Exciting confrontations for Gulf clubs in the group stage of the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League
The draw for the group stage in the AFC Champions League 2023-2024 resulted in strong and exciting confrontations, during the ceremony that took place on Thursday at the AFC headquarters in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The defending champion, Urawa Red Diamonds, was drawn in the tenth Group, which includes the Chinese Wuhan Three Towns, the South Korean Pohang Steelers and the Vietnamese Hanoi.
On the other hand, Al-Hilal plays the runner-up of the defending champion, and the champion of the 2019 and 2021 editions of the fourth Group, alongside Nasaji Mazandaran of Iran, Mumbai City of India and Navbahor of Uzbekistan.
The Saudi Al-Ittihad, champion in 2004 and 2005, came in the third group, facing Iran’s Sepahan, the Iraqi Al Quwa-Al Jawiya and Uzbekistan’s AGMK.
Al Ain Club of the United Arab Emirates, the champion of the first edition of the tournament with its modern system 2002-2003, was drawn in the first group, along with Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan, Al-Fayhaa of Saudi Arabia and the Turkman Ahal.
On the other hand, within the second group, each of the Qatari Al-Sadd, the 2011 champion, Nasaf of Uzbekistan, Al-Faisali of Jordan and Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates, while the fifth group includes all of Iran’s Persepolis, Al-Duhail of Qatar, Istiqlal Tajik and the Saudi Al-Nasr.
The 21st edition of the championship, with its modern system, is witnessing the transition for the first time from the spring season to the fall, to be held with the new dates from the autumn to the spring, as the championship dates extend from September 2023 to May 2024.
The draw witnessed the division of the participating clubs into 10 groups, with each group containing four clubs, as the West Asian clubs were distributed into groups from the first to the fifth, while the East clubs were divided into groups from the sixth to the tenth. Note that the lottery system stipulates that no two teams from the same country should be in the same group.