With the group stages of this season’s AFC competitions poised to kick-off next week and four clubs representing the A-Leagues, here is everything you need to know.
Continental football is set to get underway, with four A-Leagues teams flying the flag for Australia.
Melbourne City – the record three-time reigning Isuzu UTE A-League premiers – are the country’s sole representative in the star-studded AFC Champions League this season.
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For the first time ever, A-League Men clubs also are featuring in the AFC Cup as defending A-Isuzu UTE A-League champions Central Coast Mariners and 2022 Australia Cup victors Macarthur FC compete in Asia.
Meanwhile, Liberty A-League champions Sydney FC are vying for top honours in the AFC Women’s Club Championship.
With the action getting underway on September 20, KEEPUP has your ultimate guide to everything you need to know about the competitions.
How to watch?
Melbourne City’s AFC Champions League matches will be live on Paramount+, while the AFC Cup fixtures featuring Central Coast Mariners and Macarthur FC will be broadcast live and free via 10Play.
AFC Champions League: How it works
The Champions League will be divided into 10 groups of four; the draw will feature teams from the West Zone drawn into Groups A to E while the contestants in the East Zone will find their places in Groups F to J.
The 10 group winners along with the three best runners-up of each Zone will book their places in the knockout stages, which will run from February to April before the two-legged Champions League final on May 11 and 18, 2024.
Rado Vidosic’s Melbourne City are in Group H alongside Thai champions Buriram United, who are now led by former Newcastle Jets head coach Arthur Papas, J2 League outfit Ventforet Kofu and China’s Zhejiang FC.
City booked their spot in Asia’s most prestigious club competition as they accrued the most points across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 A-League Men seasons.
There is greater interest in this season’s Champions League, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr – who also boast Sadio Mane and Marcelo Brozovic – qualifying for the first time in three years and in the midst of the influx of superstars moving to Saudi Arabia.
Al Hilal, who have won a record four Champions League titles, have Neymar, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Yassine Bounou and Malcom in their squad, while reigning Saudi champions and two-time Champions League winners Al-Ittihad are able to call upon Karim Benzema, Fabinho and N’Golo Kante.
So what does that mean for A-Leagues teams? Unfortunately for Australian fans, teams from the West and East Zones are kept apart until the final, like when Western Sydney Wanderers stunned Al-Hilal in the 2014 decider.
Melbourne City’s AFC Champions League fixtures
Melbourne City v Ventforet Kofu
Date: September 20, 2023
Kick-off: 8.00pm (AEST)
Venue: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
Broadcast: Paramount+
Zhejiang Professional FC v Melbourne City
Date: October 4, 2023
Kick-off: 11.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Hozhou Olympic Sports Center, Zhejiang
Broadcast: Paramount+
Buriram United v Melbourne City
Date: October 25, 2023
Kick-off: 9.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Buriram Stadium, Buriram
Broadcast: Paramount+
Melbourne City v Buriram United
Date: November 8, 2023
Kick-off: 8.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
Broadcast: Paramount+
Ventforet Kofu v Melbourne City
Date: November 29, 2023
Kick-off: 9.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Japan National Stadium, Tokyo
Broadcast: Paramount+
Melbourne City v Zhejiang Professional FC
Date: December 12, 2023
Kick-off: 8.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
Broadcast: Paramount+
Melbourne City’s Group H opponents
City’s first game is against a team from the second division in Japan – Ventforet Kofu. The J2 League club will make their Champions League debut and they are the first team to do so while not being in the top tier of their domestic league after winning the Emperor’s Cup final last year. Ventforet Kofu will also play their home matches in Tokyo, 130km away from their Yamanashi base.
Buriram United have great pedigree in Asia – they were the first Thai club to win a domestic treble during the 2011 season. They have also won the quadruple twice, in 2013 and 2015, during their run to the Champions League quarter-finals. In 2019, Buriram also earned $A1.2million only from merchandise sales on just one matchday. The reigning Thai 1 League champions are now coached by ex-Jets boss Papas.
The other team in the group are China’s Zhejiang Professional FC, previously known as Hangzhou Greentown. The Chinese Super League outfit, who finished first last season, qualified via the play-offs.
AFC Cup: How it works
For the first time in the history of the AFC Cup, Australians clubs are involved.
The Mariners and Macarthur are flying the flag in this season’s competition – the 19th edition of the tournament.
It will feature 36 clubs from the five AFC Zones across nine groups, running between September 2023 and May 2024.
Central Coast – who have lost head coach Nick Montgomery (Hibernian) among others – are back in Asian club competition for the first time since losing an AFC Champions League play-off against Guangzhou R&F in 2015. It is the first time they’re in the group stages of an Asian competition since 2014.
AFC football is coming to Campbelltown, with Macarthur to have their first taste of Asian continental football thanks to hoisting the Australia Cup trophy last year.
Oman’s Al-Seeb were the titleholders after winning in 2022, however, they won’t be defending their crown after failing to advance through their domestic league.
