All the details about Mumbai City FC's group-stage draw in the AFC Champions League
The 2023-24 edition of the AFC Champions League, the extravaganza to celebrate the continent's finest clubs, is inching closer every passing day. The curtain raiser for the tournament will be the group-stage draw that will take place at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, August 24.
After completing the qualifier rounds, 40 teams in total have secured a berth in the group stages of the premier continental club competition. Mumbai City FC, the only club from India in the tournament, have been slotted into Pot 3 in the West Zone.
Des Buckingham and Co. earned a shot at qualifying for the ACL after winning the Indian Super League (ISL) Shield in the 2022-23 season. However, they had to square off against the previous holders of the title, Jamshedpur FC, in a one-off qualifying fixture, where they reigned supreme in a 3-1 victory. For Mumbai, this will be their second consecutive appearance in the Champions League.
Last season, the Islanders scripted history by becoming the first Indian club to register a win in the AFC Champions League when they defeated Iraqi Air Force Club 2-1. However, they finished fifth among the second-placed teams across groups and could not progress further.
The group stages will commence on September 18, where each team will face the other three teams from their group twice for a place in the knockouts beginning in February next year. the tournament will come to a close in May 2024 with the two-legged final.
Format of the AFC Champions League group-stage draw
The 40 qualified teams will be divided into 10 groups of four according to their respective zones. While the West Zone has Groups A to E, the East Zone will feature Groups F to J.
Teams from the same countries cannot be placed in the same group.
Pots for the AFC Champions League group-stage draw
West Zone
Pot 1: Al Ittihad (KSA), Persepolis FC (IRN), Al Sadd SC (QAT), Pakhtakor (UZB), Al Hilal SFC (KSA)
Pot 2: Sepahan SC (IRN), Al Duhail SC (QAT), FC Nasaf (UZB), Al Fayha FC (KSA), Nassaji Mazandaran FC (IRN)
Pot 3: Al Faisaly (JOR), FC Istiklol (TJK), Air Force Club (IRQ), Ahal FC (TKM), Mumbai City FC (IND)
Pot 4: Al Ain FC (UAE), Al Nassr (KSA), Sharjah FC (UAE), AGMK FC (UZB), Navbahor (UZB)
East Zone
Pot 1: Ulsan Hyundai FC (KOR), Yokohama F. Marinos (JPN), Wuhan Three Towns FC (CHN), Buriram United (THA), Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC (KOR)
Pot 2: Ventforet Kofu (JPN), Shandong Taishan FC (CHN), Bangkok United (THA), Pohang Steelers (KOR), Kawasaki Frontale (JPN)
Pot 3: Hanoi FC (VIE), Kaya FC-Iloilo (PHI), Johor Darul Ta’zim (MAS), Melbourne City FC (AUS), Lion City Sailors (SGP)
Pot 4: Kitchee SC (HKG), Incheon United FC (KOR), Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN), Zhejiang FC (CHN), BG Pathum United (THA)
AFC Champions League group-stage draw: Telecast and live-stream details
There is no telecast of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League group-stage draw in India but the event will be live-streamed on the AFC Hub YouTube channel from 1:30 PM IST onwards on Thursday, August 24.