Live: AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 League Stage Draw

[Music] ladies and Gentlemen please put your hands together to welcome our host for the AFC champions league Elite 20242 League stage draw colet Wong thank you so much ladies and gentlemen a very good afternoon to all of you and a warm welcome to the InterContinental qualum in the heart of Malaysia my name is Colette Wong and it's an absolute pleasure to be here therefore for an event that everyone in Asia has been looking forward to the league stage draw for the very first season of the AFC champions league Elite it is a pivotal milestone in the proud history of the Asian Club game and today we are one step closer to the start of a new era with this draw ceremony as I'm sure you already know there will be 24 teams representing the very best of the continent in the hats for today's draw with the last two teams sealing their places just two days ago and of course the AFC champions league Elite 20242 season will replace the traditional group stage with a brand new league format which we will hear all about a little bit later on as we prepare to Herald a new dawn it's only right to take some time to reflect on the success of the preceding AFC champions league which ran for 21 seasons and became one of the best in the world so please turn your attention to the screen and take a look at some of the very best highlights these teams good to get [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] under control man he's just come back on and he was just [Music] [Applause] scor the [Music] [Applause] here for with the cross [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] wasn't that amazing so many wonderful memories there and I'm sure that there will be many more new ones to be made when the AFC champions league Elite kicks off and now we will hear from the AFC General Secretary on how the AFC champions league Elite will continue to raise the bar for elite competition in Asia please let us welcome on stage doto fre Windsor John [Music] AFC executive committee member and chairman of the uh AFC competitions uh committee uh Dr Tran cwan chairperson of the audit and compliance committee Deputy chairperson members of the audit and compliance committee members of the marketing committee participating member associations and clubs dear friends a very good evening on behalf of the AFC president shik Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa it gives me great pleasure to welcome everyone to the inaugural AFC champions league Elite League stage draw in a few moments Asian Club football will turn the page to an exciting new chapter a new frontier that will set set the stage for unrivaled growth and progress for the Asian Club game like never before in a few short years the AFC champions league transformed into one of the best Continental Club competitions in World football and now the ACL Elite is poised to elevate the Pinnacle stage of the Asian Club game to even greater Heights in the coming years a commitment to Excellence is at the heart of the latest reforms and the AFC is Resolute in its desire to strengthen the club landscape for our member associations our players and passionate fans the revamped AFC Elite represents some of the biggest reforms ever to be introduced into the Asian Club game we have tripled the financial incentives for our clubs and the new minimum price money of USD 12 million for the eventual Champions is one of the biggest on offer for a Continental Club competition the new league stage will also mean more exciting matches between equally ranked teams following the decision to transition from the group stage indeed the stakes to emerge as the champions of Asian football has uh never been higher particularly as we look to crown the maiden ACL Elite title holder in May next year in a few moments we will also witness the unveiling of the new trophy which will take its place as one of the most coveted silverware in global football and I would like to thank all our valued stakeholders for their unwavering support in enabling the AFC to reach this historic milestone in our club competitions journey I wish all the teams the very best of luck in the draw as well as in the upcoming matches thank [Applause] you thank you very much D 3 wo John that was perfectly said and it sums up the scent of excitement ments that we're all feeling right now and to raise those excitement levels even further we will now look at just what the AFC champions league Elites is all about so please turn your attention to the screen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] wow there you have it the new branding and tournament anthem for the AFC champions league Elite and it looks simply fantastic doesn't it of course there is still one key piece to come and that will be the new trophy which we will reveal very shortly and to help us with that please let me invite to the stage now the chairperson of the AFC competitions committee Dr trun all right this is a moment I know you're all waiting for it to witness and see this brand new trophy so Dr Chon are you ready okay we're all ready so let's do a little countdown from 3 2 1 [Music] once again thank you so much Dr Chan but look at that isn't that a magnificent trophy certainly very befitting of the status