2022 AFC Champions League group stage explained

The 2022 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 15 April to 1 May 2022 for the East Region and from 7 to 27 April 2022 for the West Region.[1] A total of 40 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2022 AFC Champions League.[2]

Draw

The draw for the group stage was held on 17 January 2022 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 40 teams were drawn into ten groups of four: five groups each in the West Region (Groups A–E) and the East Region (Groups F–J). For each region, teams were seeded into four pots and drawn into the relevant positions within each group, based on their association ranking and their seeding within their association, in consideration of the technical balance between groups. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.

The following 40 teams entered into the group stage draw, which included the 33 direct entrants and the seven winners of the play-off round of the qualifying play-offs, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw.

width=12%Regionwidth=8%Groupswidth=20%Pot 1width=20%Pot 2width=20%Pot 3width=20%Pot 4
A–E Al-Sadd Al-Faisaly Pakhtakor Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Al-Hilal Sepahan Al-Wehdat Al-Taawoun
Foolad Shabab Al-Ahli Mumbai City Nasaf Qarshi
Al-Jazira Al-Rayyan Istiklol Sharjah
Al-Duhail Al-Shabab Ahal Al-Gharafa
F–J Shandong Taishan Urawa Red Diamonds United City Melbourne City
Kawasaki Frontale Jeonnam Dragons Kitchee Sydney FC
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Chiangrai United Hoàng Anh Gia Lai Vissel Kobe
BG Pathum United Guangzhou Johor Darul Ta'zim Ulsan Hyundai
Shanghai Port Yokohama F. Marinos Lion City Sailors Daegu FC

Format

In the group stage, each group was played in a double round-robin format in centralised venues. The winners of each group and three best runners-up from each region advanced to the round of 16 of the knockout stage.

Tiebreakers

The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations Article 8.3):[2]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams; (not applicable since the matches were played in a centralised venue)
  5. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  6. Goal difference in all group matches;
  7. Goals scored in all group matches;
  8. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams playing each other in the last round of the group are tied;
  9. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  10. Association ranking.

Schedule

The schedule for each match day was as follows.[3]

Match dayWest RegionEast Region
17–8 April15–16 April
210–11 April18–19 April
314–15 April21–22 April
418–19 April24–25 April
522–23 April27–28 April
626–27 April30 April – 1 May

Centralised venues

On 16 February 2022, AFC confirmed hosts for the East group stage.[4] On 3 March 2022, AFC confirmed hosts for the West group stage.[5]

Groups

Group A

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Group B

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Group C

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Group D

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Group E

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Group F

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Group G

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Group H

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Group I

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Group J

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Ranking of second-placed teams

East Region

Notes and References

  1. Web site: AFC Competitions Calendar 2022. Asian Football Confederation. the-afc.com. 2022-01-11. 2022-01-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20220113083709/https://assets.the-afc.com/downloads/calendars/AFC-Competitions-Calendar-2022-as-of-Dec-22.pdf. dead.
  2. Web site: AFC Champions League 2022 Competition Regulations. Asian Football Confederation. the-afc.com . PDF.
  3. Web site: Latest update on the AFC Champions League 2022. 13 January 2022. 13 January 2022. Asian Football Confederation. the-AFC.com. en.
  4. Web site: Centralised hosts for the AFC Champions League 2022 East Group Stage matches confirmed. Asian Football Confederation. the-afc.com. 16 February 2022.
  5. Web site: AFC Champions League 2022 (West) Group Stage to be held in Saudi Arabia. Asian Football Confederation. the-afc.com. 3 March 2022.

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