All winners of AFC Champions League

Asian football clubs have been competing with each other since 1967. During all these years, the format of the AFC Champions League has changed several times, some new clubs have been founded and qualified for the tournament, and some other teams have dissolved. The most successful team in the ACL is Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia with three trophies and 12 finals, the 2nd team is Pohang Steelers from South Korea with three titles and three finals, and the third team is Esteghlal from Iran with two trophies and four finals. 

Having a look at the history of this tournament, we can see that many clubs have made it to become the champions of Asia. Here we have provided a list of AFC Champions League winners.

All winners of AFC Champions League

In this article, we are going to have a look at the AFC Champions League all winners. Stay with us and keep reading the article.

Hapoel Tel Aviv

The first club among

all winners of AFC Champions League

is

. Based in the Israeli capital, Hapoel is a football club that was founded in 1923. Their nicknames are “The Red Diamonds” and “The Worker”. Israeli teams had competed with the Asian teams until 1977 before they were sent off the AFC.

Hapoel became the first club to win the AFC Champions League in 1967, as they beat Selangor, a Malaysian team, in the final match.

Maccabi Tel Aviv  

The next Israeli team in the

AFC Champions League all time winners

is

. It is the oldest football club in Israel, which was founded in 1906 in Jaffa as the HaRishon Le Zion-Yafo Association. When the city of Tel Aviv was established, the club changed its name to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The yellow ones have won 23 Israeli championships, 24 State Cup, 2 AFC Champions League, 7 Toto Cup, 7 Israeli Super Cup and 2 Lilian Cup titles.

In the 1969 AFC Champions League, Maccabi competed in group B against Toyo Kogyo, Persepolis, Perak FA and Kowloon Motor Bus. They made it to the semi-finals as the first team of group B with 2 wins and 2 stalemates.

In the semi-finals, the yellow ones beat Mysore State, the representative of India, and in the final match, they defeated the Korean team, Yangzee FC.

 In 1971, Maccabi played against Al Shorta, Bangkok Bank FC and FC Punjab Police in group B and made it to the semi-finals as the first team. After beating ROK Army from South Korea, they became the champions of Asia with a win over Al Shorta in the final.

 Busan IPark  

Going over the

AFC Champions League all winners

, the name of

is seen, the team which currently competes in K League 2. The reds of Busan have won 4 K League titles, 1 Korean FA Cup and 1 AFC Champions League title.

In the 1985/86 season, Busan IPark, which was called Daewoo Royals, won the Champions League title and made it to the list of AFC Champions League winners. They competed in Group B and after 2 wins over Al Ittihad Aleppo and Bangkok Bank FC, they made it to the semi-finals.

After beating Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian, the representative of Indonesia, Daewoo Royals made it to the final. As they defeated Al Ahli Jeddah, the Saudi Arabian team, they became the champions of Asia.

JEF United Chiba  

The next team among the AFC Champions League all time winners is the Japanese team,

, which was founded in 1946. This Japanese football club, which is based in Chiba city, currently competes in the J2 League. Their nickname is Inu, which means “The Dogs”.

JEF United Chiba has won 7 league titles, 4 Emperor’s Cup, 1 Japanese Super Cup and 1 AFC Champions League title.

In 1986, the name of this Japanese club was Furukawa Electric FC. They won the Champions League, winning all of their matches against Selangor FA, Hap Kuan, Al Talaba, Liaoning FC and Al Hilal.

Tokyo Verdy

is a Japanese football club which is based in Tokyo. This club was founded in 1969. Having won a total of 25 titles, Verdy is one of the most decorated clubs in Japan. They have won 8 league titles, 1 Champions League and 5 Emperor’s Cup titles.

In 1987, under the name of Yomiuri FC, they made it to the list of AFC Champions League all winners. During the title, they played against South China AA, Federal Territory, Kazma SC, August 1 and the final match didn’t occur because 9 of the Al Hilal players were chosen for the Saudi team’s preparation camp. Therefore, Yomiuri FC won the title.

