Bahrain's Al Ahli Club are all set to compete in the opening round of the all-new Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge League, kicking off tomorrow.
The AFC Challenge League is the third-tier continental club competition under the banner, below the top-rung AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite and the ACL Two.
Ahli are in Group C for this stage of the tournament, which will be played at Al Seeb Stadium in Muscat, Oman. They are alongside Hilal Al Quds of Palestine, Al Futowa SC of Syria, and hosts Al Seeb Club.
Each group in the AFC Challenge League is being played at a centralised host nation, with every side playing their opponents once over three match days.
The Bahrainis departed Bahrain last night for the Omani capital ahead of tomorrow’s start of play. Their opening assignment is against Hilal Al Quds, scheduled for a 4pm kick-off. They then play Seeb on Tuesday next week at 7pm, before facing off with Futowa on Friday at 4pm in their last group fixture. All times are Bahrain.
There are 18 participating clubs in this year’s AFC Challenge League. They have been divided into five groups – three of which are in West Asia comprising four teams apiece, with the other two in East Asia involving three teams each.
Joining Oman as group hosts from West Asia are Bhutan and Kuwait, while Myanmar and Mongolia are the hosts from East Asia.
Following the group stage, the three West group winners and one best runner-up will join the top two finishers of each group from the East to form the eight team quarter-finals, which will comprise double-legged ties to be contested between March 5 and 13, 2025.
That will then set the stage for the semi-finals, which are scheduled from April 9 to 17, and then the final will be held on May 10 next year.
The AFC Challenge League has replaced the tournament formerly known as the AFC President’s Cup, which ran from 2005 to 2014. It has been rebranded by the AFC for the upcoming 2024-25 season and beyond.
The winners of the inaugural AFC Challenge League will pocket $1 million, while the runners-up will get $500,000.
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