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League stub
This article about 2022 AFC Champions League is a stub, an article too short to provide more than rudimentary information about a subject. You can help The Football Database Wiki by expanding it.
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| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 8–15 March 2022 Competition proper: 7 April 2022–6 May 2023 |
| Teams | Group stage: 39 Total (maximum): 49 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Urawa Red Diamonds (3rd title) |
| Runner-up |  Al-Hilal |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 130 |
| Goals scored | 384 (2.95 per match) |
| Attendance | 511,749 (3,937 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Edmilson Junior(8 goals) |
| Best player |  Hiroki Sakai |
| Fair play award | Urawa Red Diamonds |
← 2021 2023–24 → | |
The 2022 AFC Champions League was the 41st edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 20th under the current AFC Champions League title.
This season is officially the last season in an all-year-round (spring-to-autumn) schedule despite actually being held from 2022 to 2023; from next season onwards the competitions will switch to an autumn-to-spring schedule.
The winners of the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2023–24 AFC Champions League, entering the qualifying play-offs, if they have not qualified through their domestic performance. This edition sees increase in numbers of preliminary players registration with 35 players can be registered, up from 30 in previous editions. This will pave the way for more foreign players to be included in squad although the AFC "3+1" foreign players rule will be in effect during the match.
Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia are the defending champions, having defeated Pohang Steelers in the 2021 final.
Association team allocation[]
The 47 AFC member associations are ranked based on their clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions (their national team's FIFA World Rankings no longer considered). The slots are allocated by the following criteria according to the Entry Manual:
- The associations are split into two regions (Article 3.1):
- West Region consists of the 25 associations from the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF), the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), and the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA).
- East Region consists of the 22 associations from the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF).
- The AFC may reallocate one or more associations to another region if necessary for sporting reasons.
- The top 12 associations in each region are eligible to enter the AFC Champions League.
- In each region, there are five groups in the group stage, including 16 direct slots, with the 4 remaining slots filled through qualifying play-offs (Article 3.2). The slots in each region are distributed as follows:
- The associations ranked 1st and 2nd are each allocated three direct slots and one play-off slot.
- The associations ranked 3rd and 4th are each allocated two direct slots and two play-off slots.
- The associations ranked 5th are each allocated one direct slot and two play-off slots.
- The associations ranked 6th are each allocated one direct slot and one play-off slot.
- The associations ranked 7th to 10th are each allocated one direct slot.
- The associations ranked 11th and 12th are each allocated one play-off slot.
- The AFC Champions League title holders and AFC Cup title holders are each allocated one play-off slot should they not qualify for the tournament through domestic performance (Article 3.6). The following rules are applied:
- If the AFC Champions League title holders or AFC Cup title holders are from associations ranked 1st to 6th, their association is allocated the same number of play-off slots, and they replace the lowest-seeded team from their association. Otherwise, their association is allocated one additional play-off slot, and they do not replace any team from their association (Articles 3.8, 3.9 and 3.10).
- If both the AFC Champions League title holders and AFC Cup title holders are from the same association which is allocated only one play-off slot, their association is allocated one additional play-off slot, and only the lowest-seeded team from their association is replaced as a result (Article 3.11).
- The AFC Champions League title holders and AFC Cup title holders are the lowest-seeded teams in the qualifying play-offs if they do not replace any team from their association (Article 3.12).
- If any association ranked 1st to 6th do not fulfill any one of the AFC Champions League criteria, they have all their direct slots converted into play-off slots. The direct slots given up are redistributed to the highest eligible association by the following criteria (Articles 3.13 and 3.14):
- For each association, the maximum number of total slots is four and the maximum number of direct slots is three (Articles 3.4 and 3.5).
- If any association ranked 3rd to 6th is allocated one additional direct slot, one play-off slot is annulled and not redistributed.
- If any association ranked 5th to 6th is allocated two additional direct slots, one play-off slot is annulled and not redistributed.
