Al-Ahli in Group 1 of the 2022 AFC Champions League

The draw for the group stage of the 2024 AFC Champions League Two, in its third edition, was held yesterday in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Kuwait SC is participating in the tournament and has been placed in Group 1, alongside UAE’s Al-Wahda, Uzbekistan’s Nasaf, and Bahrain’s Al-Khaldiya. Group 2 features Al-Jazira (UAE), Gol Gohar (Iran), Al-Muharraq (Bahrain), and Aregdak (Turkmenistan). Group 3 includes Al-Taawoun (Saudi Arabia), Al-Rayyan (Qatar), Al-Faisaly (Jordan), and Dhofar (Oman). Group 4 comprises Al-Hussein (Jordan), Al-Shorta (Iraq), Muscat Club (Oman), and East Bengal (India).

The tournament features 32 teams, with 16 from the Eastern and 16 from the Western regions. One spot remains vacant, as Indonesia’s Persib Bandung faces the Philippines’ Manila Digger in a single-leg preliminary round match on August 31.

According to the seeding list announced by the AFC for the Western region, Al-Jazira and Al-Wahda (UAE), Al-Hussein (Jordan), and Al-Taawoun (Saudi Arabia) were placed in Pot 1. Pot 2 included Al-Rayyan (Qatar), Gol Gohar (Iran), Nasaf (Uzbekistan), and Al-Shorta (Iraq). Kuwait SC was seeded in Pot 3, alongside Al-Faisaly (Jordan), Al-Muharraq (Bahrain), and Muscat Club (Oman).

On his part, former Kuwait national team captain at the 1982 FIFA World Cup and Kuwait SC’s representative at the draw, Saad Al-Houti, praised the excellent organization of the third edition’s AFC Champions League Two draw. He told Al-Anba newspaper: “The draw was conducted with a high level of precision, transparency, and professionalism, highlighting the importance of the AFC Champions League Two and the significant progress achieved by the Asian Football Confederation under the leadership of its President, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa. The draw concluded as it began, in a spirit of camaraderie among all representatives of the 32 participating Asian clubs and invited sports officials.”

Al-Houti presented the Kuwait national team’s 1982 jersey and Kuwait SC’s shirt to the AFC Secretary-General, Malaysian Datuk Seri Windsor John. He stated: “I explained to the AFC representative that the blue jersey belongs to the first Arab and Gulf national team to represent the continent at the World Cup, when only 24 teams participated.” He emphasized his pride in representing Kuwait and the “White” (nickname for Kuwait’s national team) in a draw featuring some of the best clubs in Asia.

Al-Houti wished success for the “White,” representing Kuwaiti football, hoping they deliver outstanding performances that enable them to advance to the later stages of the tournament, which features some of the continent’s top clubs.