# 2010 AFC Champions League

The 2010 AFC Champions League was the 29th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 8th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final was held at the National Stadium in Tokyo on 13 November 2010. The winner, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, qualified for the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup in UAE.

## Qualification

The preliminary qualification scheme for the AFC 2010 was released in 2008. A total of 38 clubs were due to participate in the 2010 AFC Champions League (eventually reduced to 37).

### AFC assessment ranking

* Meet the criteria
* Do not meet the criteria
$^†$ 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
#### Qualifying play-off (8 teams)

* United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Vietnam each have 1 team qualify
* 2009 AFC Cup finalists
    However, Al Kuwait, the 2009 AFC Cup winners, were removed as their league did not meet the Champions League criteria.

#### Group stage (32 teams)

* 2 qualifying play-off winners
* 4 teams qualified: Iran, China PR, Japan, Korea Republic, 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 (including qualifying rounds), when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League. TH means title holders.
West Asia (Groups A–D) :
| Team | Qualifying method | App* | Last App |
| Esteghlal | 2008–09 Persian Gulf Cup champions | 3rd | 2009 |
| Zob Ahan | 2008–09 Persian Gulf Cup runners-up 2008–09 Hazfi Cup winners | 2nd | 2004 |
| Mes Kerman | 2008–09 Persian Gulf Cup 3rd place | 1st | none |
| Sepahan | 2008–09 Persian Gulf Cup 4th place | 6th | 2009 |
| Al-Ittihad | 2008–09 Saudi Professional League champions | 6th | 2009 |
| Al-Shabab | 2009 King Cup of Champions winners | 5th | 2009 |
| Al-Hilal | 2008–09 Saudi Professional League runners-up | 6th | 2009 |
| Al-Ahli | 2008–09 Saudi Professional League 3rd place | 4th | 2008 |
| Al-Ahli | 2008–09 UAE Pro-League champions | 4th | 2009 |
| Al-Ain | 2008–09 UAE Presidents Cup winners | 6th | 2007 |
| Al-Jazira | 2008–09 UAE Pro-League runners-up | 2nd | 2009 |
| Al-Gharafa | 2008–09 Qatar Stars League champions 2009 Emir of Qatar Cup winners | 5th | 2009 |
| Al-Sadd | 2008–09 Qatar Stars League runners-up | 7th | 2008 |
| Bunyodkor | 2009 Uzbek League champions | 3rd | 2009 |
| Pakhtakor | 2009 Uzbekistani Cup winners | 8th | 2009 |
| Qualifying play-off participants ||||
| Churchill Brothers | 2008–09 I-League champions | 2nd | 2002–03 |
| Al-Karamah | 2009 AFC Cup runners-up | 4th | 2008 |
| Al-Wahda | 2008–09 UAE Pro-League 4th place | 5th | 2008 |
East Asia (Groups E–H) :
| Team | Qualifying method | App* | Last App |
| Beijing Guoan | 2009 Chinese Super League champions | 3rd | 2009 |
| Changchun Yatai | 2009 Chinese Super League runners-up | 2nd | 2008 |
| Henan Jianye | 2009 Chinese Super League 3rd place | 1st | none |
| Shandong Luneng Taishan | 2009 Chinese Super League 4th place | 4th | 2009 |
| Kashima Antlers | 2009 J. League Division 1 champions | 4th | 2009 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2009 J. League Division 1 runners-up | 3rd | 2009 |
| Gamba Osaka | 2009 J. League Division 1 3rd place 2009–10 Emperor's Cup winners | 4th | 2009 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 2009 J. League Division 1 4th place | 1st | none |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2009 K-League champions | 4th | 2007 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2009 Korean FA Cup winners | 3rd | 2009 |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 2009 K-League runners-up | 4th | 2007 |
| Pohang Steelers | 2009 K-League 3rd place | 3rd | 2009 |
| Melbourne Victory | 2008–09 A-League premiers 2009 A-League Grand Final winners | 2nd | 2008 |
| Adelaide United | 2008–09 A-League regular season runners-up | 3rd | 2008 |
| Persipura Jayapura | 2008–09 Indonesia Super League champions | 1st | none |
| Qualifying play-off participants ||||
| Sriwijaya | 2008–09 Copa Indonesia winners | 2nd | 2009 |
| Singapore Armed Forces | 2009 S.League champions | 2nd | 2009 |
| Muangthong United | 2009 Thai Premier League champions | 1st | none |
| Đà Nẵng | 2009 V-League champions | 2nd | 2006 |
* Number of appearances (including qualifying rounds) since the 2002/03 season, when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League

