The Asian Football Confederation have confirmed the names of the 28 teams that will participate in the group stage of next year’s AFC Champions League.
The official draw for the group stage will take place at AFC House on Monday, December 17 and will see the teams divided into seven groups of four.
Four groups will consist of teams from the West and Central and South Asia zones, while the other three will feature teams from the ASEAN and East Asia zones.
Clubs from the same country will be kept apart in the draw and the winner of each group will join defending champions Urawa Reds of Japan in the quarter-finals.
The fifth edition of Asia’s premier club competition kicks off on March 12 with the group stage concluding on May 21. The home-and-away quarter-finals are slated for September 17 and 24 while the semi-finals will be held on October 8 and 22.
The two-legged finals are scheduled for November 5 and November 12.
Participating teams:
West
Iraq – Arbil, Al Quwa Al Jawiya
Kuwait – Al Kuwait, Al Qadsiya
Qatar – Al Sadd, Al Gharafa
UAE – Al Wasl, Al Wahda
Syria – Al Karama, Al Ittihad
Saudi Arabia – Al Ittihad, Al Ahli
Central and South Asia
Iran – Saipa, Sepahan
Uzbekistan – Pakhtakor, Kuruvchi
ASEAN
Vietnam – Binh Duong, Nam Dinh
Thailand – Chonburi, Krung Thai Bank
Australia – Melbourne Victory, Adelaide United
East
Japan – Kashima Antlers, Gamba Osaka
Korea Republic – Chunnam Dragons, Pohang Steelers
China – Changchun Yatai , Beijing Guo’an
The official draw for the group stage will take place at AFC House on Monday, December 17 and will see the teams divided into seven groups of four.
Four groups will consist of teams from the West and Central and South Asia zones, while the other three will feature teams from the ASEAN and East Asia zones.
Clubs from the same country will be kept apart in the draw and the winner of each group will join defending champions Urawa Reds of Japan in the quarter-finals.
The fifth edition of Asia’s premier club competition kicks off on March 12 with the group stage concluding on May 21. The home-and-away quarter-finals are slated for September 17 and 24 while the semi-finals will be held on October 8 and 22.
The two-legged finals are scheduled for November 5 and November 12.
Participating teams:
West
Iraq – Arbil, Al Quwa Al Jawiya
Kuwait – Al Kuwait, Al Qadsiya
Qatar – Al Sadd, Al Gharafa
UAE – Al Wasl, Al Wahda
Syria – Al Karama, Al Ittihad
Saudi Arabia – Al Ittihad, Al Ahli
Central and South Asia
Iran – Saipa, Sepahan
Uzbekistan – Pakhtakor, Kuruvchi
ASEAN
Vietnam – Binh Duong, Nam Dinh
Thailand – Chonburi, Krung Thai Bank
Australia – Melbourne Victory, Adelaide United
East
Japan – Kashima Antlers, Gamba Osaka
Korea Republic – Chunnam Dragons, Pohang Steelers
China – Changchun Yatai , Beijing Guo’an