- If any association ranked 7th to 10th do not fulfill any one of the AFC Champions League criteria, they have their direct slot converted into play-off slot. The direct slot given up is redistributed to the next association ranked 11th or 12th, whose play-off slot is annulled and not redistributed, or if neither are eligible, the highest eligible association by the same criteria as mentioned above (Articles 3.16 and 3.17).
- If any association with only play-off slot(s), including any association ranked 11th to 12th or those mentioned above, do not fulfill the minimum AFC Champions League criteria, the play-off slot(s) are annulled and not redistributed (Articles 3.19 and 3.20).
- For each association, the maximum number of total slots is one-third of the total number of eligible teams (excluding foreign teams) in the top division (Article 3.4). If this rule is applied, any direct slots given up are redistributed by the same criteria as mentioned above, and play-off slots are annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.10).
- All participating teams must be granted an AFC Champions League license, and apart from cup winners, finish in the top half of their top division (Articles 7.1 and 9.5). If any association do not have enough teams which satisfy this criteria, any direct slots given up are redistributed by the same criteria as mentioned above, and play-off slots are annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.9).
- If any team granted a license refuses to participate, their slot, either direct or play-off, is annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.11).
Association ranking[]
For the 2022 AFC Champions League, the associations are allocated slots according to their association ranking which was published on 29 November 2019, which takes into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup during the period between 2016 and 2019.
| Participation for 2022 AFC Champions League | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
| Number of teams/associations originally entered, before withdrawal of teams from the competition after the draw | |
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- Notes
- ^ Iran (IRN): On 7 January 2022, the AFC announced that Esteghlal and Persepolis had not satisfied the mandatory criteria of the AFC Club Licensing Regulations, and their licences were withdrawn by the AFC's independent Entry Control Body, and thus were declared ineligible to participate in the 2022 AFC Champions League.
- ^ Iraq (IRQ): Al-Najaf, the 2020–21 Iraqi Premier League third place, failed to obtain an AFC license, and Al-Shorta, the league's fourth placed team, declined to participate in Al-Najaf's place. Therefore, Iraq's second play-off round slot was annulled.
- ^ Lebanon (LBN): Lebanon did not implement the club licensing system.
- ^ China (CHN): Changchun Yatai, withdrew from the competition after the draw, with Shanghai Port withdrawing on 11 April, as a result of lockdown measures enforced in Shanghai as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ North Korea (PRK): North Korea did not implement the club licensing system.
- ^ Myanmar (MYA): The team from Myanmar which originally entered the AFC Champions League, Shan United, withdrew from the competition after the draw.
Teams[]
In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count only those since the 2002–03 season (including qualifying rounds), when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League.
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|
- Notes
- ^ Title holders (TH): Al-Hilal are the title holders.
- ^ Jordan (JOR): The 2021 Jordanian Pro League champions Al-Ramtha were not granted an AFC Champions League license.
- ^ Saudi Arabia (KSA): Al-Ittihad, the 2020–21 Saudi Professional League third place, failed to obtain an AFC license. As a result, Al-Taawoun, the league's fourth placed team, entered the qualifying play-offs.
- ^ Myanmar (MYA): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar plus the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état and protests, the 2021 Myanmar National League was not held by the Myanmar Football Federation.
- ^ Philippines (PHI): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, the 2021 Philippines Football League was cancelled. The Philippine Football Federation has nominated United City, the 2020 Philippines Football League champions, to participate.
- ^ Syria (SYR): The 2020–21 Syrian Premier League champions Tishreen were not granted an AFC Champions League license, and will play in the 2022 AFC Cup instead.
- ^ Turkmenistan (TKM): Only Ahal were granted an AFC Champions League license, so the Ýokary Liga champions Altyn Asyr were only eligible for the 2022 AFC Cup.
- ^ Vietnam (VIE): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, the 2021 V.League 1 and 2021 Vietnamese Cup were both abandoned by the Vietnam Football Federation. It was decided that the league's first-placed team Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC at the time of abandonment would take the AFC Champions League slot, with the AFC Cup slots to go to the second- and third-placed teams.
- ^ Withdrawn Teams 1 (WDN1): Shan United withdrew from the competition on 19 January 2022.
