Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The foundations were laid for some added AFC Cup intrigue and excitement on Monday following the draw for the qualification tournament for the 2016 play-offs at AFC House.
Six teams will take the first steps on the road to potentially taking part in the 2016 AFC Cup when they will compete in a round-robin tournament in August, with the winners of the two groups earning their place in the play-offs.
Seeding for the first ever AFC Cup qualification play-off draw was based on the results of the 2014 AFC President’s Cup with the teams ranked first and second in one pot and the teams ranked third and fourth in another. Host clubs Druk United, from Bhutan, and Kyrgyzstan representatives FC Alga where in another pot and drawn to determine which would host Group A or Group B.
Druk United were selected to host Group A, where the Bhutanese champions will face their Mongolian counterparts Khoromkhon and K-Electric FC, who denied 2013 AFC President’s Cup runners-up KRL a fourth consecutive Pakistan Premier League crown with their maiden triumph in the 2014-15 competition.
Group B, meanwhile, takes place in Bishkek, home of five-time Kyrgyzstan champions FC Alga, who were pooled alongside Lt. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Limited, two-time winners of the the Bangladesh Premier League, and Casa Benfica, back-to-back champions of the top division in Macau.
Last year saw the curtain come down on the AFC President’s Cup as the Confederation opened the door for more Member Associations to participate in the continent’s flagship event, the AFC Champions League, and the ever-improving AFC Cup.
The qualifying tournament for the 2016 AFC Cup play-offs runs from August 9 to August 15.
GROUP A
A1 - Druk United (BHU)
A2 - Khoromkhon (MNG)
A3 - K-Electric FC (PAK)
GROUP B
B1 - FC Alga (KGZ)
B2 - Lt. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Limited (BAN)
B3 - Casa Benfica (MAC)