The 2017 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 22 May to 25 November 2017.[1] A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2017 AFC Champions League.[2]
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 (Groups A–D) and East Region (Groups E–H) having eight qualified teams.
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 was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals would not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 11.3).[2]
The schedule of each round was as follows.[1] Matches in the West Region were played on Mondays and Tuesdays, while matches in the East Region were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The bracket of the knockout stage was determined as follows:
Round
Matchups
Round of 16
(Group winners host second leg)
West Region
Runner-up Group A vs. Winner Group C
Runner-up Group C vs. Winner Group A
Runner-up Group B vs. Winner Group D
Runner-up Group D vs. Winner Group B
East Region
Runner-up Group E vs. Winner Group G
Runner-up Group G vs. Winner Group E
Runner-up Group F vs. Winner Group H
Runner-up Group H vs. Winner Group F
Quarter-finals
(Matchups and order of legs decided by draw, involving four round of 16 winners each in West Region and East Region)
West Region
QF1
QF2
East Region
QF3
QF4
Semi-finals
(Winners QF1 and QF3 host first leg, Winners QF2 and QF4 host second leg)
West Region
SF1: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2
East Region
SF2: Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4
Final
(Winner SF1 host first leg, Winner SF2 host second leg, as reversed from previous season's final)
Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2
The bracket was decided after the draw for the knockout stage, which was held on 6 June 2017, 16:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[3][4][5][6]
In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group from the same region, with the matchups determined by the group stage draw, and the group winners hosting the second leg.[3]
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 6 June 2017. In the quarter-finals, the four teams from the West Region played in two ties, and the four teams from the East Region played in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs decided by draw, without any seeding or country protection.[4][5][6]
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.[4]
In the final, the two semi-final winners played each other, with the order of legs (first leg hosted by team from the West Region, second leg hosted by team from the East Region) reversed from the previous season's final.[4]
^ abcdefMatches between teams from Iran and Saudi Arabia were played on neutral venues due to deterioration of Iran–Saudi Arabia relations.
^The Persepolis v Lekhwiya match was played behind closed doors due to spectator misconduct during Persepolis's home match against Al-Wahda on 8 May 2017.[7]
Al-Ahli
Esteghlal
Lekhwiya
Al-Ahli
Kashima Antlers
Muangthong United
Shanghai SIPG
Jeju United
