last to involve 32 teams during the group stage, with an increase to 40 teams scheduled for the 2021 season.
Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia are the defending champions.
The competition has been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic until mid September 2020.
Association team allocation
The 47 AFC member associations are ranked based on their national team's and clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions, with the allocation of slots for the 2019 and 2020 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2017 AFC rankings :- The associations are split into two regions:
- *West Region consists of the associations from the West Asian Football Federation, the Central Asian Football Association, and the South Asian Football Federation.
- *East Region consists of the associations from the ASEAN Football Federation and the East Asian Football Federation.
- In each region, there are four groups in the group stage, including a total of 12 direct slots, with the 4 remaining slots filled through play-offs.
- The top 12 associations in each region as per the AFC rankings are eligible to enter the AFC Champions League, as long as they fulfill the AFC Champions League criteria.
- The top six associations in each region get at least one direct slot in the group stage, while the remaining associations get only play-off slots :
- *The associations ranked 1st and 2nd each get three direct slots and one play-off slot.
- *The associations ranked 3rd and 4th each get two direct slots and two play-off slots.
- *The associations ranked 5th each get one direct slot and two play-off slots.
- *The associations ranked 6th each get one direct slot and one play-off slot.
- *The associations ranked 7th to 12th each get one play-off slot.
- The maximum number of slots for each association is one-third of the total number of eligible teams in the top division.
- If any association gives up its direct slots, they are redistributed to the highest eligible association, with each association limited to a maximum of three direct slots.
- If any association gives up its play-off slots, they are annulled and not redistributed to any other association.
Association ranking
;Notes
Teams
The following 52 teams from 23 associations enter the competition.In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count only those since the 2002–03 season, when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League.
| Team | Qualifying method | App |
 Sharjah | 2018–19 UAE Pro League champions | 3rd |
| Shabab Al-Ahli | 2018–19 UAE President's Cup winners 2018–19 UAE Pro League runners-up | 8th |
| Al-Wahda | 2018–19 UAE Pro League 3rd place | 11th |
 Al-Nassr | 2018–19 Saudi Professional League champions | 5th |
| Al-Taawoun | 2019 King Cup winners 2018–19 Saudi Professional League 3rd place | 2nd |
| Al-Hilal | 2018–19 Saudi Professional League runners-up | 16th |
 Al-Sadd | 2018–19 Qatar Stars League champions | 15th |
| Al-Duhail | 2019 Emir of Qatar Cup winners 2018–19 Qatar Stars League runners-up | 9th |
 Persepolis | 2018–19 Persian Gulf Pro League champions 2018–19 Hazfi Cup winners | 9th |
| Sepahan | 2018–19 Persian Gulf Pro League runners-up | 12th |
 Pakhtakor | 2019 Uzbekistan Super League champions 2019 Uzbekistan Cup winners | 16th |
 Al-Shorta | 2018–19 Iraqi Premier League champions | 4th |
| Team | Qualifying method | App |
| Esteghlal | 2018–19 Persian Gulf Pro League 3rd place | 11th |
| Shahr Khodro | 2018–19 Persian Gulf Pro League 4th place | 1st |
| Lokomotiv Tashkent | 2019 Uzbekistan Super League runners-up | 8th |
| Bunyodkor | 2019 Uzbekistan Super League 3rd place | 11th |
| Al-Zawraa | 2018–19 Iraq FA Cup winners | 5th |
 Istiklol | 2019 Tajikistan Higher League champions | 2nd |
| Team | Qualifying method | App |
 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2019 K League 1 champions | 13th |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2019 Korean FA Cup winners | 10th |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2019 K League 1 runners-up | 8th |
 Guangzhou Evergrande | 2019 Chinese Super League champions | 9th |
| Shanghai Shenhua | 2019 Chinese FA Cup winners | 9th |
| Beijing FC | 2019 Chinese Super League runners-up | 9th |
 Yokohama F. Marinos | 2019 J1 League champions | 4th |
| Vissel Kobe | 2019 Emperor's Cup winners | 1st |
 Perth Glory | 2018–19 A-League premiers | 1st |
| Sydney FC | 2019 A-League Grand Final winners 2018–19 A-League regular season runners-up | 6th |
 Chiangrai United | 2019 Thai League 1 champions | 3rd |
 Johor Darul Ta'zim | 2019 Malaysia Super League champions | 6th |
| Team | Qualifying method | App |
| Melbourne Victory | 2018–19 A-League regular season 3rd place | 8th |
| Port | 2019 Thai FA Cup winners | 1st |
| Buriram United | 2019 Thai League 1 runners-up | 9th |
| Kedah | 2019 Malaysia FA Cup winners | 1st |
 Tai Po | 2018–19 Hong Kong Premier League champions | 1st |
 Hồ Chí Minh City | 2019 V.League 1 runners-up | 2nd (2002–03 AFC Champions League| |
;Notes
Schedule
The schedule of the competition is as follows.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the following changes to the schedule had been made:
- AFC announced on 4 February 2020 that all matches involving Chinese teams on the first three matchdays had been postponed to 28–29 April, 19–20 and 26–27 May.
