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Organising body | AFC |
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Founded | 2004 | (as AFC Cup)
Region | Asia |
Number of teams | 32 (group stage) |
Qualifier for | AFC Champions League Elite |
Related competitions | AFC Champions League Elite (1st tier) AFC Challenge League (3rd tier) |
Current champions | ![]() |
Most successful club(s) | ![]() ![]() (3 titles each) |
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The AFC Champions League Two (previously known as the AFC Cup, abbreviated as the ACL Two) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC Champions League Elite and above the AFC Challenge League.
The tournament was founded in 2004 as the AFC Cup, which was played primarily among clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying slots to the top-tier AFC Champions League. In 2024, the AFC introduced a revamped second-tier club competition under the name AFC Champions League Two, with the records and statistics of the AFC Cup transferring to the new competition.
Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in national leagues and cup competitions. Participation in the competition is open to clubs from the top 12 nations in the East and the West region based on the AFC club competitions ranking. The participant from each nation ranked 1–6 in each region is the highest-placed club in that nation that did not qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite. The nations ranked 7–12 in each region enter their top club(s) directly to the AFC Champions League Two.
The current champions are Central Coast Mariners, who defeated Al-Ahed in the 2024 final. Al-Kuwait and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya are the most successful clubs in the competition's history, having won three titles each. Clubs from Kuwait have won four titles, making them the most successful nation in the competition.
The winner of the AFC Champions League Two will be allocated an indirect preliminary stage slot for the next season of AFC Champions League Elite, if they have not already qualified through their domestic performance.
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