2013 AFC Champions League group stage explained

The group stage of the 2013 AFC Champions League was played from 26 February to 1 May 2013. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage.^[1]

Draw

The draw for the group stage was held on 6 December 2012, 16:00 UTC+8, at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.^[2] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.

The following 32 teams (16 from West Zone, 16 from East Zone) were entered into the group-stage draw, which included the 29 automatic qualifiers and the three qualifying play-off winners, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw:

West Zone (Groups A–D)

• Al-Shabab
• Al-Ahli
• Al-Hilal
• Al-Ettifaq
• Lekhwiya
• Al-Gharafa
• El Jaish
• Al-Rayyan
• Sepahan
• Esteghlal
• Tractor Sazi
• Al-Ain
• Al-Jazira
• Pakhtakor
• Winner of play-off West 1: Al-Shabab Al-Arabi
• Winner of play-off West 2: Al-Nasr

East Zone (Groups E–H)

• Sanfrecce Hiroshima
• Kashiwa Reysol
• Vegalta Sendai
• Urawa Red Diamonds
• FC Seoul
• Pohang Steelers
• Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
• Suwon Samsung Bluewings
• Guangzhou Evergrande
• Jiangsu Sainty
• Beijing Guoan
• Guizhou Renhe
• Bunyodkor
• Central Coast Mariners
• Muangthong United
• Winner of play-off East: Buriram United

Format

In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16.

Tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:^[1]

1. Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
2. Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
3. Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned (away goals do not apply)
4. Goal difference in all the group matches
5. Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches
6. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play
7. Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card)
8. Drawing of lots

Groups

The matchdays were 26–27 February, 12–13 March, 2–3 April, 9–10 April, 23–24 April, and 30 April–1 May 2013.^[3]

Group A

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Group B

Tiebreakers

• Al-Ettifaq are ranked ahead of Pakhtakor on head-to-head record.

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Group C

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Group D

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Group E

Tiebreakers

• Buriram United and Jiangsu Sainty are tied on head-to-head record, and so are ranked by overall goal difference.

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Group F

Tiebreakers

• Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are ranked ahead of Urawa Red Diamonds on head-to-head record.

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Group G

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Group H

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Notes and References

1. Web site: AFC Champions League 2013 Competition Regulations . AFC . PDF . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130302032353/http://www.the-afc.com/en/component/jdownloads/finish/64/52.html . 2013-03-02 .
2. Web site: ACL 2013 – Group Stage Draw. AFC. 6 December 2012.
3. Web site: AFC Calendar of Competitions 2013. AFC. PDF.