AFC
Kuala Lumpur
The lineup for the AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25 has been finalised following the completion of the Preliminary Stage on Tuesday.
Shandong Taishan of China and Qatar’s Al Gharafa were the last two teams to advance after registering hard-fought wins against Thailand’s Bangkok United FC and Shabab Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates respectively.
Shandong Taishan defeated Bangkok United 4-3 on penalties after their tie ended 1-1 over 120 minutes in a pulsating encounter at the Jinan Olympics Sports Center Stadium.
Ferjani Sassi was Al Gharafa’s hero, scoring the only goal of the match as the Qatar side edged Shabab Al Ahli at the Al Bayt Stadium.
Both teams will be in Pot 2 of their respective zones for Friday’s draw in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, joining the 22 sides that qualified directly.
The draw will see the teams divided into two leagues of 12 teams across the West and East regions. Scheduled to be played between September 16, 2024 and February 19, 2025, each team will face eight different opponents within its region in the form of four home and four away matches.
The country protection principle will be in force and a bespoke draw software will be utilised to prevent any deadlock situations from occurring.
The top eight finishers of each League progress to the Round of 16, scheduled for March 2025, which will be followed by a unique centralised Finals that sees all matches from the Quarter-finals onwards being contested in Saudi Arabia between April 25 and May 4, 2025.
The Cast
West Zone
Pot 1: Al Ain FC (UAE), Al Hilal SFC (KSA), Al Sadd SC (QAT), Persepolis FC (IRN), Pakhtakor (UZB), Al Shorta (IRQ)
Pot 2: Al Nassr Club (KSA),
Al Rayyan SC (QAT), Esteghlal FC (IRN), Al Wasl FC (UAE), Al Ahli Saudi FC (KSA), Al Gharafa SC (QAT)
East Zone
Pot 1: Vissel Kobe (JPN), Ulsan HD FC (KOR), Shanghai Port FC (CHN), Buriram United (THA), Central Coast Mariners (AUS), Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (MAS)
Pot 2: Kawasaki Frontale (JPN), FC Pohang Steelers (KOR), Shanghai Shenhua FC (CHN), Yokohama F. Marinos (JPN), Gwangju FC (KOR), Shandong Taishan FC (CHN).