of the AFC champions league Elite and a piece of silver where that all our teams will be very much looking forward to getting their hands on now to help us determine the league stage fate of our 24 participating teams today we have invited Two Gentlemen who are both household names and icons in their own right the first of them from the AFC champions league title holders alen FC is someone who's been with the team for a remarkable 4 46 years as both a player and a coach who is he well let's turn to the screen now to find out [Music] ladies and Gentlemen please welcome on stage Mr up Ahmed Abdullah Ali it is such an honor for you to be for us to see you here today thank you so much for joining us and taking part in the draw you've got a big big couple of minutes ahead of you so please kindly take your position behind the stand now we do have another Legend who will join Mr Ahmed here and he is the ultimate one club man who joined his team as a youngster and then went on to become a key figure for them let's find out who he is have a look [Music] [Music] [Music] ladies and gentlemen give it up for yo kurara once again thank you so much for joining us as well he started and ended his career with Yokohama F marinos and he is here with us tonight to help us as a Dr assistant kindly take your position youel thank you so much for joining us today now there is of course one more person left to bring on stage and he is of course none other than our Dro conductor for the day so please put your hands together and welcome the one the only Mr shinman Gill the AFC Deputy General Secretary of competitions and [Applause] [Music] [Music] football thank you K Ahmed and youu and a very good afternoon to everyone today we are all gathered here for a very important milestone for afc's elite club competitions AFC has worked tirelessly to elevate the Asian Club competitions and the latest revamp to AFC champions league is a perfect example of our commitment to Our member associations and the leagues and the club for football development this includes the significant increase in the financial distribution as the champion of this competition will receive around around 12 million us and you have Al also just seen the beautiful new Trophy and the brandings and also learned about various innovations that will take place and there are a number of new ideas to to be implemented in this new Champions League Elite and one of these which is a key change is the switch to the league stage format from the traditional group stage format this change will guarantee the more competitive matches and also creating more excitement for both our teams and also for our fans as each and every teams will be playing four home matches and four away matches total eight matches with all eight different oppent clubs and before we move on to the draw ceremony let us familiarize ourself with exactly how it work AFC champions league Elite 2024 2025 League stage draw mechanism based on the confirmation of entries the following 24 participating clubs will participate in the AFC champions league Elite 2024 2025 League stage to represent their member associations as listed below 24 participating clubs will be divided into two leagues one league for the west region and one league for the east region with each league to be played in a home and a away League format each participating Club will play against eight different clubs four home matches and four away matches as per their draw results depending on their draw results each participating Club will be drawn into their respective position and the draw grid which shall also determine their pairings as per the pairings grid the draw grid ensures each participating Club plays against eight different clubs allocated in different columns participating clubs in column A will play against participating clubs from column B and C whilst the pairings grid ensures that each participating Club plays Four home matches and four matches against an equal number of clubs from part one and part two participating clubs of each region are seated into two pots in accordance with the following principles highest seated clubs from each member association with a direct slot shall be allocated into part one and for the avoidance of doubt the AFC champions league 2023 2024 title holder shall be the highest seated Club of its member Association all other clubs will be allocated into pot two participating clubs from the same member Association shall not play against each other in view of this principle participating clubs from the same member Association must be allocated into the same column of the draw grid the draw software will ensure that country protection is applied not only to to the participating clubs already drawn but also to those yet to be drawn to prevent any deadlock situation from occurring the draw will commence with the west region in the order of pot one and pot two each pot will be completely emptied before moving on to the next pot participating clubs from pot one will be drawn into the first possible position in the draw Grid in the OR of A1 B1 C1 A2 B2 and C2 taking into consideration the country protection principle subsequently participating clubs from part two will be drawn into the first possible position in the draw Grid in the order of A3 B3 