The 2019 AFC Champions League knockout stage is scheduled to be played from 17 June to 24 November 2019.[1] A total of 16 teams compete in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2019 AFC Champions League.[2]
The winners and runners-up of each of the eight groups in the group stage advance 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 play 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 (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out are used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 11.3).[2]
The schedule of each round is as follows.[1] Matches in the West Region are played on Mondays and Tuesdays, while matches in the East Region are played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
In the round of 16, the winners of one group play 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.
In the quarter-finals, the four teams from the West Region play in two ties, and the four teams from the East Region play in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs decided by draw, without any seeding or country protection.
In the semi-finals, the two quarter-final winners from the West Region play each other, and the two quarter-final winners from the East Region play each other, with the order of legs determined by the quarter-final draw.
In the final, the two semi-final winners play 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.
