Kuala Lumpur (dpa) – The AFC announced the withdrawal of the draw for the group stage of the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup, via video technology, on January 27th, in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The two tournaments are witnessing record participation, in terms of the number of clubs, during the two editions of 2021, as two additional groups were added, one for the East and one for the West, and the tournament was expanded to include 40 clubs instead of 32.
On the other hand, the number of clubs participating in the group stage of the AFC Cup increased from 36 to 39 clubs, as a new group was added in the central region.
Among the clubs entering the first participation in the history of the AFC Champions League, the Jordanian league champion, the Indian Goa, the Tajik Al-Estiqlal and the two-time AFC Cup runner-up in the western region, as well as United City of the Philippines, the Singaporean Tambenis Rovers and Vettel of Vietnam, stand out in groups. the East.
Newly crowned Ulsan Hyundai hopes to succeed in retaining the AFC Champions League title, to repeat the achievement of the Saudi Jeddah Federation, which won the title in 2004 and 2005.
It is noteworthy that the 2021 AFC Cup-winning team has the opportunity to qualify for the preliminary rounds in the AFC Champions League.
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