Twenty-nine teams came out of the pots to be slotted into eight groups of four teams each. Three teams from the playoffs for the AFC Champions League will complete the line-up, making this the first time ever the AFC Cup is being played with a full roster of 32 teams with a Round of 16. Five groups are in the West and three in the East.

Defending champions Al Muharraq of Bahrain will have to reckon with the team they lost to in the 2006 final, Jordan’s Al Faisaly, in Group E alongside the in-form Al Majd of Syria, and the playoff (West) loser from among Sharjah of UAE of Dempo SC of India.

Syria’s Al Karama, who were the AFC Champions League runners-up in 2006, were placed in Group D with another former ACL side Kuwait SC of Kuwait, and Jordan’s Al Wihdat and Mohun Bagan from India.

Group A will see Al Ahed of Lebanon, Busaiteen of Bahrain, Tilal of Yemen and Uzbekistan’s Neftchi battle it out for the top two spots, which guarantees a place in the Round of 16.

Iraq’s Al Zawra’a and 2007 AFC Cup runners-up Safa of Lebanon look strong in Group B to take the top two berths after being slotted with Al Suwaiq of Oman and Yemen’s Hilal.

In Group C, attention will be focused on Kuwaiti heavyweights Al Arabi and Iraqi champions Arbil after they were pooled with Al Mabarrah of Lebanon and Al Orouba of Oman.

In the East division, Group G looks like an interesting section with Hanoi ACB of Vietnam and Chonburi FC of Thailand, both former ACL teams, in the fray with Hong Kong’s Eastern Athletic and Malaysian treble champions Kedah.

Group F comprises Hong Kong’s South China, VB of Maldives, Malaysian side Johor FC, and the playoff 2 loser (East).

Completing the groupings is Group H with Maldivian outfit Valencia, Vietnam’s Bicamex Binh Duong, Singapore’s Home United and the playoff 1 loser (East).

The group stage kicks off on March 10 and culminates on May 19. The Round of 16 will be played on May 26 for the teams from the West, while the teams from the East will clash on June 23.

The two-legged quarter-finals take place on September 15 and September 30. The semi-finals will be held on October 15 and 21, followed by the finals on October 27 and November 3.

THE GROUPINGS

West Asia

Group A
1. Al Ahed (Lebanon)
2. Busaiteen (Bahrain)
3. Al Tilal (Yemen)
4. Neftchi (Uzbekistan)

Group B
1. Al Zawra’a (Iraq)
2. Safa (Lebanon)
3. Al Suwaiq (Oman)
4. Al Hilal (Yemen)

Group C
1. Al Arabi (Kuwait)
2. Arbil (Iraq)
3. Al Mabarrah (Lebanon)
4. Al Orouba (Oman)

Group D
1. Al Karama (Syria)
2. Kuwait SC (Kuwait)
3. Al Wihdat (Jordan)
4. Mohun Bagan (India)

Group E
1. Muharraq (Bahrain)
2. Al Majd (Syria)
3. Play-off - West
4. Al Faisaly (Jordan)

East Asia

Group F
1. South China (Hong Kong)
2. VB (Maldives)
3. Johor (Malaysia)
4. Play-off - East 2

Group G
1. Hanoi ACB (Vietnam)
2. Eastern Athletic (Hong Kong)
3. Chonburi (Thailand)
4. Kedah (Malaysia)

Group H
1. Valencia (Maldives)
2. Becamex Binh Duong (Vietnam)
3. Home United (Singapore)
4. Play-off - East 1

Round of 16

Group A Winner vs Group D Runner-Up
Group B Winner vs Group C Runner-Up
Group C Winner vs Group B Runner-Up
Group D Winner vs Group E Runner-Up
Group E Winner vs Group A Runner-Up
Group F Winner vs Group H Runner-Up
Group G Winner vs Group F Runner-Up
Group H Winner vs Group G Runner-Up