The 2021 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 14 to 30 April 2021 for the West Region and from 22 June to 11 July 2021 for the East Region.[1] A total of 40 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2021 AFC Champions League.[2]
Draw
The draw for the group stage was held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 27 January 2021.[3] The 40 teams were drawn into ten groups of four: five groups each in the West Region (Groups A–E) and the East Region (Groups F–J). For each zone, teams were seeded into four pots and drawn into the relevant positions within each group, based on their association ranking and their seeding within their association, in consideration of technical balance between groups. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.[4]
The following 40 teams entered into the group stage draw, which included the 32 direct entrants and the eight winners of the play-off round of the qualifying play-offs, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw.
In the group stage, each group was played on a double round-robin basis in centralised venues. The winners of each group and three best runners-up from each region advanced to the round of 16 of the knockout stage.
Tiebreakers
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations Article 8.3):[2]
Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;(not applicable since the matches were played in centralised venue)
If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
Goal difference in all group matches;
Goals scored in all group matches;
Penalty shoot-out if only two teams playing each other in the last round of the group are tied;
Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
The schedule of each matchday was as follows.[1][10]
Matchday
Dates
Matches
West Region
East Region
Matchday 1
14–15 April 2021
22, 24–26 June 2021
Team 1 vs. Team 4, Team 3 vs. Team 2
Matchday 2
17–18 April 2021
25, 27–29 June 2021
Team 4 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 1
Matchday 3
20–21 April 2021
28, 30 June – 2 July 2021
Team 4 vs. Team 2, Team 1 vs. Team 3
Matchday 4
23–24 April 2021
1, 3–5 July 2021
Team 2 vs. Team 4, Team 3 vs. Team 1
Matchday 5
26–27 April 2021
4, 6–8 July 2021
Team 4 vs. Team 1, Team 2 vs. Team 3
Matchday 6
29–30 April 2021
7, 9–11 July 2021
Team 1 vs. Team 2, Team 3 vs. Team 4
Centralised venues
On 11 March 2021, AFC confirmed Thailand as the hosts for the group stage, except for Group H and I.[11] On 10 May 2021, AFC confirmed Uzbekistan as the hosts for Group H and I.[12]
Source: AFC Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Notes
^ abThe first-seeded teams of the associations ranked 5th were seeded in the same pot as the play-off winners in consideration of technical balance.[4]
^ abThe teams which enter the group stage due to slot reallocation are seeded according to the teams they replace.[4]
^ abShandong Taishan, which were originally entered as China 2, had not satisfied the mandatory Criterion F.04 of the AFC Club Licensing Regulations (Edition 2016) concerning overdue payables. Thus, its license was withdrawn by the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) independent Entry Control Body, and Guangzhou were reallocated from China 3 to China 2 (moving from group position I2 to J1), and Beijing Guoan were reallocated from China 4 to China 3 (moving from play-off round to group position I2).[8][9]