Central Coast Mariners’ AFC Cup fixtures
Terengganu FC v Central Coast Mariners
Date: September 20, 2023
Kick-off: 10.00pm (AEST)
Venue: Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, Terengganu
Broadcast: 10Play
Central Coast Mariners v Stallion Laguna FC
Date: October 4, 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Industree Group Stadium, Gosford
Broadcast: 10Play
Central Coast Mariners v Bali United
Date: October 26, 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Industree Group Stadium, Gosford
Broadcast: 10Play
Bali United v Central Coast Mariners
Date: November 8, 2023
Kick-off: 11.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Kapten I Wayana Dipta Stadium, Bali
Broadcast: 10Play
Central Coast Mariners v Terengganu FC
Date: November 29, 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Industree Group Stadium, Gosford
Broadcast: 10Play
Central Coast Mariners v Stallion Laguna FC
Date: December 13, 2023
Kick-off: 11.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Binan Football Stadium, Laguna
Broadcast: 10Play
Central Coast Mariners’ Group G opponents
The Mariners are set for a trip to Malaysia to face Terengganu FC on matchday one. The four-time Malaysia Super League runners-up won the FA Cup last season – their first in 18 years and first piece of silverware since 2018. They are also nearing the end of their league campaign.
Stallion Laguna are from the Philippines, where they have competed in the first division since 2012. They are yet to win the Philippines Football League.
Then there’s Bali United, who play in Indonesia’s top flight. Bali won the league in 2021-22 – their second league crown within three years.
Macarthur FC’s AFC Cup fixtures
Shan United v Macarthur FC
Date: September 21, 2023
Kick-off: 10.00pm (AEST)
Venue: Thuwunna Football Stadium, Yangon
Broadcast: 10Play
Macarthur FC v Dynamic Herb Cebu
Date: October 5, 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Campbelltown Stadium
Broadcast: 10Play
Phnom Penh Crown v Macarthur FC
Date: October 26, 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh
Broadcast: 10Play
Macarthur FC v Phnom Penh Crown
Date: November 9, 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Campbelltown Stadium
Broadcast: 10Play
Macarthur FC v Shan United
Date: November 30, 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Campbelltown Stadium
Broadcast: 10Play
Dynamic Herb Cebu Macarthur FC
Date: December 14, 2023
Kick-off: 11.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila
Broadcast: 10Play
Macarthur FC’s Group F opponents
The Bulls are away from home on matchday one, visiting Myanmar’s Shan United. The team are currently top of the National League and unlike Macarthur, they have experience in continental football, having featured in the AFC Cup on three previous occasions. Myanmar as a nation, meanwhile, has been in the news following mass killing, arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence and other crimes against humanity since the Myanmar military staged a coup in 2021. There have also been numerous war crimes against ethnic minority populations.
Dynamic Herb Cebu are another Filipino outfit. However, they were only founded two years ago. The club finished runners-up in 2022 and 2023.
Making up the group are Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Crown, who have claimed a record eight league titles, two Hun Sen Cups, two Cambodian League Cups and two Cambodian Super Cups.
AFC Women’s Club Championship: How it works
Sydney FC are one of eight participants who have been invited to compete at the tournament, which will take place in two centralised venues in Uzbekistan and Thailand between November 6 and November 12.
It’s also the biggest version yet of the tournament, which will give way to the AFC Women’s Champions League from next season.
As a result of the Matildas’ FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-final finish, the Sky Blues earned the second seed and joined Japanese outfit Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies in Pot 1.
Sydney – who qualified due to winning the 2022-23 Liberty A-League Championship – are the second A-Leagues side to compete in this tournament, after Melbourne Victory took part in the inaugural 2019 iteration – where they finished bottom with two losses and one draw.
A one-round league format will mean the four sides play against each other once in their respective two groups.
The winners of each group advance to a final to determine the best women’s side in Asia – which will take place in May 2024 with the venue to be confirmed.
Sydney have been drawn into Group B for the upcoming 2023 AFC Women’s Club Championship, meaning they will travel to Uzbekistan for the invitational tournament in early November.
The Sky Blues were drawn alongside Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC (South Korea), FC Nasaf (Uzbekistan) and Bam Khatoon (Iran) – all reigning champions from their respective countries.
*Broadcast informational will be released in due course.
Sydney FC’s AFC Women’s Club Championship fixtures
Sydney FC v Bam Khatoon FC
Date: November 6, 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Markaziy Stadium, Qarshi
FC Nasaf v Sydney FC
Date: November 9, 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Markaziy Stadium, Qarshi
Sydney FC v Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels
Date: November 12, 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Markaziy Stadium, Qarshi
Sydney FC’s Group B opponents
The Sky Blues kick-off their tournament against Iranian side Bam Khatoon – the most successful team in the Iranian Women Football League, having won nine championships.
FC Nasaf are the host club and they qualified for the Club Championship thanks to their Uzbekistan Women’s football league triumph.
Sydney’s group stage concludes against Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels. They are South Korea’s most successful team with 10 successive WK League trophies from 2013 to 2022.
