MVFC Blog

Last year, neither Sydney FC nor Adelaide United were able to make it past the group stage of the Asian Champions League. Adelaide faired badly, managing two wins, two draws and two losses. Sydney FC, on the other hand, narrowly missed out on knocking the Urawa Reds out in the group stage.

So when considering the Melbourne Victory’s chances at this year’s AFC Champions League, we shouldn’t get too greedy. The Socceroos’ dismal run at the Asian Cup should serve as a strong warning that our Asian competitors should never be underestimated.

In my humble opinion, to be the first Australian team to make it past the group stage would already be quite an achievement.

The draw for the 2008 Asian Champions League will be held on Monday, so it seemed like a great time to provide a quick look at how the tournament works.

The prize:
The winner takes home US$500,000 and earns a spot in the FIFA Club World Championship.

The format:
The AFC Champions League features 29 teams from 15 countries. Every country is represented by two teams. The previous year’s winner (in our case the Urawa Reds) automatically qualifies.

The competition kicks off on March 12 with a group phase. Each group consists of four teams, and only the top team of each group qualifies for the quarter-final. As the defending champions, the Urawa Reds bypass the group phase and go straight to the quarter finals.

Teams are divided into four regions: West, Central Asia, ASEAN and East. Three of the groups will be made up of teams from the ASEAN and East Asian countries, while the other four will consist of West Asian and Central Asian teams. Teams from the same country are kept apart.

The quarter finals, semis and final are all played on a home-and-away group basis, with the final played in November.

ASEAN

• Australia: Melbourne Victory & Adelaide United
• Vietnam: Bình Du’o'ng F.C & Nam Dinh
• Thailand: Chonburi FC & Krung Thai Bank

East Asia

• South Korea: Pohang Steelers & Chunnam Dragons
• China: Changchun Yatai & Beijing Guoan
• Japan: Urawa Reds, Gamba Osaka & Kashmina Antlers

West Asia

• Kuwait: Al Kuwait Kaifan & Al Qadisiya
• Syria: Al Karama & Al-Ittihad Aleppo
• United Arab Emirates: Al Wasl FC & Al-Wahda
• Saudi Arabia: Al-Itthihad Jeddah & Al-Ahli Jeddah
• Iraq: Arbil FC & Al Quwa Al Jawiya
• Qatar: Al Sadd & Al Gharrafa

Central Asia

• Uzbekistan: FC Pakhtakor & Kuruvchi
• Iran: Saipa F.C. & Sepahan F.C.

Note: No Indonesian teams have been included in the draw, due to the fact that the Indonesian domestic league and cup competitions finish too late.