The 2005 season saw Syrian clubs join the competition, thus increasing the number of participating countries to 15, and two years later, following their transfer into the AFC in 2006, Australian clubs were also included in the tournament.
A tempada 2005 viu aos clubs de Siria á competición, o que aumenta o número de países participantes a 15, e dous anos máis tarde, logo da súa transferencia á AFC en 2006, os clubs de Australia tamén se incluíron no torneo.