The group stage of the 2021 Asian Championships in the grouping system
The group stage of the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup will be held during the 2021 edition of the grouping system due to the repercussions of the new Corona virus, according to what the Confederation announced Monday.
"The AFC Champions League will be held in the western and eastern regions of the continent, while the AFC Cup competitions will be held in the five geographical regions," the federation said in a statement.
The group stage for the Western Region will be held in the Champions League from April 14-30, with the East matches to take place between April 21 and May 7, 2021.
In contrast, the Federation Cup competitions will start in the southern, central and eastern regions from May 14, before the start of the West competitions. On May 23, ASEAN matches will take place from June 22-28.
The competitions are held in a single-stage league system.
The round of 16 matches in the Champions League will be held between September 13-15, the quarter-finals on September 27-29, where the competition takes place in one round, while the semi-final matches of the back-and-forth matches will be held from 19-20 and 26-27 October, according to What added the continental union.
For the first time, the Champions League will witness the participation of 40 clubs in the group stage.
Regarding the AFC Cup, the semi-finalists in the West will be held on 13 and 14 September and the final in two rounds will be held on 20 October and 3 November.
The Champions League final round of the home and away matches will be held on November 21 and 27, with the final of the AFC Cup to be held on November 26.
"The Confederation is grateful for the support of the Competitions Committee, the member federations and the participating clubs, who contributed to preparing this schedule for the largest editions in the history of the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup," said AFC Secretary General Dato Windsor John.
The Confederation added that, "The member federations will be invited to host the matches, after the draw for the 2021 AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup 2021, which will be held on Wednesday 27 January."
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