# 2014 AFC Champions League group stage

The group stage of the 2014 AFC Champions League was played from 25 February to 23 April 2014. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage.

## Draw

The draw for the group stage was held on 10 December 2013, 16:00 UTC+8, at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.
The following 32 teams (16 from West Zone, 16 from East Zone) were entered into the group-stage draw, which included the 28 automatic qualifiers and the four qualifying play-off winners, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw:
| Zone | Teams |
| West Zone (Groups A–D) | Esteghlal Sepahan Tractor Sazi Foolad Al-Fateh Al-Ittihad Al-Hilal Al-Shabab Al-Ain Al-Ahli Al-Jazira Al-Sadd Al-Rayyan Bunyodkor Winner of play-off West 1: El Jaish Winner of play-off West 2: Lekhwiya |
| East Zone (Groups E–H) | Sanfrecce Hiroshima Yokohama F. Marinos Kawasaki Frontale Cerezo Osaka Pohang Steelers Ulsan Hyundai Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC Seoul Guangzhou Evergrande Guizhou Renhe Shandong Luneng Taishan Western Sydney Wanderers Central Coast Mariners Buriram United Winner of play-off East 1: Beijing Guoan Winner of play-off East 2: Melbourne Victory |

## Format

In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16.

### Tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
* Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
* Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
* Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned (away goals do not apply)
* Goal difference in all the group matches
* Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches
* Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play
* Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card)
* Drawing of lots

## Groups

The matchdays were 25–26 February, 11–12 March, 18–19 March, 1–2 April, 15–16 April, and 22–23 April 2014.

### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SHB | JAZ | EST | RAY |
| 1 | Al-Shabab | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 15 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–3 | 2–1 | 4–3 |
| 2 | Al-Jazira | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | 3–2 |
| 3 | Esteghlal | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | | 0–1 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 |
| 4 | Al-Rayyan | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 15 | −6 | 3 | | 0–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 | — |

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FLD | BUN | JSH | FAT |
| 1 | Foolad | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 14 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Bunyodkor | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 8 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | 3–2 |
| 3 | El Jaish | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 8 | | 0–0 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 |
| 4 | Al-Fateh | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 2 | | 1–5 | 0–0 | 0–0 | — |
* 1 2 Tiebreakers: Bunyodkor and El-Jaish are tied on head-to-head record and overall goal difference, and so are ranked on overall goals scored.

### Group C

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AIN | ITT | LEK | TRA |
| 1 | Al-Ain | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| 2 | Al-Ittihad | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | 2–1 | — | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Lekhwiya | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 7 | | 0–5 | 2–0 | — | 0–0 |
| 4 | Tractor Sazi | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 5 | | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | HIL | SAD | AHL | SEP |
| 1 | Al-Hilal | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 5–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Al-Sadd | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 8 | Advance to knockout stage | 2–2 | — | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| 3 | Al-Ahli | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 | | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 |
| 4 | Sepahan | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 7 | | 3–2 | 4–0 | 1–2 | — |

#### Tiebreakers

* Al-Ahli and Sepahan are ranked on head-to-head record.

### Group E

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | POH | CER | BUR | SHD |
| 1 | Pohang Steelers | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 |
| 2 | Cerezo Osaka | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 8 | Advance to knockout stage | 0–2 | — | 4–0 | 1–3 |
| 3 | Buriram United | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 6 | | 1–2 | 2–2 | — | 1–0 |
| 4 | Shandong Luneng Taishan | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 5 | | 2–4 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — |

### Group F

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SEO | HIR | BEI | CCM |
| 1 | FC Seoul | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| 2 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Beijing Guoan | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 6 | | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Central Coast Mariners | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 6 | | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | — |

#### Tiebreakers

* Beijing Guoan and Central Coast Mariners are tied on head-to-head record, and so are ranked by overall goal difference.

### Group G

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | GUA | JEO | MEL | YFM |
| 1 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 8 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| 3 | Melbourne Victory | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 8 | | 2–0 | 2–2 | — | 1–0 |
| 4 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 7 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | — |

#### Tiebreakers

* Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Melbourne Victory are tied on head-to-head record, and so are ranked by overall goal difference.

### Group H

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | WSW | KAW | ULS | GUI |
| 1 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–0 | 1–3 | 5–0 |
| 2 | Kawasaki Frontale | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | 2–1 | — | 3–1 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Ulsan Hyundai | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 7 | | 0–2 | 2–0 | — | 1–1 |
| 4 | Guizhou Renhe | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 4 | | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | — |

#### Tiebreakers

* Western Sydney Wanderers and Kawasaki Frontale are tied on head-to-head record, and so are ranked by overall goal difference.