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.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

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.

See Also:

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.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

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.