2019 AFC Champions League knockout stage


The 2019 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 18 June to 24 November 2019. A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2019 AFC Champions League.

Qualified teams

The winners and runners-up of each of the eight groups in the group stage advanced to the round of 16, with both West Region and East Region having eight qualified teams.
RegionGroupWinnersRunners-up
West RegionA Zob Ahan Al-Nassr
West RegionB Al-Wahda Al-Ittihad
West RegionC Al-Hilal Al-Duhail
West RegionD Al-Sadd Al-Ahli
East RegionE Shandong Luneng Kashima Antlers
East RegionF Sanfrecce Hiroshima Guangzhou Evergrande
East RegionG Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Urawa Red Diamonds
East RegionH Ulsan Hyundai Shanghai SIPG

Format


In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split into the two regions until the final. Each tie is played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.

Schedule

The schedule of each round is as follows. Up to the semi-finals, matches in the West Region were played on Mondays and Tuesdays, while matches in the East Region were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
RoundFirst legSecond leg
Round of 1618–19 June 2019, 5–6 August 2019 25–26 June 2019, 12–13 August 2019
Quarter-finals26–28 August 201916–18 September 2019
Semi-finals1–2 October 201922–23 October 2019
Final9 November 201924 November 2019

Bracket

The bracket of the knockout stage was determined as follows:
RoundMatchups
Round of 16
;West Region
  • Group A runners-up vs. Group B winners
  • Group B runners-up vs. Group A winners
  • Group C runners-up vs. Group D winners
  • Group D runners-up vs. Group C winners
;East Region
  • Group E runners-up vs. Group F winners
  • Group F runners-up vs. Group E winners
  • Group G runners-up vs. Group H winners
  • Group H runners-up vs. Group G winners
Quarter-finals
;West Region
  • QF1
  • QF2
;East Region
  • QF3
  • QF4
Semi-finals
;West Region
  • SF1: Winners of QF1 vs. Winners of QF2
;East Region
  • SF2: Winners of QF3 vs. Winners of QF4
Final
  • Winners of SF1 vs. Winners of SF2

The bracket was decided after the draw for the quarter-finals, which was held on 2 July 2019, 16:00 MYT, at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Round of 16

Summary


In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group from the same region, with the group winners hosting the second leg, and the matchups determined by the group stage draw.

West Region

Al-Nassr won 4–3 on aggregate.
----
Al-Ittihad won 6–4 on aggregate.
----
Al-Sadd won 4–2 on aggregate.
----
Al-Hilal won 4–3 on aggregate.

East Region

3–3 on aggregate. Kashima Antlers won on away goals.
----
4–4 on aggregate. Guangzhou Evergrande won 6–5 on penalties.
----
Urawa Red Diamonds won 4–2 on aggregate.
----
2–2 on aggregate. Shanghai SIPG won 5–3 on penalties.

Quarter-finals

Summary


The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 2 July 2019. In the quarter-finals, the four round of 16 winners from the West Region played in two ties, and the four round of 16 winners from the East Region played in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs decided by draw, without any seeding or country protection.

West Region

Al-Sadd won 4–3 on aggregate.
----
Al-Hilal won 3–1 on aggregate.

East Region

3–3 on aggregate. Urawa Red Diamonds won on away goals.
----
1–1 on aggregate. Guangzhou Evergrande won on away goals.

Semi-finals

Summary


In the semi-finals, the two quarter-final winners from the West Region played each other, and the two quarter-final winners from the East Region played each other, with the order of legs determined by the quarter-final draw.

West Region

Al-Hilal won 6–5 on aggregate.

East Region

Urawa Red Diamonds won 3–0 on aggregate.

Final


In the final, the two semi-final winners played each other, with the order of legs reversed from the previous season's final.
Al-Hilal won 3–0 on aggregate.