C3 A4 B4 and C4 taking into consideration the country protection principle similarly the same procedures shall apply for the east region for its respective Columns of D E and F this shall conclude the draw for the AFC champions league Elite 2024 2025 League stage now I hope everyone is clear on how the league league stage function and how this draw will go later next up we'll take a look at the 12 participating clubs from the West who have successfully qualified for this season's AF Champions League Elite [Music] a [Music] nah [Music] [Applause] [Music] a very strong contenders there in the west which includes the defending Champion align from UAE and also three other clubs who have won the trophy as the Asian Club Champions before so now we'll start with the league stage draw for this 12 participating Club from the west and Mr Ahmad will help me out Mr Ahmad can we take the ball from Port one [Music] [Music] Bak takur Pak takur from usbekistan the first team out of the P this is very exciting times for them because they are the two-time ACL semifinalists and they will be making their 19th ACL appearance which is a joint record with alhilal sfc the first Club of this draw pako from usbekistan that goes to A1 [Music] alad SC alad SE from Qatar the 2011 ACL Champions the only Qatari Club to win the ACL making their 17th appearance Arad from Qatar in B1 [Music] [Music] Al Al shorter from Iraq this will be their fifth ACL appearance their first since 2021 and they will be looking to make it to the knockout stage for the first time I sh up from Iraq will be placed in B2 for the country protection [Music] [Music] principles FC perpus ft from Iran two-time ACL finalists making their 12th appearance in the AC press police from isic Republic of Iran that goes to [Music] [Music] C1 hen FC elen FC some Club very close to Mr ait's heart of course they are the reigning Champions 2023 AFC Champions League winners uh that was their second title after winning the first edition of the ACL in 2003 they are by the way the only UAE side to win the ACL alline defending champion from UAE that goes to C2 for the country protection principle [Music] alhilal sfc the two-time ACL Champions alhilal SSC from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia they will be taking part in their 19th ACL alhilal from Saudi Arabia that goes to A2 okay now we move the the the draw to part two [Music] Club Al Naser Club from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia they are of course two time semi-finalists Al ler from Saudi that goes to A3 [Music] [Music] Alan Alan from Kat making their 12th ACL appearance their first since 2022 they have reached a knockout stage once and Ryan from Qatar that will be placed in B3 [Music] [Music] EST FC EST FC from Iran semi-finalist back in 2013 and they'll be making their 13th ACL appearance estra from Islamic Republic of that goes to C position [Music] [Music] three alwasel FC alwasel FC from the UAE have never reached the knockout stage of the ACL but this will be their fourth appearance in this competition Al wasle from UA that will go to C4 again for Country protection [Music] principle Al Saudi FC Al Saudi FC from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2012 ACL finalists they were making their 13th ACL appearance this campaign AR Ali Saudi from Saudi Arabia that goes to [Music] A4 Alfa and the last team out of the west region is is none other than algara S sa from Kat quarterfinalists back in 2010 and they'll be making their 10th appearance in the ACL Alara last Club from the West that will go to B4 and that's it for the West exciting matches drawn there which we we will recap shortly thank you Mr Ahmad for your presence today thank you and now we'll move to the move on to the east but just like we did previously let's take a look at the participating clubs from the East [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] d [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] also another strong cast of contenders in the East with two AF Champions League winners and the last year's finalist Yokohama F marinos and of course we have usual Legend player here as the draw assistant for this second half of the draw ceremony today so usual can we pick up the ball from the part one [Music] yes the first Club out of part one in the east region is none other than Ulan hund FC the two-time ACL Champions making their 12th appearance in this competition at their eighth in a row by the way which is the longest current streak of any club the first Club from the eastan will go to [Music] D1 Shanghai Port FC from China it is Shanghai Port FC the 2017 semifinalist making their sixth ACL appearance they first though since 2020 Shai portc from China that goes to [Music] E1 from Malaysia je Dar tagim they're making the fifth ACL appearance and they're fourth in a row they did reach the round of six in 2022 joho Dar tazim JDT from Malaysia that goes to [Music] F1 Central Coast marinina Central Coast Mariners from Down Under Australia the winners of the 20 23 2024 AFC cup that was their first title they did reach The Knockout stage round of 16 that was back in 2013 Central Coast Mariners from Australia that will be in the two [Music] buram United from Thailand it is buram United the 2013 quarterfinalists making their