2009 AFC Champions League
The 2009 AFC Champions League was the 28th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation, and the 7th under the current AFC Champions League title. The 2009 AFC [Champions League Final|final] was held at the National Stadium in Tokyo on 7 November 2009, with Pohang Steelers defeating Al-Ittihad and securing a record-breaking third title. As winners, Pohang Steelers, qualified as the AFC's representative at the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
The Champions League featured a number of changes to its structure this season. Qualifying rounds were introduced, with both finalists of the previous years AFC Cup automatically earning a place in the qualifiers. The group stage was expanded from 28 to 32 teams. The first and second-placed teams in each group advanced to the knockout stage, which now included a Round of 16. The final was played as a single-legged tie at a neutral venue. The defending champions no longer received a bye to the knockout stage, nor did they automatically qualify for the tournament.
Each team was allowed to field a maximum of four foreign players this season, one of whom had to be from an AFC Member Association.
Gamba Osaka were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Kawasaki Frontale in the Round of 16.
Qualification
A total of 35 teams participated in the 2009 AFC Champions League.AFC assessment ranking
† One of the A-League clubs, Wellington Phoenix, is based in New Zealand, an OFC member country, therefore not being eligible to compete in the ACL.Allocation of entries
Below is the qualification scheme for the 2009 AFC Champions League:Qualifying play-off:
- United [Arab Emirates Football Association|United Arab Emirates], Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, India each have 1 team qualify
- 2 qualifying play-off entries
- 4 teams qualified: Japan, China, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
- 3 teams qualified: United Arab Emirates
- 2 teams qualified: Australia, Uzbekistan, Qatar
- 1 team qualified: Indonesia
Teams
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. TH means title holders.;Notes.
Schedule
;NotesGroup stage
The draw for the group stage was held on 7 January 2009 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.Each club played double round-robin against fellow three group members, a total of 6 matches each. Each team had been numbered from 1 to 4, the numbers determine the order of the fixtures.
- Match Day 1: 1 vs 4, 3 vs 2
- Match Day 2: 2 vs 1, 4 vs 3
- Match Day 3: 1 vs 3, 4 vs 2
- Match Day 4: 3 vs 1, 2 vs 4
- Match Day 5: 4 vs 1, 2 vs 3
- Match Day 6: 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4
- Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
- Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
- Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
- Goal difference in all the group matches;
- Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches;
- Kicks from the penalty mark if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play;
- Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches;
- Drawing of lots.