2017 AFC Champions League knockout stage


The 2017 AFC Champions League knockout stage was played from 22 May to 25 November 2017. A total of 16 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2017 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 C.|Al-Ahli] Esteghlal
West RegionB Lekhwiya Esteghlal Khuzestan
West RegionC Al-Ain Al-Ahli
West RegionD Al-Hilal Persepolis
East RegionE Kashima Antlers Muangthong United
East RegionF Urawa Red Diamonds Shanghai SIPG
East RegionG Kawasaki Frontale Guangzhou Evergrande
East RegionH Jiangsu Suning Jeju United

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 was 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 was as follows. 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 1622–24 May 201729–31 May 2017
Quarter-finals21–23 August 201711–13 September 2017
Semi-finals26–27 September 201717–18 October 2017
Final18 November 201725 November 2017

Bracket

The bracket of the knockout stage was determined as follows:
RoundMatchups
Round of 16
;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
;West Region
  • QF1
  • QF2
;East Region
  • QF3
  • QF4
Semi-finals
;West Region
  • SF1: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2
;East Region
  • SF2: Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4
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, at the JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Round of 16


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.
!colspan=5|West Region
!colspan=5|East Region

West Region

Al-Ain won 6–2 on aggregate.
----
Al-Ahli won 4–2 on aggregate.
----
Al-Hilal won 4–2 on aggregate.
----
Persepolis won 1–0 on aggregate.

East Region

Kawasaki Frontale won 7–2 on aggregate.
----
2–2 on aggregate. Guangzhou Evergrande won on away goals.
----
Shanghai SIPG won 5–3 on aggregate.
----
Urawa Red Diamonds won 3–2 on aggregate.

Quarter-finals


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.
!colspan=5|West Region
!colspan=5|East Region

West Region

Al Hilal won 3–0 on aggregate.
----
Persepolis won 5–3 on aggregate.

East Region

5–5 on aggregate. Shanghai SIPG won 5–4 on penalties.
----
Urawa Red Diamonds won 5–4 on aggregate.

Semi-finals


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.
!colspan=5|West Region
!colspan=5|East Region

West Region

Al Hilal won 6–2 on aggregate.

East Region

Urawa Red Diamonds won 2–1 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.
Urawa Red Diamonds won 2–1 on aggregate.

Note