- ^ Withdrawn Teams 2 (WDN2): Changchun Yatai withdrew from the competition on 1 March 2022.
- ^ Withdrawn Teams 3 (WDN3): Shanghai Port withdrew from the competition on 11 April 2022, as a result of the recent lockdown measures enforced in Shanghai.
Schedule[]
The schedule of the competition is as follows.
| Stage | Round | Draw date | West Region | East Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round | No draw | — | 8 March 2022 |
| Play-off stage | Play-off round | 15 March 2022 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 17 January 2022 | 7–8 April 2022 | 15–16 April 2022 |
| Matchday 2 | 10–11 April 2022 | 18–19 April 2022 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 14–15 April 2022 | 21–22 April 2022 | ||
| Matchday 4 | 18–19 April 2022 | 24–25 April 2022 | ||
| Matchday 5 | 22–23 April 2022 | 27–28 April 2022 | ||
| Matchday 6 | 26–27 April 2022 | 30 April – 1 May 2022 | ||
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 3–4 February 2023 | 18–19 August 2022 | |
| Quarter-finals | TBD | 7 February 2023 | 22 August 2022 | |
| Semi-finals | 10 February 2023 | 25 August 2022 | ||
| Final | 19 and 26 February 2023 | |||
The original schedule of the competition, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows.
| Stage | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round 1 | No draw | 4 January 2022 | |
| Preliminary round 2 | 11 January 2022 | |||
| Play-off stage | Play-off round | 18 January 2022 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 7–9 February 2022 | ||
| Matchday 2 | 14–16 February 2022 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 28 February – 2 March 2022 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 14–16 March 2022 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 4–6 April 2022 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 18–20 April 2022 | |||
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 9–11 May 2022 | 23–25 May 2022 | |
| Quarter-finals | 15–17 August 2022 | 29–31 August 2022 | ||
| Semi-finals | 13–14 September 2022 | 4–5 October 2022 | ||
| Final | 22 October 2022 | 29 October 2022 | ||
Qualifying play-offs[]
- Main article: 2022 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs
Preliminary round[]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
Sydney FC 
|
5–0 |  Kaya–Iloilo
|
| Melbourne Victory
|
Cancelled |  Shan United
|
Play-off round[]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
Al-Taawoun 
|
1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) |
 Al-Jaish
|
Baniyas 
|
0–2 |  Nasaf Qarshi
|
| Sharjah
|
1–1 (a.e.t.) (6–5 p) |
 Al-Zawraa
|
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
Changchun Yatai 
|
Cancelled | Sydney FC
|
| Vissel Kobe
|
4–3 (a.e.t.) | Melbourne Victory
|
Ulsan Hyundai 
|
3–0 |  Port
|
| Daegu FC
|
1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p) |
Buriram United
|
Group stage[]
- Main article: 2022 AFC Champions League group stage
The draw for the group stage was held on 17 January 2022 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 40 teams were drawn into ten groups of four: five groups each in the West Region (Groups A–E) and the East Region (Groups F–J). For each region, teams were seeded into four pots and drawn into the relevant positions within each group, based on their association ranking and their seeding within their association, in consideration of technical balance between groups. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.
In the group stage, each group was played in a double round-robin format in centralised venues. The winners of each group and three best runners-up from each region advanced to the round of 16 of the knockout stage.
