AFC Champions League 2: Mohun Bagan SG in Pot 3, East Bengal to be in Pot 4 on winning prelims

Mohun Bagan Super Giant, which earned automatic qualification into AFC Champions League 2 after winning its maiden Indian Super League Shield, is placed in Pot 3.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant won the Indian Super League last season, earning direct qualification into AFC Champions League 2. | Photo Credit: PTI

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), on Monday, announced the pot positions of teams for the Asian Champions League (ACL) 2, with the draw scheduled on August 16 at the InterContinental in Kuala Lumpur.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant, which earned automatic qualification into ACL 2 after winning its maiden Indian Super League (ISL) Shield, is placed in Pot 3, alongside Al Hussein (Jordan), FC Istiklol (Tajikistan) and Al Khaldiya SC (Bahrain).

Meanwhile, East Bengal, which qualified for the ACL Two preliminary play-off, after winning the Kalinga Super Cup 2024, will play Altyn Asyr FC from Tajikistan on August 14 for a spot in the group stages.

East Bengal qualified for the preliminary stages of Asian Champions League 2 by winning the Kalinga Super Cup 2024. | Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri/The Hindu

From the 2024-25 season, the AFC replaced the previous structure of continental competitions, AFC Champions League and AFC Cup, with AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League 2.

The new second-tier men’s tournament will comprise 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.

While India previously had a spot -- the winner of the ISL Shield -- in the ACL, a poor coefficient ranking of the country led to reduction in slots of its teams in continental competitions.

As a result, instead of a spot each in ACL and AFC Cup, both slots for India were allotted in ACL 2, with one confirmed and the other conditional (prelims).

Pot positions for clubs in Asian Champions League 2

West Asia

Pot 1: Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan SC (IRN), Winner of Al Gharafa SC (QAT) vs Shabab Al Ahli (UAE), Al Taawoun FC (KSA), Al Wakrah SC (QAT)

Pot 2: Tractor FC (IRN), Sharjah FC (UAE), PFC Nasaf (UZB), Air Force SC (IRQ)

Pot 3: Al Hussein (JOR), FC Istiklol (TJK), Mohun Bagan Super Giant (IND), Al Khaldiya SC (BHR)

Pot 4: Al Wehdat (JOR), FC Ravshan (TJK), Winner of East Bengal FC (IND) vs Altyn Asyr FC (TKM), Winner of Al Ahli (BHR) vs Kuwait SC (KUW)

East Asia

Pot 1: Winner of Shandong Taishan FC (CHN) vs Bangkok United (THA), Sanfrecce Hiroshima (JPN), Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC (KOR), Zhejiang FC (CHN)

Pot 2: Port FC (THA), Sydney FC (AUS), Selangor FC (MAS), Nam Dinh FC (VIE)

Pot 3: Lee Man (HKG), Kaya FC-Iloilo (PHI), Lion City Sailors FC (SGP), Muangthong United (THA)

Pot 4: Eastern (HKG), Dynamic Herb Cebu FC (PHI), Tampines Rovers FC (SGP), Persib Bandung (IDN)