AIPS ASIA News:

A quartet of clubs will vie for the right to take their place in the AFC Champions League Two™ (ACL Two) next Wednesday when they contest the Preliminary Stage.

On August 14, India’s East Bengal FC will take on Altyn Asyr FC of Turkmenistan while Bahraini side Al Ahli battle Kuwait SC in two one-off ties to claim the two remaining Group Stage berths on offer in the West region of the ACL Two 2024/25 season.

The winning pair will join 30 teams that have qualified directly to battle for ultimate glory in the Continent’s brand-new second-tier men’s club competition, while the two losing sides will continue their Continental journey in the AFC Challenge League™ 2024/25 Group Stage.

East Bengal will host the first Preliminary Stage match at the VYBK Stadium in Kolkata when they welcome Altyn Asyr at 7pm. The Indian Super League side booked their indirect spot after lifting the 2024 Indian Super Cup trophy, which was their first national title in 12 years. They will aim to secure a 10th Continental appearance, having previously featured nine times in the AFC Cup™, with a run to the Semi-finals in 2013 ranking as their best finish.

Their visitors are the 2023 Turkmenistan Higher League runners-up and record eight-time champions, with all those titles won in consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2021. Altyn Asyr have six AFC Cup™ involvements under their belt and finished as runners-up in the 2018 edition.

The second Preliminary Stage fixture will see Al Ahli play their first ever Continental match at any stage. They earned their spot by winning the 2023/24 Bahrain King’s Cup – their ninth triumph and first since 2003 and the five-time league champions will face Kuwait SC at the Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town at 7.15pm.

Kuwait SC, in contrast, are three-time AFC Cup™ winners (2009, 2012, 2013) – a record shared with Iraqi side Air Force SC – and can also count a runners-up finish in 2011 among their 12 appearances. The 2023/24 Kuwaiti Premier League champions – a record 19th title – have participated thrice in the AFC Champions League™ as well.

Following the conclusion of the ACL Two 2024/25 Preliminary Stage, the 32-strong cast will learn their Group Stage fates at the official draw on August 16. The teams will be split into eight groups of four sides to start their quest for ultimate glory, with matches to be played in a round-robin, home-and-away format from September 17 to December 5.

The 30 teams that have qualified directly for the Group Stage are listed below:

West: Al Taawoun FC (KSA), Al Wakrah SC (QAT), Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan SC, Tractor FC (both IRN), Sharjah FC (UAE), PFC Nasaf (UZB), Air Force SC (IRQ), Al Hussein, Al Wehdat (both JOR), FC Istiklol, FC Ravshan (both TJK), Mohun Bagan Super Giant (IND), Al Khaldiya SC (BHR) and one eliminated team from ACL Elite 2024/25 Preliminary Stage (West)

East: Sanfrecce Hiroshima (JPN), Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC (KOR), Zhejiang FC (CHN), Port FC, Muangthong United (THA), Sydney FC (AUS), Selangor FC (MAS), Nam Dinh FC (VIE), Lee Man, Eastern (both HKG), Kaya FC-Iloilo, Dynamic Herb Cebu FC (both PHI), Lion City Sailors FC, Tampines Rovers FC (both SGP), Persib Bandung (IDN) and one eliminated team from ACL Elite 2024/25 Preliminary Stage (East)

The top two finishers from each group advance to the Round of 16, which takes place from February 11 to 20, 2025. Thereafter, the Quarter-finals and Semi-finals will be played between March 4 and 13, 2025 and April 8 and 16, 2025 respectively, before the ACL Two 2024/25 culminates in a single-leg Final on May 17, 2025.

Courtesy AFC