"To make matters even more lop-sided, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the western zone and Japan, South Korea and China in the eastern zone (the tournament is split into geographic zones until the quarter-finals) have three teams each. So in the premier club competition in the world's biggest continent, six countries have 18 teams, six more (Iran, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Australia, Malaysia and Thailand) have one team each while 35 have zero representatives."
"However, whatever the problems with Europe's biggest club tournament, every country is represented and has a theoretical chance of getting to the group stage and, ultimately, all the way. Fifty-three out of the 55 member associations (Russia and Liechtenstein are the absentees) have at least one hopeful. That is true of 12 of 47 in the AFC Champions League Elite. Three-quarters of Asian countries are either nowhere to be seen or located in the two lower-tier tournaments, which pretty much amounts to the same thing."
The Asian Champions League now mirrors Uefa's calendar and group-stage format but restricts top-tier participation to only 12 of 47 AFC members. Six countries—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Japan, South Korea and China—each receive three slots, creating 18 teams, while six other nations have one slot and 35 nations have none. Uefa allows hopefuls from 53 of 55 members, underscoring the AFC's limited inclusivity. Several nations, including Indonesia, Vietnam and Jordan, lack sufficient club-ranking points and therefore compete in the lower AFC Champions League Two despite the 2024 'Elite' rebrand.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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