The 2021 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 14 to 30 April 2021 for the West Region and from 22 June to 11 July 2021 for the East Region.
A total of 40 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the
knockout stage of the
2021 AFC Champions League.
Draw
The draw for the group stage was held at the AFC House in
Kuala Lumpur
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, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
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, Malaysia, on 27 January 2021. The 40 teams were drawn into ten groups of four: five groups each in the West Region (Groups A–E) and the East Region (Groups F–J). For each zone, teams were seeded into four pots and drawn into the relevant positions within each group, based on their
association ranking and their seeding within their association, in consideration of technical balance between groups. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.
The following 40 teams entered into the group stage draw, which included the 32 direct entrants and the eight winners of the
play-off round
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
of the
qualifying play-offs
Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to:
* Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...
, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw.
Format
In the group stage, each group was played on a double
round-robin basis in centralised venues. The winners of each group and three best runners-up from each region advanced to the
round of 16
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
of the
knockout stage.
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):
#Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
#
Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
#Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
#
Away goals
The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams; ''(not applicable since the matches were played in centralised venue)''
#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;
#Goal difference in all group matches;
#Goals scored in all group matches;
#
Penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
if only two teams playing each other in the last round of the group are tied;
#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);
#
Association ranking.
Schedule
The schedule of each matchday was as follows.
Centralised venues
On 11 March 2021, AFC confirmed Thailand as the hosts for the group stage, except for Group H and I.
On 10 May 2021, AFC confirmed Uzbekistan as the hosts for Group H and I.
*Groups A and D:
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...
, Saudi Arabia (
Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium
Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium (Arabic: ملعب الأمير فيصل بن فهد) (formerly the Malab Reayat Al Shabab Stadium, ملعب رعاية الشباب بالرياض) is a multi-purpose stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, designed by arch ...
,
King Fhad International Stadium &
King Saud University Stadium
King Saud University Stadium, also known as Mrsool Park due to sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In September 2020, Saudi Media Company obtained the management rights for operating the stadium. In October ...
)
*Group B:
Sharjah
Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
Sharjah is the capital ...
, United Arab Emirates (
Sharjah Stadium
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium ( ar, ملعب الشارقة للكريكيت) is in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It holds the record for the most ODIs hosted in a venue with 240 ODIs up to December 2019. It was originally constructed in t ...
)
*Group C:
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (
Sports Hall
The following is a list of indoor arenas.
Africa
Asia
Europe
North America
Canada
United States
Oceania
South America
See also
*Arena
*Stadium
*Sport venue
*Lists of stadiums
The following are lists of stadiums t ...
)
*Group E:
Margao
Margao or Madgaon is the commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It stands on banks of the Sal river and is the administrative headquarters of Salcete sub-district and South Goa district. It is Goa's second largest city by population ...
, India (
Fatorda Stadium)
*Groups F and G:
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
, Thailand (
Rajamangala Stadium
The Rajamangala National Stadium ( th, ราชมังคลากีฬาสถาน; , ) is the national stadium of Thailand. It is part of the Hua Mak Sports Complex, and is located in Hua Mak Subdistrict, Bang Kapi, Bangkok. It officia ...
&
Pathum Thani Stadium)
*Groups H and I:
Tashkent
Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of 2 ...
, Uzbekistan (
Bunyodkor Stadium
The Milliy Stadium ( uz, Milliy stadioni) is a football stadium in the city of Tashkent — the capital of Uzbekistan. Located in Chilanzar District of Tashkent, on Bunyodkor Avenue. It seats 34,000 spectators, thus becoming the second largest st ...
&
Lokomotiv Stadium)
*Groups J:
Buriram, Thailand (
Buriram Stadium)
Groups
Group A
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Group B
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Group C
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Group D
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Group E
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Group F
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Group G
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Group H
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Group I
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Group J
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Ranking of second-placed teams
West Region
East Region
Notes
References
External links
*
AFC Champions League 2021 stats.the-AFC.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:AFC Champions League Group Stage 2021
*2
April 2021 sports events in Asia
May 2021 sports events in Asia
June 2021 sports events in Asia
July 2021 sports events in Asia