- After a meeting with representatives of the member associations from the East Region held on 2 March 2020, it was agreed that:
- *Group stage matches on matchdays 3–6 which could not be played would be moved to 19–20, 26–27 May, 16–17 and 23–24 June.
- *The round of 16 matches were moved from 16–17 and 23–24 June to 11–12 and 25–26 August.
- *The quarter-finals were moved from 25–26 August and 15–16 September to 15–16 and 29–30 September.
- *The semi-finals were moved from 30 September and 21 October to 21 and 28 October.
- After meetings with representatives of the member associations from the West Region held on 7–8 March 2020, it was agreed that:
- *Group stage matches on matchdays 3–6 which could not be played would be moved to new dates yet to be confirmed.
- *The round of 16 matches were moved from 18–19 and 25–26 May to 10–11 and 24–25 August.
- *The quarter-finals were moved from 24–25 August and 14–15 September to 14–15 and 28–29 September.
- *The semi-finals were moved from 29 September and 20 October to 20 and 27 October.
- The AFC announced on 14 April 2020 that all matches scheduled for May and June would be postponed until further notice.
- The AFC announced the calendar of remaining matches on 9 July 2020 but the venues for the centralised groups are to be confirmed.
| Stage | Round | Draw date | Match dates |
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round 1 | No draw | 14 January 2020 |
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round 2 | No draw | 21 January 2020 |
| Play-off stage | Play-off round | No draw | 28 January 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 10 December 2019 | 10–12 February 2020, 16,17,19,20 October 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 2 | 10 December 2019 | 17–19 February 2020, 17,19,20 October 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 3 | 10 December 2019 | 2–4 March 2020, 14–15 September 2020, 22,26 October 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 4 | 10 December 2019 | 17–18 September 2020, 23,25 October 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 5 | 10 December 2019 | 20–21 September 2020, 28,29 October 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 6 | 10 December 2019 | 23–24 September 2020, 31 October, 1 November 2020 |
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 10 December 2019 | 26–27 September 2020, 3–4 November 2020 |
| Knockout stage | Quarter-finals | TBA | 30 September 2020, 25 November 2020 |
| Knockout stage | Semi-finals | TBA | 3 October 2020, 28 November 2020 |
| Knockout stage | Final | TBA | 5 December 2020 |
Qualifying play-offs
Preliminary round 1
Preliminary round 2
Play-off round
Group stage
| Tiebreakers |
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Group E
Group F
Group G
Group H
Knockout stage
Bracket
Round of 16
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | Total | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Hassan Al-Haydos | Al-Sadd | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1 |  Bafétimbi Gomis | Al-Hilal | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Keijiro Ogawa | Vissel Kobe | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Salman Al-Moasher | Al-Ahli | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Ali Alipour | Persepolis | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Kyogo Furuhashi | Vissel Kobe | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 4 |  Abderrazak Hamdallah | Al-Nassr | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Teruhito Nakagawa | Yokohama F. Marinos | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Ado Onaiwu | Yokohama F. Marinos | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Igor Sergeev | Pakhtakor | 2 | 2 |