AFC Champions League | Mumbai City FC drawn alongside Al Shabab and Al Jazira
In the AFC Champions League 2022, reigning ISL champions Mumbai City FC have been drawn in Group B with Air Force Club of Iraq, Al Shabab, and Al Jazira of the UAE. Mumbai City FC will be making their first debut in the AFC Champions League, and had qualified after winning ISL 2020-21.
After FC Goa, Mumbai City FC is only the second Indian football team to compete in the AFC Champions League in 2021. FC Goa came in third place in Group E and did not advance past the preliminary round.
The AFC Champions League 2022 group rounds will take place from April 7 to April 27. The double round-robin matches will be held at a central location to be disclosed later.
“We are very excited. We always want to compete with the best and participating in the AFC Champions League allows us to do so,” said Des Buckingham, the head coach of Mumbai City FC.
“Our objective will be to get to the AFC Champions League off the back of a successful ISL. We want to make sure we represent Mumbai well and give a good showing of Indian football on the Asian stage,” he added.
It goes without saying, Mumbai City FC will be up against some tough competition in the event. Al Jazira has won the UAE Pro League three times, whereas Al Shabab has won the Saudi Premier League an astonishing amount of six times and reached the AFC Champions League semi-finals twice.
The Iraqi Premier League has been won seven times, while the AFC Cup has been won three times by the Air Force Club.
The Air Force Club were the reason Bengaluru FC's dream run came to an end in the AFC Cup 2016 final, which the Indian football fans are very familiar with.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) performed the AFC Champions League group stage draw through a virtual ceremony. The draws were placed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the AFC headquarters.
The AFC Champions League 2022 is divided into ten groups of four teams each. The top six teams from each group, as well as the six best second-placed teams, will proceed to the round of 16.
Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia who had won the previous year’s title, are in Group A, along with Qatar's Al Rayyan and Tajikistan's Istiklol. Groups A-E are for clubs from West Asia, while Groups F-J is for clubs from East Asia. Melbourne City FC, an Australian team, will also make their AFC Champions League debut, competing in Group G.
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