The Executive Office of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced a new era in Asian club competitions by revealing the names of three new tournaments for clubs, along with an increase in prize money for the 76 participating clubs, and the launch of the AFC Women's Champions League.
The highest level club competition in Asia, which will feature the best 24 clubs, will be named the Elite AFC Champions League (ACLE), while the second-tier competition with 32 clubs will be called the AFC Champions League 2. The third-tier tournament, comprising 20 clubs, will be known as the Asian Challenge Cup.
The team winning the Elite AFC Champions League will receive a prize of $12 million, a significant increase compared to the $4 million awarded to the winner of the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League. The team that finishes as runner-up in the new tournament will earn $6 million, which is $4 million more than this year's runner-up prize of $2 million. Additionally, both the AFC Champions League 2 and the Asian Challenge Cup will see increases in prize money and benefits.
