AIPS ASIA News:

Two single-leg clashes will take place on Tuesday, August 13 to determine the final two qualifying teams for the AFC Challenge League™ (ACGL) 2024/25 Group Stage.

The Preliminary Stage ties will see FC Abdysh-Ata of the Krygyz Republic do battle with Afghanistan’s Attack FC and Nepalese outfit Church Boys United face Paro FC of Bhutan, as the quartet vie to claim the two Group Stage berths on offer via the indirect slot allocation.

The winning duo will join 16 sides that have qualified directly for the new third-tier Continental men’s competition, which will be played from October 2024 to May 2025.

Nepalese champions Church Boys United will get the Preliminary Stage underway when they host Preliminary Stage opponents Paro at 6pm at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu. Set to be their first ever match at the Continental level, United have enjoyed a meteoric rise to get to this point – two consecutive title wins saw them go from the third tier to the first, which culminated in a dream Martyr’s Memorial A-Division League triumph on their top-flight debut in 2023.

Paro’s journey to the top has been similarly impressive. A runners-up finish on their Bhutan Premier League debut in 2018 was followed by a first league title in 2019 and the visitors’ 2023 crown was their third league win in a row and fourth overall. Having been eliminated thrice in the preliminary rounds of the AFC Cup™ (2020, 2022, 2023/24), they will hope to emerge victorious this time.

Reigning Kyrgyz Premier League champions Abdysh-Ata will be in action at 8pm when they welcome Attack FC at the Kurmanbek Stadium in Jalal-Abad. The home side, who made it back-to-back league triumphs after claiming their maiden title in 2022, enjoyed a remarkable Continental debut campaign when they reached the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Inter-zone Playoff Final and went down to eventual winners Central Coast Mariners.

Similarly, Attack FC have won the last two Afghanistan Champions League crowns – becoming the first Afghan side to win more than once – and recorded unbeaten runs across both seasons, winning all 10 of their 11 matches in 2022 before going one better by not conceding a single goal in 2024 when they won all 11 games to claim their second title in dominant fashion. Based in Herat, this will mark their first ever Continental match.

Once the 18-strong cast has been finalised after the conclusion of the ACGL 2024/25 Preliminary Stage, an official Group Stage draw will take place on August 22 to determine the five groups – three comprising four teams each from the West and two involving three teams each from the East. Each group will have a centralised host, with every side playing their opponent once over three matchdays between October 26 and November 2.

The 16 teams that have qualified directly for the Group Stage are listed below:

West: Al Arabi SC (KUW), FC Arkadag (TKM), Nejmeh SC (LBN), Al Futowa SC (SYR), Bashundhara Kings (BAN), Al Seeb Club (OMA), Maziya Sports & Recreation (MDV), Hilal Al-Quds (PLE) and two eliminated teams from AFC Champions League™ Two 2024/25 Preliminary Stage (West)

East: Madura United FC (IDN), Shan United FC (MYA), Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC (CAM), Tainan City FC (TPE), Young Elephants FC (LAO), SP Falcons (MNG)

Eight teams – the three Group winners and best-ranked runners-up from the West, and the top two finishers of each Group from the East – will progress to the Quarter-finals, which will comprise double-legged ties to be contested between March 5 and 13, 2025.

Both legs of the Semi-finals are scheduled from April 9 to 17, 2025 and the showdown Final is set for May 10, 2025.

Courtesy AFC