The AFC Champions League draw results in strong confrontations for Arab clubs
The draw for the group stage of the AFC Champions League in its new edition was held today, Wednesday, in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, which is witnessing a historic change in the tournament system, given that it will include record participation for the number of teams that will fight for the championship title.
Forty teams are preparing to participate in this year’s championship, with 20 teams for the West and the same in the East, as 32 teams have qualified directly, and the remaining 8 seats are for those who qualify for the Asian supplement.
The Champions League competitions will be held in the western and eastern regions of the continent with a grouping system, due to the Corona pandemic, and 5 countries from the East and the same from the West will be selected, each of which will host matches of one of the groups.
The West teams will be divided into 5 quad groups, and the same is the case in the East teams. The first-place winners from each group during the group stage will qualify directly for the round of 16, in addition to the best 3 seconds from the West and the same from the East.
The playoff rounds were played from one match in the last version due to Corona, but this year’s confrontations will be played by the knockout system of two matches, starting with the final price round.
The group stage matches for West Asia will be played from the 14th to the 30th of April, while the East matches will take place from April 21 to May 7.
The round of 16 matches will be held in the knockout rounds from the 13th to the 15th of September, and the quarter-finals from the 27th to the 29th of the same month, as the competition takes place from one round.
As for the semi-final matches, it will be held from two round-trip matches from 19-20 and 26-27 October, and the final round of the two round-trip matches will also be held on the 21st and 27th of November.
The results of the draw for the western region:
The first group: Saudi Hilal – Shabab Al-Ahly Dubai – Istiqlal Tajik club – the winner of the qualifiers between (Qatari Al Gharafa or Uzbek Ajmak).
Group Two: Sharjah, UAE, Tractor, Iranian, Pakhtakor, Uzbekistan, qualifying from the Saudi unit and the Iraqi Air Force.
Group C: Al-Duhail, Qatar, Al-Ahly, Saudi Arabia, Iranian Istiqlal Tehran, and Iraqi Shorta.
Group 4: Qatari Al-Sadd – Saudi Al-Nassr – the Jordanian Wehdat – the one who qualified from coronation between Foolad and Al Ain Al Emirates.
Group E: Iranian Persepolis – Al Rayyan Qatar – Goa Indian – qualified from the Emirates Attaché Al-Wehda and Al-Zawraa Iraq
Results of the draw for Asia for the East:
Group F: Pathum United (Thailand), Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea), Vettel (Vietnam), qualifiers (1).
Group G: Jiangsu (China), Nagoya Grampus (Japan), Johor Dar Al Azaz (Malaysia), qualifying finalists (3).
Group H: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (South Korea), Gamba Osaka (Japan), Tambines Rovers (Singapore), Sydney (Australia).
Group Nine: Kawasaki Frontale (Japan), Guangzhou (China), United City (Philippines), qualifiers (4).
Group Ten: Shandong Luneng (China), Port (Thailand), Kitchey (Hong Kong), qualifiers (2).
Preliminary round
1- Brisbane Roar (Australia) – Kaya Iloilo (Philippines)
2- Melbourne City (Australia) – Shan United (Myanmar)
