2021 AFC Champions League knockout stage

The 2021 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 13 September to 23 November 2021.[1] A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2021 AFC Champions League.[2]

Qualified teams

The group winners and three best runners-up in the group stage from each region advanced to the round of 16, with both West Region (Groups A–E) and East Region (Groups F–J) having eight qualified teams.

Region Group Winners Runners-up
(best three from each region)
West Region A Istiklol Al-Hilal
B Sharjah Tractor
C Esteghlal —
D Al-Nassr —
E Persepolis Al-Wahda
East Region F Ulsan Hyundai BG Pathum United
G Nagoya Grampus Pohang Steelers
H Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors —
I Kawasaki Frontale Daegu FC
J Cerezo Osaka —


Combination table

If two group winners played each other, the group winner marked with * hosted the match.[3]

Format

In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split into the two regions until the final. All ties were played as a single-leg match (Regulations Article 9.1).[4] Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winners if necessary (Regulations Article 9.3 and 10.1).[2]

Schedule

The schedule of each round was as follows.[1]

Round Date
Round of 16 13–15 September 2021
Quarter-finals 16–17 October 2021
Semi-finals 19–20 October 2021
Final 23 November 2021

Bracket

The bracket of the knockout stage was determined as follows:

Round Format
Round of 16

Matchups within East region and West region decided by a series of permutations,
based upon the three best runner-ups who qualified

Quarter-finals Matchups decided by a draw
  • QF West 1
  • QF West 2
  • QF East 1
  • QF East 2
Semi-finals
  • SF West: Winners of QF West 1 vs. Winners of QF West 2
  • SF East: Winners of QF East 1 vs. Winners of QF East 2
Final
  • Winners of SF West vs. Winners of SF East


 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
              
 
14 September – Sharjah
 
 
 Sharjah1 (4)
 
16 October – Riyadh (Mrsool)
 
 Al Wahda (p)1 (5)
 
 Al Wahda1
 
14 September – Al Rayyan (Qatar)
 
 Al-Nassr5
 
 Al Nassr1
 
19 October – Riyadh (Mrsool)
 
 Tractor0
 
 Al-Nassr1
 
14 September – Dushanbe
 
 Al-Hilal2
 
 Istiklol0
 
16 October – Riyadh (Prince)
 
 Persepolis1
 
 Persepolis0
 
13 September – Dubai (UAE)
 
 Al-Hilal3
 
 Esteghlal0
 
23 November – Riyadh (King)
 
 Al-Hilal2
 
 Al-Hilal2
 
15 September – Jeonju
 
 Pohang Steelers0
 
 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (p)1 (4)
 
17 October – Jeonju
 
 BG Pathum United1 (2)
 
 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors2
 
14 September – Ulsan
 
 Ulsan Hyundai (a.e.t.)3
 
 Ulsan Hyundai (p)0 (3)
 
20 October – Jeonju
 
 Kawasaki Frontale0 (2)
 
 Ulsan Hyundai1 (4)
 
15 September – Osaka
 
 Pohang Steelers (p)1 (5)
 
 Cerezo Osaka0
 
17 October – Jeonju
 
 Pohang Steelers1
 
 Pohang Steelers3
 
14 September – Toyota
 
 Nagoya Grampus0
 
 Nagoya Grampus4
 
 
 Daegu FC2
 

Round of 16

Summary

The round of 16 was played over one leg, with the matchups determined by the combination tables based on which group runners-up qualified.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Istiklol 0–1 Persepolis
Sharjah 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p) 		Al-Wahda
Esteghlal 0–2 Al-Hilal
Al-Nassr 1–0 Tractor
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Ulsan Hyundai 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 p) 		Kawasaki Frontale
Nagoya Grampus 4–2 Daegu FC
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p) 		BG Pathum United
Cerezo Osaka 0–1 Pohang Steelers

West Region

Istiklol 0–1 Persepolis
Live Report
Stats Report		 Torabi 90'
Attendance: 17,200
Sharjah 1–1 (a.e.t.) Al-Wahda
Bernard 58' Live Report
Stats Report		 Kharbin 56'
Penalties
 4–5
Attendance: 2,100
Esteghlal 0–2 Al-Hilal
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 0
Referee: Fu Ming (China)
Al-Nassr 1–0 Tractor
Aboubakar 11' Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 0
Referee: Kim Dae-yong (South Korea)

East Region

Nagoya Grampus 4–2 Daegu FC
 Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 5,442
Cerezo Osaka 0–1 Pohang Steelers
Live Report
Stats Report		 Lee Seung-mo 25'
Attendance: 3,156

Quarter-finals

Summary

The quarter-finals were played over one leg, with the matchups and home team decided by draw held on 17 September at 15:00 (UTC+8) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Wahda 1–5 Al-Nassr
Persepolis 0–3 Al-Hilal
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2–3 (a.e.t.) Ulsan Hyundai
Pohang Steelers 3–0 Nagoya Grampus


West Region

Al-Wahda 1–5 Al-Nassr
Matar 90+3' Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 20,477
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
Persepolis 0–3 Al-Hilal
Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 14,877
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

East Region

Pohang Steelers 3–0 Nagoya Grampus
 Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 989

Semi-finals

Summary

The semi-finals were played over one leg.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Region
Al-Nassr 1–2 Al-Hilal
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Region
Ulsan Hyundai 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p) 		Pohang Steelers

West Region

Al-Nassr 1–2 Al-Hilal
Talisca 50' Live Report
Stats Report
Attendance: 23,985

East Region

Final

Main article: 2021 AFC Champions League final

The final was played over a single leg on 23 November. The host was determined on a rotational basis, with the match hosted by team from the West Region in odd-numbered years (Regulations 9.1.2).[2]

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b "AFC Competitions Calendar 2021". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 27 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "2021 AFC Champions League Competition Regulations" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  3. ^ "ACL 2021 Draw Mechanism". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 26 January 2021 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "Latest update on the AFC Club Competitions in 2021 and 2022". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
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