Mohun Bagan to face Al-Wakrah, Tractor, FC Ravshan in AFC Champions League Two group stage

NEW DELHI — Mohun Bagan Super Giant were drawn alongside Al-Wakrah SC (Qatar), Tractor FC (IR Iran) and FC Ravshan (Tajikistan) in Group A of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Two in the draw conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday.

Mohun Bagan SG qualified for the newly-rebranded second tier men’s AFC club competition by virtue of winning the 2023-24 Indian Super League Shield. The Mariners had finished third in the 2023-24 AFC Cup Group Stage and failed to qualify for the knockout stage.

Al-Wakrah SC qualified for the AFC Champions League Two by finishing fourth in the 2023-24 Qatar Stars League. This will be the Qatari side’s first appearance in Asia since the 2001-02 Asian Club Championship. Iranian side Tractor FC also qualified with a fourth-placed finish in the 2023-24 Persian Gulf Pro League. They twice reached the Round of 16 of the erstwhile AFC Champions League in 2021 and 2016.

FC Ravshan booked their spot in the tournament as the runners-up of the 2023 Tajikistan Higher League. The side from Kulob made four appearances in the AFC Cup but never managed to progress from the group stage.

The AFC Champions League Two features 32 clubs divided into eight groups – four West, four East – of four teams each for the Group Stage, which will be played in a home-and-away round-robin format from September 17 to December 5, 2024.

The top two finishers from each group will advance to the Round of 16, to be played in February 2025. This will be followed by the quarterfinals in March 2025 and the semi-finals in April 2025, before the tournament culminates in a single-leg final on May 17, 2025.

East Bengal FC, the other club representing India in the 2024-25 AFC club competitions by virtue of being the 2024 Kalinga Super Cup champions, lost their AFC Champions League Two qualifying round match to FC Altyn Asyr on Wednesday, and will feature in the 2024-25 AFC Challenge League (third-tier) Group Stage, the draw for which will be conducted on August 22.