Kuala Lumpur: The 18 hopefuls learnt their path to glory following the conclusion of the AFC Challenge League™ (ACGL) Group Stage Draw at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.

The 18 teams were divided into five groups - three comprising four teams from the West each and two involving three teams from the East each with the gleaming new trophy also unveiled during the draw.

The West Zone’s Group A saw India’s East Bengal FC drawn with Nejmeh SC of Lebanon, Bangladesh’s Bashundhara Kings and hosts Paro FC of Bhutan while Group B will see hosts Al Arabi SC of Kuwait, Turkmenistan’s FC Arkadag, Maziya Sports & Recreation from Maldives and FC Abdysh-Ata Kant of Kyrgyz Republic doing battle. Group C comprises Bahrain’s Al Ahli, Al Futowa SC of Syria, hosts Al Seeb Club of Oman and Palestine’s Hilal A-Quds.

Myanmar’s Shan United FC will have Tainan City FC of Chinese Taipei and Laos’ Young Elephants FC for company in the East Zone’s Group D while Indonesia’s Madura United FC, Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC of Cambodia and Mongolia’s SP Falcons are the three teams in Group E.

image content

The group stage will be played over three Matchdays between October 26 and November 2, with each group taking place at a centralised host as each side face their opponents once.

Eight teams will progress from the group stage – the three group winners and best-ranked runners-up from the West, and the top two finishers of each group from the East – to the quarter-finals, which take place between March 5 and 13, 2025. The double-legged semi-finals will unfold from April 9 to 17, 2025 and the winners will advance to the final on May 10, 2025.

Draw Result

Group A: East Bengal FC (IND), Nejmeh SC (LBN), Bashundhara Kings (BAN), Paro FC (BHU, Hosts)

Group B: Al Arabi SC (KUW, H), FC Arkadag (TKM), Maziya Sports & Recreation (MDV), FC Abdysh-Ata Kant (KGZ)

Group C: Al Ahli (BHR), Al Futowa SC (SYR), Al Seeb Club (OMA, H), Hilal Al-Quds (PLE)

Group D: Shan United FC (MYA, H), Tainan City FC (TPE), Young Elephants FC (LAO)

Group E: Madura United (IDN), Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC (CAM), SP Falcons (MNG, H)