AFC Champions Cup

AFC Champions Cup

Organising body	Adula Football Confederation
Founded	1997 (1997)
Region	Adula
Number of teams	34
2024 AFC Nations Cup

The AFC Champions Cup is an annual international football competition organized by the Adula Football Confederation, and contested by top-division Adulan clubs, deciding the competition winners through a round robin group stage to qualify for a double-legged knockout format, and a single leg final. It is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in Adulan football, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national associations.

In its present format, the Champions Cup begins in late February, usually following the World Cup, with a preliminary round, three qualifying rounds and a play-off round, all played over two legs. The six surviving teams enter the group stage, joining 26 teams qualified in advance. The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams and play each other in a double round-robin system. The eight group winners and eight runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in mid-late May. The winner of the Champions Cup automatically qualifies for the following year's Champions Cup.

Quetanan clubs have won a total of 5 Champions Cups, with Vongane FC having won 3, the most of any individual club in the AFC. Albarinean clubs are ranked second with four wins total, FC Saint Marina having won two. Cadairi, Elborran, Emmirian, Qolaysian, and Timerian clubs have two wins each.

Format

Qualification

The AFC Champions Cup begins with a double round-robin group stage of 32 teams, which is preceded by two qualification 'streams' for teams that do not receive direct entry to the tournament proper. The two streams are divided between teams qualified by virtue of being league champions, and those qualified by virtue of finishing second or third in their national championship.

Four of the remaining six qualifying places are granted to the winners of a six-round qualifying tournament between the remaining national champions, within which those champions from associations with higher coefficients receive byes to later rounds.

In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions Cup. To obtain a license, the club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements.

Group stage and knockout phase

The tournament proper begins with a group stage of 32 teams, divided into eight groups of four. The draw to determine which teams go into each group is seeded based on teams' performance in AFC competitions, and no group may contain more than one club from each nation. Each team plays six group stage games, meeting the other three teams in its group home and away in a round-robin format. The winning team and the runners-up from each group then progress to the next round.

For the next stage – the last 16 – the winning team from one group plays against the runners-up from another group. From the quarter-finals onwards, the draw is entirely random, without association protection.

The group stage is played from February to April, whilst the knock-out stage starts in late-April or early May. The knock-out ties are played in a two-legged format, with the exception of the final. The final is typically held in the middle two weeks of May.

Results

Season	Final			Third place play-off
	Winner	Score	Runner-up	Third	Score	Fourth
1997	Culasi-Budi	4-3 stadium, city, country	Astudad Wildlings	Novadan Železiarov	6-0 stadium, city, country	Hillcrest FC
1998	Hout Bay Royals	2(3)-(1)2 stadium, city, country	Kado United	FC Chepstow	1-0 stadium, city, country	Saint Elmenau United
1999	Ieraskevi FC	4(2)-(0)4 stadium, city, country	Hapsoneau FC	Buena Vera FC	1-0 stadium, city, country	Shakhayya FC
2000	Rygenrof FC	2-0 stadium, city, country	Rhaga FC	Athenos-Selassa FC	1-0 stadium, city, country	Castelbao FC
2001	FC Bennom	3-0 stadium, city, country	Maydover Island FC	Shanadu United	2-0 stadium, city, country	Samari FC
2002	Club Cubai	1-0 stadium, city, country	Courbagne FC	Carmarthen United	2(4)-(2)2 stadium, city, country	Charnesse FC
2003	FC Saint Marina	3-0 stadium, city, country	FK Kalisz Pormorski	Vao'okoà West FC	5-0 stadium, city, country	Tarijibar Songbirds
2004	Hapsoneau FC	2-0 stadium, city, country	Pyras Flames	FA Baleicos	3(2)-(0)3 stadium, city, country	FC Saint Marina
2005	Piva-Varislava	3-1 stadium, city, country	Castelbao FC	Port Talbot Egrets	1-0 stadium, city, country	Athenos-Selassa FC
2006	Osea United	2-0 stadium, city, country	Ntunbe First Club	Lekhbair Jackrabbits	4-0 stadium, city, country	Leonrau FC
2007	Carmarthen United	3-0 stadium, city, country	Tarijibar United	FC Saint Marina	2-0 stadium, city, country	FC Arianna
2008	Vongane	3-2 stadium, city, country	FC Feldkirch	Haifan Kings	4-3 stadium, city, country	Port Talbot Egrets
2009	Tammany FC	4-0 stadium, city, country	Club Cubai	Byanmar Suns	2-0 stadium, city, country	FC Feldkirch
2010	Ledua Gulls	2(5)-(4)2 stadium, city, country	FC Saint Marina	Vao'okoà West FC	3-1 stadium, city, country	Aeminium Lions
2011	Maydover Island FC	2-1 stadium, city, country	Cuenresa FC	Anterno Villa	4(4)-(0)4 stadium, city, country	Kantarih FC
2012	Vongane	2(3)-(1)2 stadium, city, country	Chingola-Artarat FC	Piva-Varislava	3-0 stadium, city, country	Tammany FC
2013	FC Saint Marina	6-0 stadium, city, country	Gutaai FC	Leonrau FC	2-0 stadium, city, country	Ieraskevi FC
2014	Rhaga FC	1-0 stadium, city, country	Vao'okoà West FC	Maissy-Anshofen FC	5-0 stadium, city, country	Club Lismeath
2015	Aeminium Lions	3-0 stadium, city, country	Saint Elmenau United	Port Talbot Egrets	1-0 stadium, city, country	Athenos-Selassa FC
2016	Port Talbot Egrets	2-0 stadium, city, country	Rygenrof FC	Ninea Point FC	1-0 stadium, city, country	FK Kalisz Pormorski
2017	Gutaai FC	3(2)-(0)3 stadium, city, country	Tammany FC	FC Feldkirch	5-0 stadium, city, country	Litebbe Ballers
2018	Wolfslach-Bauer FC	4-0 stadium, city, country	Idhira United	Adhair FC	3-0 stadium, city, country	United Alverem
2019	Malcanes United	3-1 stadium, city, country	Byanmar Suns	Baluka'i Mariners	1(4)-(1)1 stadium, city, country	Club Lismeath
2020	FC New Altai	2-0 stadium, city, country	Nakane Falcons	Calaholla Roar	2-1 stadium, city, country	Onyelle Escapades
2021	Vongane	4-0 stadium, city, country	Ieraskevi FC	Maydover Island FC	3-1 stadium, city, country	Chingola-Artarat FC
2022	FC Arianna	3-0 stadium, city, country	Leonrau FC	FC Valengny	2-0 stadium, city, country	FC Dynamo Svobotov
2023	Ahvahz United	2-1 stadium, city, country	Wolfslach-Bauer FC	FC Dabatta City	3-0 stadium, city, country	FC New Altai
2024	winner	score stadium, city, country	Runner-up	Third	score stadium, city, country	Fourth