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The qualifying journey for the AFC Cup 2023/24 Group Stage begins on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 as the first of 13 matches in the Preliminary and Playoff Stages kick off.
Seven spots are on offer across all five AFC Zones for the 19th edition of the AFC Cup, with the slot allocations determined in June.
Two-time Nepal A-Division League champions Machhindra FC make their second appearance in qualifying, hoping to go one better than they did in 2022 when they fell at the first hurdle of the South Zone Preliminary Stage 1. This time, they face Paro FC of Bhutan – involved at this stage for a third time – on August 8 at 5.30pm local time at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu.
The winner will play India’s Mohun Bagan Super Giant – seeking a seventh Group Stage qualification – on August 16 in the Preliminary Stage 2, which kicks off at 7pm at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. The victor of this clash will proceed to take on either Abahani Limited Dhaka of Bangladesh or Club Eagles of the Maldives – who play each other on August 16 at 3.15pm at the Sylhet District Stadium – in the South Zone Playoff on August 22 for the right to be at the AFC Cup 2023/24.
The sole Preliminary Stage fixture in the Central Zone on August 15 at 4.30pm at the SportComplex in Mary City sees Turkmenistan’s FC Merw host Krygyz Republic outfit FC Alay, who have each previously made it to the Group Stage once and four times respectively. The winner will proceed to a date in the Playoff on August 22 at 4.30pm at the 20th Years Independence of Tajikistan Stadium in Khujand City with Tajikistan’s FC Khujand, who are aiming to secure a fifth straight involvement in the AFC Cup group stages.
The quest for four teams in the ASEAN Zone begins on August 16. Cambodian side Phnom Penh Crown FC, who won their record eighth league title last season, face Laotian club Young Elephants FC at 6pm at the Smart RSN STADIUM; incidentally, both were drawn in the same group in the AFC Cup 2022 on their Group Stage debuts. The other Preliminary Stage match involves Yangon United of Myanmar and DPMM FC from Brunei Darussalam, set for kick-off at 3.30pm at the Thuwunna Stadium.
The winners will then go on to duel with Singapore’s Tampines Rovers and Indonesia’s PSM Makassar respectively in the Playoff Stage, both on August 23, when the race to the Group Stage will reach its decisive phase. These kick off at 7.30pm at the Jalan Besar Stadium and 7pm at Bali’s Captain 1 Wayan Dipta Stadium respectively.
Two Playoff matches will be held in the West Zone as well. On August 22 at 7pm at the Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Manama, Al Khaldiya SC, who clinched their first ever Bahraini Premier League crown in 2022, can add an AFC Cup Group Stage debut to that achievement if they overcome four-time Oman Professional League champions Al Nahda, who last appeared in the Group Stage in 2015. On the same evening, Shabab Al Khalil of Palestine – Group Stage debutants in 2022 – will face Syria’s Al-Ittihad Al-Ahli of Aleppo at a neutral venue for the other berth on offer.
The final spot at stake will go to the winner of the straight shootout in the East Zone Playoff between Macau’s Monte Carlo and Chinese Taipei’s Taichung Futuro at 7.30pm at the Macau Olympic Stadium, with both eager to make it to the AFC Cup proper for the first time ever.
The draw for the AFC Cup 2023/24 Group Stage takes place on August 24, 2023 at 2pm and will be live-streamed here .
