The Mecca-based side find themselves on the cusp of Asia’s premier club competition, having achieved an unprecedented fourth place finish in the Saudi Pro League last season but standing in their way are three-time AFC Cup winners Air Force Club.

In the mid-2000s, Air Force Club contested three editions of the AFC Champions League but exited at the group stage in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Most recently, they were eliminated by Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in the 2019 playoff stage.

AGMK qualified for the 2021 AFC Champions League playoff after finishing third in last season’s Uzbekistan Super League. Should they come away from Suheim bin Hamad Stadium with a win, they would join FC Pakhtakor, FC Bunyodkor, PFC Lokomotiv, FC Nasaf, FK Mash'al Mubarek and FC Neftchi Fergana as clubs that have represented Uzbekistan in the competition.

For Al Gharafa, victory on home soil would signal a return to the group stage for the first time since 2018 for a club that once appeared in five consecutive editions of the AFC Champions League.

Al Wahda had reached the group stage of the 2020 edition but were unable to travel to Qatar to compete in the centralised tournament after several team members tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the team to withdraw.

Al Zawraa, meanwhile, were eliminated from the second preliminary round last time out, falling 4-1 defeat to Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor.

As the long journey towards a new continental champion being crowned begins, the-AFC.com looks back at some of the most memorable playoff matches from the West over the years.

From dramatic penalty shootouts involving star names to late drama and stunning comebacks, there's plenty to whet your appetite as Asia's premier club competition draws ever nearer.

A record 40 teams split into 10 groups will take part in the 2021 AFC Champions League as the competition continues to go from strength to strength, showcasing Asia's finest teams and numerous world-renowned players.

Three of the inaugural four titles went to West Asian sides, then the power shifted with clubs from Japan and Korea Republic splitting the following four between 2007 and 2010. Next up we look at a period that saw a return to two legged finals and one of the all-time greatest sporting shocks.

A record 40 teams split into 10 groups will take part in the 2021 AFC Champions League as the competition continues to go from strength to strength, showcasing Asia's finest teams and numerous world-renowned players.

Having looked at the first four editions of the tournament, dominated by West Asian teams who won three out of the inaugural four titles, the second part of this series revisits the years 2007 to 2010, a period that saw the power balance shift as East Asia completed a clean sweep of titles.

A record 40 teams split into 10 groups will take part in the 2021 AFC Champions League as the competition continues to go from strength to strength, showcasing Asia's finest teams and numerous world-renowned players.

Almost 20 years ago, Asian football moved into an exciting new era as the AFC Champions League saw the merger of the Asian Club Championship and Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 2002-03, and that's where we start our look back at the tournament through the years.