Madexing Decodes the AFC Elite League Format: Mimics Swiss System, Country Avoidance, and Drawing of Eight League Opponents

On August 5, Madexing provided an in-depth analysis of the format for the inaugural AFC Elite League season (2024-25).

Firstly, the AFC Elite League adopts a league system, with separate East and West Asia divisions, each consisting of 12 teams. During the league stage, each team will play eight matches, including four home games and four away games. The final standings in both the East and West Asia groups are determined by total points, similar to the “Swiss system.” However, unlike the Swiss system, the eight opponents for each team, except for the first round which is decided by a draw, are all determined in advance at the AFC’s drawing ceremony on August 16.

The AFC divides the 12 teams in each division into two tiers, with each team playing four games against teams in the same tier and another four against teams in the other tier. Each opponent is determined by a draw.

The tiers are as follows:

Tier One: Kobe Victory Vessel (Japan), Ulsan HD (South Korea), Shanghai Port (China), Buriram United (Thailand), Central Coast Mariners (Australia), Johor Darul Ta’zim (Malaysia);

Tier Two: Kawasaki Frontale (Japan), Pohang Steelers (South Korea), Shanghai Shenhua (China), Yokohama F. Marinos (Japan), Gwangju FC (South Korea), Play-off Winner (Shandong Taishan or Bangkok United).

In terms of the draw, the AFC follows the principle of country avoidance, meaning that teams from the same country cannot meet during the “league stage” or “group stage.”

Madexing provides an example: “Taking Shanghai Port as an example, because there could be two Chinese Super League teams in the second tier, and they need to play four games against teams in this tier, it means they must face both Japanese and South Korean teams in the second tier; while facing four out of the five other teams in their own tier through a draw, which could include more Japanese and South Korean teams. This means Shanghai Port will face three Japanese and South Korean teams consecutively.”

“For Shanghai Shenhua, as a second-tier team, if Shandong Taishan advances to the main tournament, since they need to play four games against other second-tier teams, it means they will face both Japanese and South Korean teams; while playing one game against four out of the five other teams in the first tier, excluding Shanghai Port, which could include a Japanese or South Korean team, or perhaps only drawing the Japanese champions Kobe Victory Vessel and avoiding the South Korean champions Ulsan HD, or vice versa. The situation is the same for Shandong Taishan.”

After completing the eight league stage matches, the top eight teams in each division advance to the Round of 16. The Round of 16 follows a home-and-away system, with matchups determined by the league stage rankings: East Asia #1 vs #8, #2 vs #7, #3 vs #6, and #4 vs #5. The lower-ranked teams play at home first, followed by the higher-ranked teams in the second leg.

Following the Round of 16, the eight remaining teams will travel to Saudi Arabia for a centralized knockout tournament. The draw will determine the matchups, with East Asian teams guaranteed to face West Asian teams in the quarterfinals. All matches in the knockout stage are single-elimination.

Finally, Madexing notes that the reformatted AFC Elite League will significantly increase the likelihood of Chinese teams facing Japanese and South Korean opponents, and the intensity of the matches will also rise. Therefore, the drawing ceremony on August 16 is crucial, as it not only determines the opponents but also the order of home and away fixtures.