The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), soccer’s governing body in the region, has confirmed that the AFC Champions League top-tier continental tournament and the second-tier AFC Cup will be played from autumn to spring from the 2023-24 season, rather than spring to autumn as is currently the case.
The decision, approved by the AFC Executive Committee, is said to have been taken following a “comprehensive feasibility study” and a consultation and feedback exercise with the AFC’s member associations.
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It is one of a series of reforms announced aimed at helping to continue the growth of the two competitions, which the AFC says has been “exponential” over the last decade.
The 2021 AFC Champions League, including the qualifying stages, ran from April to November and the AFC Cup from April to August.
Once the changes are enacted, the tournaments will begin towards the end of the year and will be completed the following year.
The executive committee also approved the recommendation by the AFC's Competitions Committee to stage the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2022 Asian Playoff in Doha, Qatar on June 7, 2022.
The venue and kick-off time will be confirmed at a later date.
Elsewhere, it has also approved the recommendation by the organization's Social Responsibility Committee to retain and allocate 5% of the prize money from the champions and runners-up of AFC competitions including the AFC Champions League and AFC Women’s Asian Cup to the AFC Dream Asia Foundation.
