4 Emirati clubs await the draw for the “Elite” and “Asian Champions” today

The draw for the first edition of the AFC Champions League for the elite and the AFC Champions League 2 will be held at 1:00 pm today (UAE time) in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, with the participation of representatives of the Emirati clubs Al Ain, Al Wasl, Shabab Al Ahli and Sharjah, who bear a great responsibility in the two new competitions to highlight the development of Emirati football on the continental level.

24 teams will participate in the Elite Championship, divided into 12 teams from the East and the same number from the West. Each team will play four matches at home and four away, then 8 teams will qualify for the round of 16, which will be held in a home and away system, and from there to the quarter-finals.

Starting from the quarter-finals, the matches will be held in a single tournament system, in one country. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was chosen to be the host in the first two versions of the modern tournament.

Al Ain were placed in the first pot as the title holders of the last edition of the AFC Champions League, alongside Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, Al Sadd of Qatar, Persepolis of Iran, Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan, and Al Shorta of Iraq, while Al Wasl, the champions of the ADNOC Professional League, will be in the second pot with Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa of Qatar, Al Nassr and Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia, and Esteghlal of Iran.

In contrast, the AFC Champions League 2 will feature more teams than any other Asian competition, with eight groups, four in the West and four in the East, with each group containing four clubs during the group stage. The principle of not playing against a team from the same country will be applied, and a special draw programme will be used to prevent any conflicts or complicated situations.

The tournament will be played in a split league system, with home and away matches, from September 17 to December 5. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the round of 16, which will be played over two legs. Another draw will be held to determine the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches, while the final match will be a single match only.

The UAE will be represented in this tournament by Shabab Al Ahli, who were relegated from the Elite Championship play-off after losing 1-0 to Al Gharafa of Qatar, along with Sharjah. The Asian Football Confederation had placed Shabab Al Ahli in the first classification, while Sharjah will be in the second classification.

■ Participating clubs from West Asia in the Elite Championship

• First level: Al Ain (UAE)Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Al-Sadd (Qatar), Persepolis (Iran), Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan), Al-Shorta (Iraq).

• the second: Al Wasl (UAE)Al-Nasr (Saudi Arabia), Al-Rayyan (Qatar), Esteghlal (Iran), Al-Ahly (Saudi Arabia), Al-Gharafa (Qatar).

■ Participating clubs from West Asia in the Champions League 2

• First level: Al Ahli Youth (UAE)Sepahan (Iran), Al-Taawoun (Saudi Arabia), Al-Wakrah (Qatar).

• the second: Sharjah (UAE)Tractor (Iran), Nasaf (Uzbekistan), Air Force (Iraq).

• Third: Al-Hussein (Jordan), Esteghlal (Tajikistan), Mohun Bagan Super Giant (India), Al-Khalidiya (Bahrain).

• Fourth: Al-Wahdat (Jordan), Ravshan (Tajikistan), Altyn Asyr (Turkmenistan), Kuwait (Kuwait).