Iranian Teams Waiting for Rivals at 2023-24 ACL Draw
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The battle lines for the best clubs in Asia will be determined when the AFC Champions League 2023/24 Group Stage draw takes place at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Persepolis is placed in Pot 1 while Sepahan and Nassaji are in Pot 2. Tractor, who will face the UAE’s Sharjah in play-off, is placed in Pot 4.
Divided into 10 groups of four, the draw will witness teams from the West Zone drawn into Groups A to E while the contestants in the East Zone will find their places in Groups F to J.
Of the 40 participating teams, the berths of 32 contenders have been confirmed while the remaining eight slots will be occupied by the winners from the Playoff Stage. Owing to the principle of country protection, clubs from the same Member Association (MA) will not be drawn into the same group.
The pots for participating clubs in the AFC Champions League 2023/24 Group Stage Draw are:
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)/Shabab Al Ahli (UAE), Tractor FC (IRN/Sharjah FC (UAE), Al Arabi SC (QAT)/AGMK FC (UZB), Al Wakrah SC (QAT)/Navbahor (UZB)
Following the contest between the Asian powerhouses in the Group Stage, the 10 group winners along with the three best runners-up of each Zone will book their places in the Knockout Stages, which will take place from February to April before the coveted Final is held over two legs on May 11 and 18, 2024.