2022 AFC Champions League group stage


The 2022 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 15 April to 1 May 2022 for the East Region and from 7 to 27 April 2022 for the West Region. A total of 40 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2022 AFC Champions League.

Draw


The draw for the group stage was held on 17 January 2022 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 40 teams were drawn into ten groups of four: five groups each in the West Region and the East Region. For each region, 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 the technical balance between groups. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.

The following 40 teams entered into the group stage draw, which included the 33 direct entrants and the seven winners of the play-off round of the qualifying play-offs, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw.
RegionGroupsPot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4
A–E Al-Sadd Al-Faisaly Pakhtakor Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
A–E Al-Hilal Sepahan Al-Wehdat Al-Taawoun
A–E Foolad Shabab Al-Ahli Mumbai City Nasaf Qarshi
A–E Al-Jazira Al-Rayyan Istiklol Sharjah
A–E Al-Duhail Al-Shabab Ahal Al-Gharafa
F–J Shandong Taishan Urawa Red Diamonds United City Melbourne City
F–J Kawasaki Frontale Jeonnam Dragons Kitchee Sydney FC
F–J Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Chiangrai United Hoàng Anh Gia Lai Vissel Kobe
F–J BG Pathum United Guangzhou Johor Darul Ta'zim Ulsan Hyundai
F–J Shanghai Port Yokohama F. Marinos Lion City Sailors Daegu FC

Format


In the group stage, each group was played in a double round-robin format 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 [Three Three points for a win|points for a win|points]. If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order :
  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  5. 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;
  6. Goal difference in all group matches;
  7. Goals scored in all group matches;
  8. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams playing each other in the last round of the group are tied;
  9. Disciplinary points ;
  10. Association ranking.

Schedule

The schedule for each match day was as follows.
Match dayWest RegionEast Region
17–8 April15–16 April
210–11 April18–19 April
314–15 April21–22 April
418–19 April24–25 April
522–23 April27–28 April
626–27 April30 April – 1 May

Centralised venues

On 16 February 2022, AFC confirmed hosts for the East group stage. On 3 March 2022, AFC confirmed hosts for the West group stage.

Groups

Group A

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Group B

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Group C

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Group D

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Group E

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Group F

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Group G

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Group H

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Group I

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Group J

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