AFC Cup™ 2023/24 contenders set for Group Stage draw | Football Australia

The 19th edition of the AFC Cup™ – the first to adhere to an autumn-spring schedule – will feature 36 clubs from the five AFC Zones across nine groups and is set to take place between September 2023 and May 2024.

Joint-record three-time champions Kuwait SC – the first Kuwaiti club to ever win an Asian title – have the opportunity to add to their triumphs from 2009, 2012 and 2013; Lebanon’s first ever Asian club champion, Al Ahed FC, triumphed in 2019 and could be joined in the draw by 2010 winner Al Ittihad Al-Ahli of Aleppo of Syria, if the latter prevails in their Playoff (West). Two previous finalists – Nejmeh SC of Lebanon (2005) and Altyn Asyr FC of Turkmenistan (2018) – are in the hunt to go one better.

This edition will feature 13 debutants if Al Khaldiya SC of Bahrain navigate their Playoff (West) tie successfully – the most since the 2010 edition, which had 14. Australian clubs will be involved for the first time in the history of the AFC Cup™, represented by the duo of Macarthur FC and Central Coast Mariners.

Following the slot allocations that were determined in June, 29 clubs earned direct qualification to the Group Stage based on the AFC Club Competitions Ranking 2021. They will be joined by seven clubs from the Preliminary and Playoff Stages, which will conclude on August 23.

The 36 participating clubs will be drawn into nine groups of four according to their respective Zones, as below:

Groups A, B, C: West ZoneGroup D: South ZoneGroups E: Central ZoneGroups F, G, H: ASEAN ZoneGroup I: East Zone   For groups in the West and ASEAN Zones, clubs from the same Member Association (MA) will not be drawn into the same group due to the Country Protection principle. The clubs involved in these two Zones will also be