'Asian' Group for Yellow ... and 'Arab' Group for Green
- Following the draw for the Challenge League in Malaysia
The draw for the AFC Challenge League, held today in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, resulted in Al-Arabi being placed in Group 2 alongside Lebanese club Al-Najma, Tajikistan’s Istiklol (hosts), and Syria’s Al-Hurriya Homs. Meanwhile, Al-Qadsiah (hosts) were drawn in Group 3, joining India’s Goa, Bangladesh’s Fortis, and Tajikistan’s Regar-TadAZ.
The group stage matches will take place between October 17 and 24 next year, while the quarter-finals will be played on a home-and-away basis between March 3 and 18, 2027. The semi-finals will be held between April 7 and 15, with the final scheduled for May 8, 2027.
Al-Qadsiah is set to begin their campaign in the group with a match against Fortis, before facing Regar in the second round, and concluding their group stage with a game against Goa. Al-Arabi will start their group journey against Al-Hurriya Homs, followed by a second-round clash with Istiklol, and will face Al-Najma in the final and decisive third round.
Group 1 of the West Region includes Group 1 host Paro (Bhutan), Turkmenistan’s Ahal, Lebanon’s Ansar, and Syria’s Al-Ittihad Aleppo.
The winners of the three groups in the West Region will advance to the quarter-finals, along with the best runner-up.
In the East Region, Indonesia’s Borneo Samarinda will host Group 4, where they will face Philippines’ Davaag Aguilas, Chinese Taipei’s Tainan City, and either Myanmar’s Yangon United or Laos’s Lao Toyota FC.
Meanwhile, Group 5 will feature a contest between Indonesia’s Persib Bandung or Philippines’ Manila Digger, Myanmar’s Shan United, Chinese Taipei’s New Taipei City Hang Yuen, and either Brunei’s Kasuka or Timor-Leste’s Karketu Dili, with two qualification spots for the quarter-finals at stake.
Al-Qadsiah returns to continental competition after participating in the Gulf Club Champions Championship in the past two seasons, aiming to secure another Asian title, having previously won the AFC Cup in 2014.
Al-Arabi, on the other hand, participated in the previous edition of the Challenge League but were eliminated in the group stage last season. This occurred after a 1-1 draw against Kyrgyzstan’s FC Dordoi Bishkek (referred to as Muras United in the source) last November at the Tolegen Omarzakov Stadium in the capital Bishkek, during the third round of Group 3 matches.
Al-Arabi needed only a victory to qualify but failed to overcome their opponent. With this result, Al-Arabi accumulated 5 points, level with Muras United, but the latter advanced from the group due to superior goal difference.