Kashima Antlers

Going over the

list of AFC Champions League winners

, the name of this Japanese club is seen.

is a club that is based in Kashima, Ibaraki, part of the Greater Tokyo Area and was founded in 1947. They have won 8 J League titles, 6 J League Cup, 6 Japanese Super Cup and AFC Champions League and 5 Emperor’s Cup titles.

In 2018, Kashima Antlers won the Champions League title. They went on the pitch against Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Sydney FC and Shanghai Shenhua in group H. in the knockout stage, this Japanese team beat Shanghai SIPG, Tianjin Quanjian, Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Persepolis.   

Al Ain

The next team on our list for the AFC Champions League all winners is Al Ain, which was founded in 1968 and is based in the city of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. They have won 13 Pro League, 7 President’s Cup, 1 League Cup and 5 Super Cup titles.

Al Ain made it to become one of the all winners of AFC Champions League in 2003. They played against Al Sadd, Esteghlal and Al Hilal in the group stage and made it to the knockout stage as the first team of their group. Al Ain beat Dalian Shide and BEC Tero Sasana in the knockout stage and won the title.

Ulsan Hyundai

is a Korean football club which is based in Ulsan and was established in 1983. Their nickname is “The Tigers”. Ulsan Hyundai competes in the K League and they have won 5 Korean League Cup titles, 1 Korean FA Cup, 1 Korean Super Cup, 2 K League titles and 2 AFC Champions League titles.

They became the champions of Asia in 2012 and 2020. In 2012, they competed with FC Tokyo, Brisbane Roar and Beijing Guoan in group F. In the knockout stage, the tigers beat Kashiwa Reysol, Al Hilal, Bunyodkor and Al Ahli.

In 2020, Ulsan Hyundai played against FC Tokyo, Shanghai Shenhua and Perth Glory in group F. After defeating Melbourne Victory, Beijing FC and Vissel Kobe, they beat Persepolis in the final match.

Guangzhou FC   

The next team among the

AFC Champions League all winners

is

, which is based in Guangzhou. The club was founded in 1954 and its nickname is “South China Tigers”. They have won 2 Chinese FA Cup titles, 4 Chinese FA Super Cup, 8 Chinese Super League and 2 AFC Champions League titles. 

In 2013, the South China tigers went on the pitch against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Urawa Red Diamonds and Muangthong United in group F. They made it to the knockout stage as the first team of their group and after defeating Central Coast Mariners, Lekhwiya and Kashiwa Reysol they made it to the final. Guangzhou beat FC Seoul in the final and they won the title.

In 2015, the South China tigers played against FC Seoul, Western Sydney Wanderers and Kashima Antlers in group H and advanced to the knockout stage as the first team. After beating Seongnam FC, Kashiwa Reysol and Gamba Osaka, Guangzhou advanced to the final and they became the champions of Asia as they beat Al Ahli.

Al Sadd

The next team on our list for the AFC Champions League all winners is Al Sadd. Their current manager is Xavi Hernandez, the former footballer of FC Barcelona. The club is based in the Al Sadd district of the city of Doha and was founded in 1969.

The wolves have won 15 Qatar Stars League titles, 17 Emir of Qatar Cup, 8 Qatar Cup, 15 Qatar Super Cup and 2 Qatar Stars Cup. Winning all these titles, Al Sadd is the most successful club in the country and is the only Qatari team to win the AFC Champions League title, as they did it twice in 1989 and 2011.     

In 1989, the wolves competed with Al Rasheed, Al Futowa and Al Ansar in group 1. In the next level they played against Al Ittifaq, April 25, Mohammedan SC and Pahang FA in group B, as the format of the Champions League was different at that time. Al Sadd made it to the final match and after defeating Al Rasheed, they won the Champions League.

In 2011, the wolves played against Al Nassr, Esteghlal and Pakhtakor in group B and made it to the knockout stage as the first team of their group. They beat Al Shabab, Sepahan and Suwon Samsung Bluewings and advanced to the final. Al Sadd defeated Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the final match and became made it to the list of AFC Champions League all winners.

