# 2015 AFC Champions League knockout stage

The 2015 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 19 May to 21 November 2015. A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2015 AFC Champions League.

## Qualified teams

The winners and runners-up of each of the eight groups in the group stage qualified for the knockout stage. Both West Zone and East Zone had eight teams qualified.
| Zone | Group | Winners | Runners-up |
| West Zone (Groups A–D) | A | Lekhwiya | Persepolis |
| West Zone (Groups A–D) | B | Al-Ain | Naft Tehran |
| West Zone (Groups A–D) | C | Al-Hilal | Al-Sadd |
| West Zone (Groups A–D) | D | Al-Ahli | Al-Ahli |
| East Zone (Groups E–H) | E | Kashiwa Reysol | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| East Zone (Groups E–H) | F | Gamba Osaka | Seongnam FC |
| East Zone (Groups E–H) | G | Beijing Guoan | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| East Zone (Groups E–H) | H | Guangzhou Evergrande | FC Seoul |

## Format

In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split between the two zones until the final. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.

## Schedule

The schedule of each round was as follows.
| Round | First leg | Second leg |
| Round of 16 | 19–20 May 2015 | 26–27 May 2015 |
| Quarter-finals | 25–26 August 2015 | 15–16 September 2015 |
| Semi-finals | 29–30 September 2015 | 20–21 October 2015 |
| Final | 7 November 2015 | 21 November 2015 |

## Bracket

In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group in the same zone, with the group winners hosting the second leg. The matchups are determined as follows:
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 June 2015, 16:00 UTC+8, at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Teams from different zones could not be drawn into the same tie, and there was no seeding or country protection, so teams from the same association could be drawn into the same tie.
In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined by the quarter-final draw: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2 (West Zone) and Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4 (East Zone), with winners QF2 and QF4 hosting the second leg.
In the final, the finalist from the West Zone hosted the first leg, while the finalist from the East Zone hosted the second leg (no draw was held to determine the order of legs, as it was reversed from the previous season's final).
| Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| Persepolis | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Hilal | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Hilal | 0 | 3 | 3 | Al-Hilal | 4 | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Lekhwiya | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Sadd | 1 | 2 | 3 | Lekhwiya | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Lekhwiya | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Lekhwiya | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | Al-Hilal | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | Al-Ahli | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | | | |
| Naft Tehran (a) | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | Al-Ahli | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | | | |
| Al-Ahli | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Ahli | 0 | 2 | 2 | Naft Tehran | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Al-Ahli | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Ahli (a) | 0 | 3 | 3 | Al-Ahli | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Ain | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Ain | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | Al-Ahli | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Guangzhou Evergrande | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Suwon Bluewings | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Guangzhou Evergrande | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Kashiwa Reysol (a) | 3 | 1 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Kashiwa Reysol (a) | 3 | 1 | 4 | Kashiwa Reysol | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Guangzhou Evergrande | 3 | 1 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| Seongnam FC | 2 | 0 | 2 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 3 | 1 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| Guangzhou Evergrande | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Guangzhou Evergrande | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | Guangzhou Evergrande | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | Gamba Osaka | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| Jeonbuk Motors | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | Gamba Osaka | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| Beijing Guoan | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Beijing Guoan | 1 | 0 | 1 | Jeonbuk Motors | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Gamba Osaka | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| FC Seoul | 1 | 2 | 3 | Gamba Osaka | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Gamba Osaka | 3 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Round of 16

West Zone :
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
East Zone :
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |

### Second leg

4–4 on aggregate. Kashiwa Reysol won on away goals.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors won 2–1 on aggregate.
Lekhwiya won 4–3 on aggregate.
Al-Hilal won 3–1 on aggregate.
Gamba Osaka won 6–3 on aggregate.
Guangzhou Evergrande won 3–2 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate. Al-Ahli won on away goals.
2–2 on aggregate. Naft Tehran won on away goals.

## Quarter-finals

West Zone :
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
East Zone :
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |

### First leg
#### Notes

* ^ Al-Hilal played their quarter-final home match behind closed doors due to crowd trouble.

### Second leg

Guangzhou Evergrande won 4–2 on aggregate.
Al-Hilal won 6–3 on aggregate.
Gamba Osaka won 3–2 on aggregate.
Al-Ahli won 3–1 on aggregate.

## Semi-finals

West Zone :
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
East Zone :
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |

### Second leg

Al-Ahli won 4–3 on aggregate.
Guangzhou Evergrande won 2–1 on aggregate.

## Final

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Al-Ahli | 0–1 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 0–0 | 0–1 |
Guangzhou Evergrande won 1–0 on aggregate.