Iranian clubs learn draw in Asian competitions
Persian Gulf Pro League clubs Persepolis and Esteghlal discovered which teams they will face in the inaugural AFC Champions League Elite group stage, while Sepahan and Tractor learned about their opponents in the AFC Champions League Two group stage.
The draw for the two continental club tournaments took place in the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, with the rebranded ACL Elite featuring two leagues of 12 teams across the West and East regions, where each side will play four home and away games apiece.
the ACL Two draw, meanwhile, saw 32 clubs separated into eight groups.
Iranian football fans will get to see Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from the stands twice as he and his Saudi Al Nassr club will have to play away to Tehran archrivals Persepolis and Esteghlal.
The top two in the Iranian league last season were handed the same fixtures list in the West region, as both will also have to welcome Uzbekistan Super League champion Pakhtakor FC, Iraqi side Al Shorta, and Al Gharafa, which finished third in the Qatar Stars League last term and defeated Emirati club Shabab Al Ahli 1-0 in Tuesday’s playoff for a place in group phase.
The Iranian capital’s Reds and Blues will visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar to take on Al Hilal and fellow-Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli, as well as QSL outfits Al Sadd and Al Rayyan.
The league stage will be played between September 16 and February 19 next year, with the full schedule yet to be released.
The top eight finishers of each League progress to next March’s round of 16, which will be followed by a unique centralized Finals that sees all matches from the quarterfinals onwards being contested in Saudi Arabia between April 25 and May 4, 2025.
ACL Two
Meanwhile, Iranian domestic cup champion Sepahan – beaten by Shabab Al Ahli in the ACL Elite preliminary round – was pitted against Emirati Sharjah FC, FC Istiklol of Tajikistan and Jordan’s Al Wehdat in ACL Two Group C.
Tractor, which finished fourth in the Iranian top flight last term and has former national team coach Dragan Skocic on the bench for the new campaign, was drawn in Group A, alongside Al Wakrah of Qatar, Indian debutant Mohun Bagan Super Giant, and Tajikistan’s FC Ravshan.
The group stage will kick off on September 17, with the top two of each eight West and East groups heading into the knockout round.