## Schedule

The ACL 2010 schedule was released on 17 July 2009. It will have the same format as the 2009 AFC Champions League.
| Date | Event |
| 7 December | Draw for qualifying play-off, group stage, and round of 16 |
| 30 January | Qualifying play-off semi-finals |
| 6 February | Qualifying play-off finals |
| 23–24 February | Group stage Match Day 1 |
| 9–10 March | Group stage Match Day 2 |
| 23–24 March | Group stage Match Day 3 |
| 30–31 March | Group stage Match Day 4 |
| 13–14 April | Group stage Match Day 5 |
| Date | Event |
| 27–28 April | Group stage Match Day 6 |
| 11–12 May | Round of 16 |
| 25 May | Draw for remaining rounds |
| 15 September | Quarter-finals 1st leg |
| 22 September | Quarter-finals 2nd leg |
| 6 October | Semi-finals 1st leg |
| 20 October | Semi-finals 2nd leg |
| 13 November | Final (National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan) |

## Qualifying play-off

The teams have been divided into two zones. East has four teams while West has three after AFC Cup champions Kuwait SC's failure to fulfil the criteria set by AFC to compete in the play-offs. The draw for the qualifying play-off was held on 7 December 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All losers from the qualifying play-off will enter the 2010 AFC Cup.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| West Asia Semi-final |||
| Al-Karamah | 0–1 | Al-Wahda |
| West Asia Final |||
| Al-Wahda | 5–2 | Churchill Brothers |
| East Asia Semi-finals |||
| Singapore Armed Forces | 3–0 | Sriwijaya |
| SHB Đà Nẵng | 0–3 | Muangthong United |
| East Asia Final |||
| Singapore Armed Forces | 0–0 (aet)(4–3p) | Muangthong United |

## Group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 7 December 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Each club plays double round-robin (home and away) against fellow three group members, a total of 6 matches each. Clubs receive 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked according to points and tie breakers are in following order:
* Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
* Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned; (Away goals do not apply)
* Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned; (Away goals do not apply)
* 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; (1 point for each yellow card, 3 points for each red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for each direct red card, 4 points for each yellow card followed by a direct red card)
* Drawing of lots.
Winners and runners-up of each group will qualify for the next round.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | GHA | EST | AHL | JAZ |
| 1 | Al-Gharafa | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 3–2 | 4–2 |
| 2 | Esteghlal | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | 3–0 | — | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| 3 | Al-Ahli | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 6 | | 0–1 | 1–2 | — | 5–1 |
| 4 | Al-Jazira | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 14 | −8 | 4 | | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | — |

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ZOB | BUN | ITT | WAH |
| 1 | Zob Ahan | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Bunyodkor | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | 0–1 | — | 3–0 | 4–1 |
| 3 | Al-Ittihad Jeddah | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 8 | | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 4–0 |
| 4 | Al-Wahda | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 3 | | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — |

### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SHB | PAK | SEP | AIN |
| 1 | Al-Shabab | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 |
| 2 | Pakhtakor | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–3 | — | 2–1 | 3–2 |
| 3 | Sepahan | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 8 | | 1–0 | 2–0 | — | 0–0 |
| 4 | Al-Ain | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 7 | | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | HIL | MES | SAD | AHL |
| 1 | Al-Hilal | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| 2 | Mes Kerman | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | 3–1 | — | 3–1 | 4–2 |
| 3 | Al-Sadd | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 8 | | 0–3 | 4–1 | — | 2–2 |
| 4 | Al-Ahli | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 16 | −7 | 5 | | 2–3 | 2–1 | 0–5 | — |

### Group E

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SEO | BEI | KAW | MEL |
| 1 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 15 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 |
| 2 | Beijing Guoan | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Kawasaki Frontale | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 6 | | 3–0 | 1–3 | — | 4–0 |
| 4 | Melbourne Victory | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 4 | | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — |

### Group F

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | KAS | JEO | CHA | JAY |
| 1 | Kashima Antlers | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 18 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 5–0 |
| 2 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 8–0 |
| 3 | Changchun Yatai | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 3 | | 0–1 | 1–2 | — | 9–0 |
| 4 | Persipura Jayapura | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 29 | −25 | 3 | | 1–3 | 1–4 | 2–0 | — |

