Inaugurated in 2002 to streamline the Asian club competition scene, the Asian Champions League effectively replaced the Asian Club Championship, Asian Cup Winners Cup and Asian Super Cup.

The first year’s competition commenced in August 2002 and the season ended in May 2003 with Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates claiming the title with victory over Thailand’s BEC Tero Sasana in the final.

The following season saw the schedule of the tournament change, with the group stages beginning in March and running through to the end of May, with the knockout phase of the competition picking up in September and the competition concluding with the final in November.

Since then, there have been a number of alterations to the tournament, with participation restricted to clubs from leagues considered to have reached the required standards of professionalism set by the Asian Football Confederation.

As a result, the AFC have installed a preliminary round for the weaker nations in the competition while clubs from the leading countries qualify automatically for the group phase with the number of places in the tournament determined by a country’s ranking.

The opening round features eight groups of four teams with the top two from each group progressing to the second round, which is held in mid-May and early June and sees teams meet in a one-match play-off.

The winners qualify for the quarterfinals which, along with the semifinals, are played on a home-and-away basis while the final is played as a one-off game in a neutral venue.

The champions will then represent Asia at the finals of the FIFA Club World Championship.