Unlike the top-tier Asian Champions League Elite, which uses a league phase similar to the newly reformatted UEFA club competitions, the second-tier Champions League 2 still runs the old 'group stage' system with eight groups of four clubs - four from AFC West and four from AFC East - playing one another at home and away.
The group stage will run over six matchdays from September 15-16 to December 8-9, presenting both the Reds and the Victory with a significant challenge in balancing continental football and the lengthy travel involved with their A-League ambitions.
4:10pm AEST: The AFC West portion of the draw will be conducted first, meaning that the two Australian clubs are going to have to wait some time to find out their opponents.
4:15pm AEST: The four groups of the AFC West are now being drawn. The process should take about ten minutes.
4:25pm AEST: The AFC West draw is complete and we shouldn't be far away from the East, which includes Adelaide and Melbourne.
4:28pm AEST: Adelaide United have been drawn into Group F from Pot 1. We'll soon learn of their opponents.
4:30pm AEST: Melbourne Victory are in Group E with FC Seoul and two other clubs to be determined.
AFC West groups
Group A: Al Wahda (UAE), PFC Nasaf (Uzbekistan), Kuwait SC (Kuwait), Al Khaldiya (Bahrain)
Group B: Al Jazira (UAE), Golgohar Sirjan (Iran), Al Muharraq (Bahrain), FC Arkadag (Turkmenistan)
Group C: Al Taawoun (Saudi Arabia), Al Rayyan (Qatar), Al Faisaly (Jordan), Al Nahda (Oman)
Group D: Al Hussein (Jordan), Al Shorta (Iraq), Al-Seeb (Oman), East Bengal (India)
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
