Central Coast Mariners will go head-to-head against A-Leagues legend Kevin Muscat and his Shanghai Port side in this year’s AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) while Sydney FC have been drawn against a former A-League star in their draw for the ACL Two.
Conducted in Kuala Lumpar, the draw for both competitions has seen the Mariners and the Sky Blues pitted against some of Asian football’s biggest names.
Taking part in the new-look ACL Elite competition, the Mariners will face off against Kevin Muscat’s Shanghai Port FC, reigning J-League champions Vissel Kobe and last season’s Champions League finalists Yokohama F.Marinos, who are now coached by former Central Coast star John Hutchinson.
Furthermore, Mark Jackson’s side will also meet Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta’zim, current Thai champions Buriram United, Shandong Taishan FC and Shanghai Shenhua of China and Japanese giants Kawasaki Frontale.
MUST READ: Sydney FC sign Brazilian midfielder who was involved in $2million Serie A transfer
In a change of system this year which will now see the ACL Elite operate as a single league table, clubs will play four matches at home and four matches away.
When it comes to determining which teams the Central Coast were drawn against, four teams were picked from Pot One and four were drawn from Pot Two.
The Mariners’ home games will come against Johor Darul Ta’Zim, Buriram United and Shanghai Shenhua while Mariners legend Hutchinson will also be in for an emotional return to Industree Group Stadium when he travels there with his Yokohama F.Marinos.
On the flip side, Mark Jackson and his coaching staff will have to prepare his treble winners for some tough away clashes – none more so than against the team currently flying high at the top of the Chinese Super League.
SIGNING SPREE: Adelaide ‘acknowledge importance’ of quartet re-signing: ‘We are really excited’
Unbeaten in 23 games this season with 20 wins to their name, Kevin Muscat’s Shanghai Port are shaping as a monster clash for the Mariners to contend with while they’ll also travel away to reigning J-League champions Vissel Kobe.
Elsewhere the Mariners will face two more trips to China and Japan respectively when they take on both Kawasaki Frontale and Shandong Taishan FC, with the first of their fixtures kicking off in mid-September.
GOING NOWHERE: Inaugural Central Coast Mariners signing pens contract extension: ‘A big part of the future’
Qualifying for the AFC’s premier club competition after clinching the Premier’s Plate in 2023-24, the Mariners are now guaranteed to pocket close to AUD $1.2m just for participating in the tournament.
Furthermore, should the Mariners manage to secure another huge piece of silverware and actually win the ACL Elite then Mark Jackson’s side would take home a whopping AUD $15m.
Meanwhile, in the newly re-branded AFC Champions League Two (ACL Two), Sydney FC will come face-to-face with a former A-Leagues foe when the group stage gets underway on September 17.
Drawn from Pot Two, Ufuk Talay’s side will play home and away clashes against former Melbourne City star Tolgay Arslan, who now plies his trade in the J-League with Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
As well as travelling to Japan, the Sky Blues will also head to the Philippines to take on current Filipino champions Kaya FC-Iloilo.
BACK TO THE FUTURE: Where are they now? Five years on from Western United’s first ever game
Finally, rounding out Group E are 2023-24 Hong Kong FA Cup winners Eastern, who reached the Inter-Zone playoff semi-finals in the old format of the competition back in 2022.
Re-branding from the AFC Cup, there will be a few subtle changes to the workings of the new ACL Two competition, with eight groups of four teams now split into the Western and Eastern halves of the draw respectively.
Scrapping the old format which saw last year’s AFC Cup winners Central Coast Mariners clock up close to 100,000kms in travel by virtue of having to compete against winners from the East, South, Central and Western zones, Sydney FC will now only meet a side from the West should they make it all the way to the final.
In terms of prize money, the Sky Blues will pocket a minimum USD $300,000 ($452,000 AUD) for participating in the group stage of the tournament and will bank nearly AUD $5m should they manage to go all the way.
