Bahrain's Al Ahli Club lock horns with Kuwait’s Kuwait SC tomorrow in a single game play-off for a spot in the all-new AFC Champions League Two (ACL Two).
The game is set to be played at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town. It is scheduled for a 7.15pm kick-off.
Ahli are aiming to secure a place in the 2024-25 ACL Two group stage, where they hope to join fellow-Bahraini side Al Khaldiya, who are already assured of a direct berth having been crowned champions of the 2023-24 Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier League.
Ahli earned their play-off chance as winners of this past season’s His Majesty the King’s Cup. Their contest tomorrow will be their first-ever continental match at any level, according to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Ahli and Kuwait are two of four teams looking to secure their participation in the group stage. East Bengal FC of India and Altyn Asyr FC of Turkmenistan are the others. The pair will also be facing off tomorrow at 4.30pm, Bahrain time, at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, India.
The ACL Two, formerly known as the AFC Cup, is the new second-tier clubs tournament of the AFC. It is one level below the AFC Champions League Elite and one above the AFC Challenge League.
The tournament proper will feature 32 teams in the group phase. They will be divided into eight groups – four each for West and East Asia. Following the results of tomorrow’s matches, the official draw ceremony for the group stage is scheduled to take place on Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Fixtures will be played in home-and-away format between September and December this year. The top two from each division then move on to the round of 16 knockouts, to be held in 2025. This stage, along with the quarter-finals and semi-finals, will be played in two legs. That will set the stage for the final, which will be a single match on May 17 next year.
Other teams from West Asia already with a direct berth alongside Khaldiya are Al Taawoun FC of Saudi Arabia, Al Wakrah of Qatar, Sharjah FC from the UAE, PFC Nasaf of Uzbekistan, Air Force SC of Iraq, Al Hussein and Al Wehdat from Jordan, FC Istiklol and FC Ravshan from Tajikistan, Mohun Bagan Super Giant from India, and Tractor FC and Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan SC of Iran.
Al Gharafa SC of Qatar or Shabab Al Ahli of the UAE may also be in the fray, depending on which of the two teams are eliminated from the ACL Elite’s second preliminary stage in West Asia.
From East Asia, the clubs already with places in the ACL Two are from Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Australia,
Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong China, the Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia.
Shandong Taishan FC of China and Bangkok United may also compete, depending on which of the two teams is eliminated from the ACL Elite’s preliminary stage in East Asia.
Participating teams in the 2024-25 ACL Two group stage are guaranteed a minimum of $300,000 in prize money, with additional bonuses available based on their eventual placings. The champions will receive at least $3.28 million, according to the AFC.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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