2024–25 AFC Challenge League group stage explained

The 2024–25 AFC Challenge League group stage was played from 26 October to 2 November 2024.[1]

Draw

The draw for the group stage took place on 22 August at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 18 teams were drawn into five groups: three comprising four teams from the West each (Groups A–C) and two involving three teams from the East each (Groups D–E).[2] Teams were seeded into pots: four pots for West region and three pots for East region, and drawn into the relevant positions within each group, based on their association ranking. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.

The following 18 teams entered the group stage draw, which included the 14 direct entrants, two losers from the AFC Champions League Two qualifying play-offs (labeled ACL2) and the two winners of the preliminary stage (labeled PS).

RegionGroupsPot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4
A–C East BengalACL2 Arkadag Bashundhara Kings Hilal Al-Quds
Al-Ahli ClubACL2 Nejmeh Al-Seeb Abdysh-Ata KantPS
Al-Arabi Al-Fotuwa Maziya ParoPS
D–E Madura United Svay Rieng Young Elephants—
Shan United Tainan City SP Falcons—

Format

In the group stage, each group will be played in a single round-robin format on a centralised venue. Eight teams will progress to the quarter-finals of the knockout stage : the three group winners and best-ranked runners-up from the West, and the group winners and runner-ups of each group from the East.

Tiebreakers

The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations Article 8.3):[3]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams playing each other in the last round of the group are tied;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.

Schedule

The schedule of the group stage is as follows.[4]

RoundDates (West region)Dates (East region)
Matchday 126 October 202427 October 2024
Matchday 229 October 202430 October 2024
Matchday 31 November 20242 November 2024

Groups

The detailed schedule was announced on 22 August 2024 after the draw ceremony.[5]

West Region

Group A

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Group B

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Group C

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Ranking of runners-up teams

East Region

Group D

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Group E

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2024 - Jun 2025) . the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 2024-08-07.
  2. Web site: #ChallengeLeague draw to decide 2024/25 Group Stage battles. Asian Football Confederation . 19 August 2024.
  3. Web site: AFC Challenge League 2024/25 Competition Regulations. Asian Football Confederation. 19 August 2024. PDF.
  4. Web site: 1 July 2023 . AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions . AFC.
  5. Web site: 2024–25 AFC Challenge League Group Stage Draw Results & Match Schedule . Asian Football Confederation . 23 August 2024 . 22 August 2024.

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