Group A[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Hilal (H)
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 |  Al-Rayyan
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 13 | |
| 3 |  Sharjah
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 5 | |
| 4 |  Istiklol
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 3 |
Group B[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Shabab (H)
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | +17 | 16 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 |  Mumbai City
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 7 | |
| 3 |  Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 7 | |
| 4 | Al-Jazira
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 4 |
Group C[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Foolad
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 12 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 | Shabab Al-Ahli
|
6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 10 | |
| 3 | Al-Gharafa
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 5 | |
| 4 |  Ahal
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 4 |
Source: AFC
Group D[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Duhail
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 9 | +8 | 15 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 | Al-Taawoun (H)
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 7 | |
| 3 | Sepahan
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 12 | −4 | 7 | |
| 4 |  Pakhtakor
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 6 |
Group E[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Faisaly (H)
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 9 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 | Nasaf Qarshi
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 9 | |
| 3 | Al-Sadd
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 7 | |
| 4 |  Al-Wehdat
|
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 6 |
Group F[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Daegu FC
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 | Urawa Red Diamonds
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 2 | +18 | 13 | |
| 3 |  Lion City Sailors
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 7 | |
| 4 |  Shandong Taishan
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 24 | −22 | 1 |
Source: AFC
Group G[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  BG Pathum United (H)
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 12 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 |  Melbourne City
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 12 | |
| 3 | Jeonnam Dragons
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 8 | |
| 4 |  United City
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 17 | −16 | 0 |
Group H[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yokohama F. Marinos
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 12 | |
| 3 |  Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (H)
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 5 | |
| 4 | Sydney FC
|
6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 2 |
Group I[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Johor Darul Ta'zim (H)
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 | Kawasaki Frontale
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 11 | |
| 3 | Ulsan Hyundai
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 10 | |
| 4 | Guangzhou
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 24 | −24 | 0 |
Group J[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vissel Kobe
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 8 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 |  Kitchee
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 | |
| 3 | Chiangrai United (H)
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 1 | |
| 4 | Shanghai Port
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |
Ranking of second-placed teams[]
West Region[]
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Al-Rayyan
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 | C | Shabab Al-Ahli
|
6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 10 | |
| 3 | E | Nasaf Qarshi
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 9 | |
| 4 | D | Al-Taawoun
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 7 | |
| 5 | B | Mumbai City
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 7 |
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
East Region[]
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | H | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 8 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 | F | Urawa Red Diamonds
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 | |
| 3 | J | Kitchee
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 | |
| 4 | G | Melbourne City
|
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | |
| 5 | I | Kawasaki Frontale
|
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 5 |
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Knockout stage[]
- Main article: 2022 AFC Champions League knockout stage
In the knockout stage, the 16 teams will play a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split into the two regions until the final. All ties will be played as a single-leg match (Regulations Article 9.1). Extra time and penalty shoot-out will be used to decide the winners if necessary (Regulations Article 9.3 and 10.1).
Round of 16[]
The round of 16 will be played over one leg, with the matchups determined by the combination tables based on which group runners-up qualified.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Al-Hilal | 3-2 | Shabab Al-Ahli | 1-1 | 2-1 |
| Al-Shabab | 1-4 | Nasaf Qarshi | 0-3 | 1-1 |
| Al-Duhail | 6-0 | Al-Rayyan | 4-0 | 2-0 |
| Al-Faisaly | 4-0 | Foolad | 3-0 | 1-0 |
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 3-0 | 2nd leg |
| Daegu FC | 4-1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3-0 | 1-1 |
| BG Pathum United | 3-2 | Kitchee | 2-1 | 1-1 |
| Johor Darul Ta'zim | 1-2 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| Vissel Kobe | 3-6 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 3-2 | 0-4 |
Quarter-finals[]
The quarter-finals will be played over one leg.
- Teams to be drawn
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Nasaf Qarshi | 4-3 | Al-Duhail | 1-2 | 3-1 ex |
| Al-Hilal | 5-3 | Al-Faisaly | 2-3 | 3-0 |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 3-2 ex | Urawa Red Diamonds | 1-0 | 2-2 ex |
| BG Pathum United | 4-6 | Daegu FC | 2-3 | 2-3 |
Semi-finals[]
The semi-finals will be played over one leg.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Nasaf Qarshi | 7-11 | Al-Hilal | 4-2 | 3-9 |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 4-6 | Daegu FC | 2-2 | 2-4 |
Final[]
The final will be played over two legs.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Daegu FC | 1-3 | Al-Hilal | 0-1 | 1-2 |
See also[]
- 2022 AFC Cup
External links[]
| AFC Champions League |
| AFC Champions League seasons |
| AFC Champions League Finals |
|
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