The 2022 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs were played from 8 to 15 March 2022.[1] A total of 16 teams competed in the qualifying play-offs to decide seven of the 40 places in the group stage of the 2022 AFC Champions League.[2]
Teams
The following 14 teams, split into two regions (West Region and East Region), entered the qualifying play-offs, consisting of two rounds:
In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[2]
Schedule
The schedule of each round was as follows.[1]
Round
Match date
Preliminary round
8 March 2022
Play-off round
15 March 2022
Bracket
The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each region was determined based on each team's association ranking and their seeding within their association, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Teams from the same association could not be placed into the same tie. The seven winners of the play-off round (three from West Region and four from East Region) advanced to the group stage to join the 33 direct entrants.
^ a b cChangchun Yatai withdrew from the competition after the draw. AFC decided to cancel the play-off match, and the winner of preliminary stage, Sydney FC, automatically advanced to the group stage.[4]
^ a b c dShan United withdrew from the AFC Champions League and Melbourne Victory entered the play-off round instead of the preliminary round.[3]
References
^ a b"AFC Competitions Calendar 2022" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
^ a b"AFC Champions League 2022 Competition Regulations" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation.
^"AFC confirms the withdrawal of Myanmar clubs". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 19 January 2022.
^"Latest update on the AFC Champions League 2022". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 1 March 2022.