KUALA LUMPUR -- For years Chinese soccer fans had to watch as teams from South Korea and Japan won the annual Asian Champions League, the continent's biggest club competition. That changed in 2013, when big-spending Guangzhou Evergrande lifted the trophy, following up with another win two years later.

In 2016, the Chinese Super League is hoping for a third win in four years -- and, for the first time in its history, it has two teams in the last eight. Yet Guangzhou, ranked favorite when 32 teams from all over Asia kicked-off in February, is absent after being eliminated in the group stage.

Also out is Jiangsu Suning, the biggest spending Chinese club this year, with almost $100 million spent on buying players in January and February alone.

Instead, Shandong Luneng and Shanghai SIPG are flying the flag in Asia for the increasingly powerful Chinese league. The two teams avoided each other in the quarterfinals draw that took place on June 9 in Kuala Lumpur, but will meet in a semifinal if they defeat their respective South Korean opponents FC Seoul and Jeonbuk Motors. The two legs of the quarterfinals will take place in August and September.

An all-Chinese semifinal would be a huge game for China, which takes the champions league very seriously indeed. Of the 32 clubs that participated in the ACL this year China's four representatives are all in the continent's top seven in terms of average attendances, including three of the top four.

"The tournament is very important for us and the fans," said Shandong's general manager Dong Jan. "We last reached the quarterfinal stage in 2005 and we are delighted to be back here."

Shandong, based in the eastern city of Jinan, is struggling in the Chinese Super League but going well in Asia. "We want to continue in the competition and go as far as possible, and as we have come this far we believe we can win. It would be great for the fans and the reputation of the club," said Dong.

The quarterfinals draw. (Courtesy of the Asian Football Confederation)

The increased investment in Chinese teams has resulted in a growing number of well-known foreign players and coaches heading to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shandong, Jiangsu and elsewhere. This is not always a guarantee of success in Asia, however, as the exit from the ACL of Guangzhou, the winner of the last five Chinese Super League titles, has demonstrated.

"It is hard to say why Guangzhou did not get this far," Dong said at the quarterfinal draw. "They started slowly and maybe that was the problem. But it is good for China to have both us and Shanghai still involved; it shows that the league is getting stronger and it is not just about Guangzhou."

Foreign glamor

Shanghai SIPG is perhaps better placed to win the trophy, despite the fact that this is the club's first appearance in the tournament. Led by the Swede Sven Goran Eriksson, a former England coach, the team includes the Brazilian striker Elkeson, who scored the winning goal for Guangzhou in the 2015 final in November before being sold to Shanghai for around $23 million.

"For all teams, to become champion of the champions league is a dream, and it is the same for us," said Shanghai's general manager Zhou Yizhen. "That is our goal, and it will be a great honor for us and Chinese football too. Only one Chinese team has won the Asian Champions League and we want to become the second."

Shanghai was runner-up to Guangzhou in the Chinese Super League in 2015, and, unlike Shandong, is going well in 2016. Zhou is confident that the club can chase success simultaneously at home and in Asia.

"Being the champion of Asia brings the name of the club to the world and it helps the image of the club and the league. For China to win again with a different club will show that we are moving in the right direction," he said.

Winning the ACL also grants access to the FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament held in December that features the club champions of each of FIFA's six regional confederations. The world club competition has been a major part of Guangzhou's quest for global status.

The 2016 FIFA Club World Cup will take place in Japan in December. But while the country will have one representative in the tournament by virtue of being host, it will not participate as a continental champion.

No Japanese team has won the ACL title, or reached the final, since 2008, and the rise of Chinese clubs seems to have made it more difficult. Shanghai eliminated FC Tokyo in the second round, while Urawa Reds fell to FC Seoul. Japan has no representatives in the last eight.

"The spending of Chinese teams presents a problem for Japanese and Korean teams," said Seoul's general manager Kim Tae-joo. "They have more money and can buy excellent foreign players, and buy players from Korea too. It is something that Korean and Japanese teams have to learn how to deal with."

Korea has long enjoyed success in Asian club soccer, with 10 championship wins -- double the number won by clubs from any other country. Compared to Japan, K-League clubs seem more able to deal with the new Chinese challenge.

"It is surprising that there are no Japanese teams here because Japanese and Korean teams have been at the top for Asian football for so long," said Dong. "Japan teams send many players to Europe and perhaps this could be a reason."

Money also makes a difference, according to Zhou. "Japanese teams have perhaps not invested as much recently as in the past, but they are still strong," he said. "But these days Chinese teams are getting stronger too."