About AFC Club Competitions Ranking
The AFC Club Competitions Ranking is a ranking of Member Associations based on the results of all their clubs in the AFC Club Competitions over the previous eight (8) relevant Sporting Seasons. To ensure the rankings better reflect the latest sporting results, points obtained in each relevant Sporting Season have a different weighted value as below:
| Sporting Season | Weighted Value |
|---|---|
| Y | 1.0 |
| Y-1 | 0.9 |
| Y-2 | 0.8 |
| Y-3 | 0.7 |
| Y-4 | 0.6 |
| Y-5 | 0.5 |
| Y-6 | 0.4 |
| Y-7 | 0.3 |
* The 2020 Sporting Season is excluded from all point calculations and Y-8 will be included instead for such cases
The rankings determine the slot allocation of each Member Association in the forthcoming AFC Club Competitions.
The Points System
From the 2024/25 Sporting Season, each participating club is awarded points from two components, performance points and participation bonus points, as follows:
Performance points
| Stage | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Stage | Win | 0.3 |
| Draw | 0.15 | |
|
League Stage Group Stage Knockout Stage |
Win | 3 |
| Draw | 1 |
Performance points in the preliminary stage, shall be adjusted per AFC Club Competition as follows:
- ACL Two points = two-thirds (2/3) of ACL Elite points (i.e. 0.2 for win & 0.1 for draw)
- ACGL points = one-third (1/3) of ACL Elite points (i.e. 0.1 for win & 0.05 for draw)
Performance points in the league/group/knockout stage, will be adjusted according to maximum points obtainable in each competition (refer to Points calculation section)
Participation bonus points
| Stage | Points |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Stage (ACGL) | 0.5 |
| League/Group Stage | 3 |
| Round of 16 (ACLE, ACL2) | 3 |
| Quarter Finals (ACLE, ACL2) | 1.5 |
| Quarter Finals (ACGL) | 3 |
| Semi Finals | 1.5 |
| Final | 1.5 |
Participation bonus points (fixed points of 0.5 without any tier adjustments) shall only be awarded to participating clubs entering and eliminated from the ACGL Preliminary Stage. For the avoidance of doubt, no bonus points shall be awarded for participating clubs entering the ACGL Preliminary Stage and subsequently qualifying to the ACGL Group Stage, as well as participating clubs in the Preliminary Stage of ACL Elite and ACL Two, as they will receive separate points for participating in the League/Group Stage of an AFC Club Competition.
Points calculation
In consideration of the different formats and number of matches required to reach the Final of each AFC Club Competition, the calculation shall also consider the difference in maximum points obtainable by the participating club compared to the maximum points obtainable from ACL Elite in the same Sporting Season.
Based on the above, each participating club’s total points from the League/Group Stage & Knockout Stage shall be calculated as below:
- ACL Elite points = Sum of points awarded in ACL Elite
- ACL Two points = Sum of points awarded in ACL Two × (maximum points obtainable in ACL Elite ÷ maximum points obtainable in ACL Two) × 2/3
- ACGL points = Sum of points awarded in ACGL × (maximum points obtainable in ACL Elite ÷ maximum points obtainable in ACGL) × 1/3
The same principles shall apply in case of any discrepancy in the format and/or number of matches played between the participating clubs of ACL Elite. In such case, their points shall be calculated as = Sum of points awarded in the ACL Elite × (maximum points obtainable in the ACL Elite ÷ maximum points obtainable from relevant format and/or number of matches)
e.g. calculation of 2023/24 rankings points of Club A participating in ACGL
Max. Points obtainable from ACL Elite 2023/24 = 49.5Max. Points obtainable from ACGL 2023/24 = 33
Club A is awarded 15 points from ACGL 2023/24
Club A’s Points from League/Group Stage & Knockout Stage = 15 × (49.5 ÷ 33) × 1/3 = 7.5
Each Member Association’s total points for a Sporting Season shall be calculated as below:
Member Association’s points =
Sum of points of Member Association’s participating clubs in Preliminary Stage +
average points of Member Association’s participating clubs in League/Group Stage & Knockout Stage
Additional Notes
Performance points (points for win and draw) are determined based on the results at the end of normal playing time. Results of Extra Time and Penalties (Penalty Shoot-outs) shall not be taken into consideration.
In case of a tie in the total points of two (2) or more Member Associations, the following shall apply to determine the higher-ranked Member Association, in descending order:
- ranking points of the most recent Sporting Season in which the points are not equal among the Member Associations in question;
- latest applicable FIFA Rankings of the Member Associations in question at the time of the publication of the ranking
