he 2022 AFC
Champions League
kicks off in April but
it will mark the end
of an era. This is not
because it will feature
40 teams; that expansion came into
play last year. It is not because there
are clubs from nations such as India,
the Philippines and Tajikistan; these
were already there. It is because it
will be the last edition that runs from
spring to autumn. The next edition
will start in September 2023 and
finish the following May.
The change to align with the
European calendar has long been
thought about with the Asian Football
Confederation (AFC) saying that it will
“enable Asia’s top clubs to benefit from
more synchronised transfer windows,
improved opportunities to sign quality
players and coaches with respect to
worldwide leagues’ seasons, and
a more even distribution of club
matches annually to maintain a
balance with national team matches.”
It is one of the biggest shake-upsThe 2022 edition of Asia’s elite club competition will be the last of its kind
T
since 2003, when the Champions
League succeeded the old Asian Club
Championship. That first edition saw Al
Ain of the United Arab Emirates defeat
BEC Tero Sasana of Thailand. Such a
match-up is unlikely this time. Saudi
Arabia and Qatar look to have the
strongest candidates from the western
zone (the tournament is divided into
two geographic zones until the final)
with the usual suspects of South
Korea andJapan from the east.
Chinese clubs
are basically out
of the running –
literally in some
cases. The eastern
group stage takes
place in April, just as
the Chinese Super League is due to
start a new season. With all the groups
being held in centralised venues in
Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam,
Changchun Yatai pulled out amid
struggles to afford to send the team
overseas for two weeks of games.
China’s other three representatives
Shandong Taishan, Guangzhou FCChampions League kick-off
- champions in 2013 and 2015 –
and Shanghai Port are set to send
second-string squads.
That gives clubs from Southeast
Asia, such asJohor Darul Ta’zim of
Malaysia and Thailand’s BG Pathum
United, a great chance to build on
recent continental appearances and
get to the latter stages. After years of
disappointing performances, Australia
need Sydney FC and Melbourne City to
fly the flag for the A-League. It is likely
however that the team to emerge
fromtheeasttogoallthewaytothe
final, which will take place next February
(partly due to the World Cup, partly
due to the global pandemic and partly
because of the transition to the new
schedule), will come from either
Japan or South Korea.
Both have the full contingent ofAsia
JOHN DUERDENP
r
e
v
ie
wIt is one of the biggest shake-ups since 2003,
when the Champions League succeeded
the old Asian Club Championship