2023 AFC Champions League & AFC Cup : Mumbai City FC, Odisha FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giants

thebeautifulgamethebeautifulgame Durgapur,India30594 Points
It is that time of the year when Indian Clubs are set to feature in Continental competitions

2023 AFC Champions League

Qualifying:
8–22 August 2023
Competition proper:
18 September 2023 – 18 May 2024

Mumbai City FC will take part in the group stage of the AFC Champions League, having won the ISL shield last season and having defeated Jamshedpur FC, the winners of the ISL 2021-2022 Shield, in a playoff match. The draw for the group stages will take place on 24 August 2023; having placed in the Western region, they could potentially come up against the Saudi Arabian heavyweights like Al Nassr (Cristiano Ronaldo), Al Hilal (Neymar) and Al Ittihad (Karim Benzema), in the main stages of the competition.

With the The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) having officially announced that Indian clubs will not be participating in the AFC Champions League starting from the 2024-25 season, Mumbai City FC will be the last Indian club to participate in Asia's premier football competition for the foreseeable future. MCFC coach Des Buckingham has said, 'we know this may be the last time an Indian club gets to the Champions League for a period of time, and we want to try and showcase Indian football and what our players are capable of doing.'

2023 AFC Cup

Qualifying:
8–23 August 2023
Competition proper:
18 September 2023 – 5 May 2024

Odisha FC have been allotted a direct entry into the AFC Cup group stage, by virtue of having defeated Gokulam Kerala FC, the 2021-2022 I-League champions, 3-1 in a playoff match. They had previously defeated Bengaluru FC to win the Super Cup. This is Odisha FC's maiden appearance in this competition

Mohun Bagan Super Giants, the 2022-2023 ISL champions, defeated Hyderabad FC, the 2021-2022 ISL champions to secure a spot in the AFC Cup preliminary round. They will begin their campaign on August 16 in the Preliminary Stage 2, when they take on two-time Nepal A-Division League champions Machhindra FC at 7pm at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Should they emerge victorious in this encounter, they would meet either Abahani Limited Dhaka of Bangladesh or Club Eagles of the Maldives – who play each other on August 16 in the South Zone Playoff – on August 22  for a spot at the AFC Cup group stages.
Nagendra
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