ninth ACL appearance which is the most by any club from Thailand bam United from Thailand that will be placed in E2 [Music] V K that's right the last Club out of part one in the east region is visel K of Japan the 2020 ACL semi-finalists bisel KOB from Japan that will be in F2 now we can draw we can do the draw for part two [Music] shanton tan FC yes it is the first team out of part two in the East Shandong tan FC from China who have reached the quarterfinals three times Shandong taan from China that will go to E3 after we apply country protection principles [Music] [Music] y if maros Yokohama F marinos of Japan the 20232 24 ACL finalist making their seventh ACL appearance and also their third in row after we apply country protection rules then yukama F marinos will go to F3 [Music] FC pohan Steelers from South Korea FC poan Steelers the champions in 2009 they also reached the semifinals or rather the finals in 2021 poang steers led by Baka from Korea that will be in the [Music] three Shanghai Shena FC from China Shanghai Shena FC the 2006 quarter finalists and they will be making their eighth ACL appearance their first since 2020 sha will be in E4 after we apply country protection [Music] rules CR FC South Korea guangju FC they finished third in the K League 1 in 2023 that was their best ever finish and they are the only team in the draw set to make their Continental debut Guang FC from Korea in D4 and the last clock Kawasaki and that completes the draw with Kawasaki frontale from Japan the three-time quarter finalists making their 11th ACL appearance which is the most by any Japanese Club Kawasaki frontal in F4 gentlemen thank you very much and shin of course you've been a wonderful draw conductor ladies and gentlemen that is the full draw for the first ever League stage of the AFC champions league now I would like to invite all three gentlemen to come forward and join me here thank you a big thank you to yuzo and Mr ammed for being such wonderful draw assistant here today so let's recap what we have just seen starting with the west region this is how it all started we had drawn the teams into a draw grid which looks like this now based on the draw mechanism this is reflected in the pairing grid and as you can see we'll take elen there as an example the reigning Champions so they'll play Four home matches and four away matches so let's take a closer look at who they will play against at home it'll be against alad SCC alhilal SSC Al ran FC and Al AET Saudi FC and then they'll be traveling away to take on ptico ala Al Naser club and Al grafa SC well surely is a very interesting set of matches for the title holders that is of course Lin FC all teams have their respective opponents So This Is How They are set up in the west region and of course for more details on the fixtures you can always go to the official AFC website which is the hyen afc.com so that's what it looks like in the west side let's take a look at where the 12 teams in the east region come in so just like in the west the teams in the East also in a droid look like this this was predetermined their pairings as per the pairing grid so we're going to highlight Yokohama F marinos this is Yo's Club let's take a closer look at the teams they'll be facing in the league stage so there we go they'll be at home against usan Hundai FC buam United FC poang Steelers and Shanghai shenoa but they'll then have to travel overseas to face Shanghai Port FC Central Coast Mariners Shandong taan FC and guangju FC wow some really good matches there for the Yokohama F marinus fans to look forward to all matches will be played in accordance with the AFC competition's calendar and the match schedule including but not limited to match sequence and the kickoff time will be determined by the AFC after the draw so there you go another interesting match up for the east region as well it's shaping up to be a really good campaign now I'd like to ask Shin a question because we've got a new campaign coming up a new season we've got a new format and now we have just witnessed the draw Shin uh what are your initial reactions your initial thoughts on what you've just seen well uh whenever we organize the competition draw there is always at least one group of that but uh in the draw today it seems like each and every parings look like a group of that and there is no easy pairings at all I can see I'm very happy for the outcome of the draw as it guarantees the competitiveness and also excitement for our fans and the media wow I love it no groups of death but earings of death that's what we can look forward to in the upcoming season well ladies and gentlemen we have come to the end of The League stage draw for the AFC champions league Elite 20242 season I hope you all enjoyed that we really do have some thrilling matchups in store for us and the good news is you're not going to have to wait very long at all because the AFC champions league Elite will kick off in one month's time that's 16th of September of course all you dedicated fans are stay tuned to the afc's digital channels and the AFC Live app for all the exciting buildup as we count down to the start of the new season once again thank you all for tuning in and until next time stay safe everyone bye-bye [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]