### Group G

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SUW | OSA | SAF | HEN |
| 1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–0 | 6–2 | 2–0 |
| 2 | Gamba Osaka | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | 2–1 | — | 3–0 | 1–1 |
| 3 | Singapore Armed Forces | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 16 | −10 | 4 | | 0–2 | 2–4 | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Henan Jianye | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 3 | | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — |

### Group H

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ADE | POH | HIR | SHA |
| 1 | Adelaide United | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 |
| 2 | Pohang Steelers | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 9 | | 1–0 | 4–3 | — | 0–1 |
| 4 | Shandong Luneng | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 6 | | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | — |

## Knockout stage
### Bracket

| Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final | |
| Adelaide United | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Jeonbuk Motors (a.e.t.) | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Jeonbuk Motors (a.e.t.) | 3 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Al-Shabab | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Shabab | 3 | Al-Shabab | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Esteghlal | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Esteghlal | 2 | | | | | Al-Shabab | 4 | 0 | 4 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Seongnam Ihwa (a) | 3 | 1 | 4 | | | | |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 3 | | | | | | | | | Seongnam Ihwa (a) | 3 | 1 | 4 | | |
| Gamba Osaka | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gamba Osaka | 0 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 4 | 0 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Beijing Guoan | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Beijing Guoan | 0 | | | | | | | | | | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 3 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | Zob Ahan | 1 | |
| Zob Ahan | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | Zob Ahan | 1 |
| Mes Kerman | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mes Kerman | 0 | Zob Ahan | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Pohang Steelers | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Kashima Antlers | 0 | Pohang Steelers | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Pohang Steelers | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pohang Steelers | 1 | | | | | Zob Ahan | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Al-Hilal | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | |
| Al-Hilal | 3 | | | | | | | | | Al-Hilal | 0 | 0 | 0 | | |
| Bunyodkor | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Bunyodkor | 0 | Al-Hilal (a.e.t.) | 3 | 2 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Al-Gharafa | 0 | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Gharafa | 1 | Al-Gharafa | 0 | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Pakhtakor | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Round of 16

The draw for the round of 16 was held on 7 December 2009, along with the draw for the qualifying play-off and group stage. The matches were played on 11 and 12 May 2010.
West Asia :
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
East Asia :
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |

### Quarter-finals

The draw for the remaining rounds was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 25 May 2010. Because of the country protection rule, if there are two clubs from the same country, they will not face each other in the quarter-finals. Therefore, the two clubs from Saudi Arabia may not be drawn with each other in the quarter-finals. However, the same rule does not apply if there are more than two clubs from the country. Therefore, the four clubs from the Korea Republic may be drawn with each other in the quarter-finals.
The first legs were played on 15 September, and the second legs were played on 22 September 2010.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Al-Hilal | 5–4 | Al-Gharafa | 3–0 | 2–4 (aet) |
| Zob Ahan | 3–2 | Pohang Steelers | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1–2 | Al-Shabab | 0–2 | 1–0 |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 4–3 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 4–1 | 0–2 |

### Semi-finals

The first legs were played on 5 and 6 October, and the second legs were played on 20 October 2010.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Al-Shabab | 4–4 (a) | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 4–3 | 0–1 |
| Zob Ahan | 2–0 | Al-Hilal | 1–0 | 1–0 |

### Final

The final was played on 13 November 2010. It was a one-leg match played at the National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan.

## Top scorers

Note: Goals scored in qualifying round not counted.
| Rank | Player | Club | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | R16 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | 0 F 0 | Total |
| 1 | José Mota | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | | | | | 9 |
| 2 | Mauricio Molina | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 1 | | | 1 | | | 2 | 1 | | 2 | | 7 |
| 3 | Denilson | FC Bunyodkor | 1 | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | | | 5 |
| 3 | Mohammad Reza Khalatbari | Zob Ahan | | | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | | 1 | | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Farhad Majidi | Esteghlal | 2 | | 2 | | | 1 | | | | | | 5 |
| 3 | Leandro | Al-Sadd | | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | | | 5 |
| 3 | Flávio | Al-Shabab | | 2 | | 2 | | 1 | | | | | | 5 |
| 3 | Araújo | Al-Gharafa | | 1 | | | 3 | | 1 | | | | | 5 |
| 3 | Eninho | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | | 1 | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | | 5 |
| 3 | Mehdi Rajabzadeh | Mes Kerman / Zob Ahan | 2 | | | | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | | | 5 |
| 3 | Yasser Al-Qahtani | Al-Hilal | 2 | 1 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | 5 |