Al Ittihad   

is also among the AFC Champions League all time winners. This club is based in Jeddah and was established in 1927. The blackyellows of Saudi Arabia has won 8 Saudi Pro League titles, 9 King Cup, 3 Saudi Federation Cup, 8 Crown Prince Cup, 1 Saudi Association Cup, and 2 AFC Champions League titles.

Al Ittihad made it to become the champions of Asia in 2004 and 2005. In 2004, they played with Sepahan, Al Arabi and Neftchi and advanced to the knockout stage as the first team of the group D. After beating Dalian Shide and they made it to the final match and won the title with a win over Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.

Due to the format of the AFC Champions League in 2005, Al Ittihad, the team which had won the title the previous year, entered the competition in the quarter-finals. They defeated Shandong Luneng Taishan, Busan IPark and Al Ain and became the champions of Asia.

Esteghlal FC

The next team among the

AFC Champions League all winners

is

, which is based in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The club was founded in 1945 and the nicknames of which are “Taj”, “Capital Blues” and “SS”. Esteghlal is the first team to reach 1000 points in Persian Gulf Pro League. 

The blues of the capital have won 8 Persian Gulf Pro League and 7 Hazfi Cup titles. They have won 2 AFC Champions League titles and are the most successful Iranian club in this tournament.

In 1970, Esteghlal, under name of Taj, were in group A with Homenetmen, Selangor FA and Saunders SC. They advanced to the semi-final as the first team of their group, due to the format of the tournament in that season.

After beating PSMS Medan in the semi-finals and Hapoel Tel Aviv in the final, Taj became the champions of Asia.

In 1991, Esteghlal competed with Al Sadd in group 2 and after playing against April 25, Mohammedan SC and Bangkok Bank FC in group B in the next level, they defeated Pelita Jaya Jakarta and advanced to the final. Esteghlal won the title after a win over Liaoning FC.

Pohang Steelers   

is another club that is among the AFC Champions League all winners. The club is based in Pohang. This South Korean club was established in 1973 and they have won 5 K League titles, 1 President’s Cup, 4 Korean FA Cup and 3 AFC Champions League titles.

In 1997, Pohang Steelers won all their matches except a match against Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma which ended 0-0. These Korean teams competed again in the final game and Pohang Steelers won the title.

In 1998, this Korean club won all of their matches again except one match against Dalian Wanda, in which they lost 2-1. These teams played again in the final and the Koreans won in the penalty kicks.

In 2009, they competed with Kawasaki Frontale, Tianjin Teda and Central Coast Mariners in group H and made it to the knockout stage as the first team of their group. After beating Newcastle Jets, Bunyodkor and Umm-Salal, Pohang Steelers made it to the final and after a win over Al Ittihad, they became the champions of Asia.

Al Hilal

The next team on our list for the AFC Champions League all winners is

, which is the most successful club in this tournament with 3 titles and 12 finals over Pohang Steelers with 3 titles and 3 finals. Al Hilal is based in Riadh and was founded in 1957. The blues of Saudi Arabia have won 17 league titles, 9 King Cup, 13 Crown Prince Cup, 7 Federation Cup and 2 Super Cup titles.

 In 1991, Al Hilal played against Esteghlal and April 25 in group B and made it to the semi-finals as the first team. In the semi-finals, they beat Al Shabab and after defeating Esteghlal in the final, the blues of Saudi Arabia became the champions of Asia.

In 2000, Al Hilal won all of their games except a stalemate against Persepolis and after defeating Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the semi-finals, they made it to the final. They became the champions of Asia after a win over Júbilo Iwata.

In 2019, the blues of Saudi Arabia competed with Al Duhail, Esteghlal and Al Ain and advanced to the knockout stage as the first team of the group C. they beat Al Ahli, Al Ittihad and Al Sadd and in the final match, they defeated Urawa Red Diamonds.

This was our article on all champions of Asia. Thanks for reading. Do YOU want to add any other clubs? Let us know in the comments section.   

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