# 2022 AFC Champions League group stage

The 2022 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 15 April to 1 May 2022 for the East Region and from 7 to 27 April 2022 for the West Region. A total of 40 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2022 AFC Champions League.

## Draw

The draw for the group stage was held on 17 January 2022 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 40 teams were drawn into ten groups of four: five groups each in the West Region (Groups A–E) and the East Region (Groups F–J). For each region, teams were seeded into four pots and drawn into the relevant positions within each group, based on their association ranking and their seeding within their association, in consideration of the technical balance between groups. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.
The following 40 teams entered into the group stage draw, which included the 33 direct entrants and the seven winners of the play-off round of the qualifying play-offs, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw.
| Region | Groups | Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| West Region | A–E | Al-Sadd | Al-Faisaly | Pakhtakor | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya |
| West Region | A–E | Al-Hilal | Sepahan | Al-Wehdat | Al-Taawoun (Winners of Play-off West 1) |
| West Region | A–E | Foolad | Shabab Al-Ahli | Mumbai City | Nasaf Qarshi (Winners of Play-off West 2) |
| West Region | A–E | Al-Jazira | Al-Rayyan | Istiklol | Sharjah (Winners of Play-off West 3) |
| West Region | A–E | Al-Duhail | Al-Shabab | Ahal | Al-Gharafa |
| East Region | F–J | Shandong Taishan | Urawa Red Diamonds | United City | Melbourne City |
| East Region | F–J | Kawasaki Frontale | Jeonnam Dragons | Kitchee | Sydney FC (Winners of Play-off East 1) |
| East Region | F–J | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Chiangrai United | Hoàng Anh Gia Lai | Vissel Kobe (Winners of Play-off East 2) |
| East Region | F–J | BG Pathum United | Guangzhou | Johor Darul Ta'zim | Ulsan Hyundai (Winners of Play-off East 3) |
| East Region | F–J | Shanghai Port | Yokohama F. Marinos | Lion City Sailors | Daegu FC (Winners of Play-off East 4) |

## Format

In the group stage, each group was played in a double round-robin format in centralised venues. The winners of each group and three best runners-up from each region advanced to the round of 16 of the knockout stage.

### Tiebreakers

The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations Article 8.3):
* Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams; (not applicable since the matches were played in a centralised venue)
* If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
* Goal difference in all group matches;
* Goals scored in all group matches;
* Penalty shoot-out if only two teams playing each other in the last round of the group are tied;
* Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
* Association ranking.

## Schedule

The schedule for each match day was as follows.
| Match day | West Region | East Region |
| 1 | 7–8 April | 15–16 April |
| 2 | 10–11 April | 18–19 April |
| 3 | 14–15 April | 21–22 April |
| 4 | 18–19 April | 24–25 April |
| 5 | 22–23 April | 27–28 April |
| 6 | 26–27 April | 30 April – 1 May |

### Centralised venues

On 16 February 2022, AFC confirmed hosts for the East group stage. On 3 March 2022, AFC confirmed hosts for the West group stage.
* Groups A and B: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
* Group C: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
* Group D: Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
* Group E: Dammam, Saudi Arabia
* Groups F and J: Buriram, Thailand
* Group G: Bangkok, Thailand
* Group H: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
* Group I: Johor Bahru, Malaysia

## Groups
### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | HIL | RYN | SHJ | IST |
| 1 | Al-Hilal (H) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 | — | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Al-Rayyan | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 | 0–3 | — | 3–1 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Sharjah | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 5 | | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Istiklol | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 3 | | 0–3 | 2–3 | 2–0 | — |
* 1 2 Equal on head-to-head points. Head-to-head goal difference: Al-Hilal +1, Al-Rayyan –1.

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SHB | MUM | QWJ | AJZ |
| 1 | Al-Shabab (H) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | +17 | 16 | Advance to Round of 16 | — | 6–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| 2 | Mumbai City | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 7 | | 0–3 | — | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| 3 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 7 | | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 3–2 |
| 4 | Al-Jazira | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 4 | | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | — |
* 1 2 Head-to-head points: Mumbai City 6, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 0.

### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FOO | SAH | GHA | AHA |
| 1 | Foolad | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 12 | Advance to Round of 16 | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Shabab Al-Ahli | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 10 | Advance to Round of 16 | 1–1 | — | 8–2 | 2–1 |
| 3 | Al-Gharafa | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 5 | | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 |
| 4 | Ahal | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 4 | | 0–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | DUH | TWN | SEP | PAK |
| 1 | Al-Duhail | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 9 | +8 | 15 | Advance to Round of 16 | — | 1–2 | 5–2 | 3–2 |
| 2 | Al-Taawoun (H) | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 7 | | 3–4 | — | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| 3 | Sepahan | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 12 | −4 | 7 | | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Pakhtakor | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 6 | | 0–3 | 5–4 | 1–3 | — |
* 1 2 Head-to-head points: Al-Taawoun 4, Sepahan 1.

### Group E

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FAI | NAS | SAD | WEH |
| 1 | Al-Faisaly (H) | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 9 | Advance to Round of 16 | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| 2 | Nasaf Qarshi | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 9 | Advance to Round of 16 | 0–1 | — | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Al-Sadd | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 7 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | 5–2 |
| 4 | Al-Wehdat | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 6 | | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | — |
* 1 2 Head-to-head points: Al-Faisaly 4, Nasaf Qarshi 1.

### Group F

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | DAE | URA | LCS | SDT |
| 1 | Daegu FC | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 | — | 1–0 | 0–3 | 4–0 |
| 2 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 2 | +18 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 | 0–0 | — | 6–0 | 5–0 |
| 3 | Lion City Sailors | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 7 | | 1–2 | 1–4 | — | 3–2 |
| 4 | Shandong Taishan | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 24 | −22 | 1 | | 0–7 | 0–5 | 0–0 | — |
* 1 2 Head-to-head points: Daegu FC 4, Urawa Red Diamonds 1.

### Group G

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BGP | MCY | JND | UCT |
| 1 | BG Pathum United (H) | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 12 | Advance to Round of 16 | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 5–0 |
| 2 | Melbourne City | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 12 | | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | 3–0 |
| 3 | Jeonnam Dragons | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 8 | | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 |
| 4 | United City | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 17 | −16 | 0 | | 1–3 | 0–3 | 0–1 | — |

### Group H

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | YFM | JBH | HOA | SYD |
| 1 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| 2 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 12 | Advance to Round of 16 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| 3 | Hoang Anh Gia Lai (H) | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 5 | | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 |
| 4 | Sydney FC | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 2 | | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | — |

### Group I

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JDT | KSF | ULS | GZH |
| 1 | Johor Darul Ta'zim (H) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 | — | 0–5 | 2–1 | 5–0 |
| 2 | Kawasaki Frontale | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 11 | | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Ulsan Hyundai | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 10 | | 1–2 | 3–2 | — | 3–0 |
| 4 | Guangzhou | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 24 | −24 | 0 | | 0–2 | 0–8 | 0–5 | — |

### Group J

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | VKO | KIT | CRU | SHP |
| 1 | Vissel Kobe | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 8 | Advance to Round of 16 | — | 2–1 | 6–0 | Canc. |
| 2 | Kitchee | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 | Advance to Round of 16 | 2–2 | — | 1–0 | Canc. |
| 3 | Chiangrai United (H) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 1 | | 0–0 | 2–3 | — | Canc. |
| 4 | Shanghai Port | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew | Canc. | Canc. | Canc. | — |

## Ranking of second-placed teams
### West Region

| Pos | Grp | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | A | Al-Rayyan | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 | C | Shabab Al-Ahli | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 10 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 3 | E | Nasaf Qarshi | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 9 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 4 | D | Al-Taawoun | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 7 | |
| 5 | B | Mumbai City | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 7 | |

### East Region

As Group J only had three teams remaining, the results against fourth-placed teams in Groups F–I were omitted in this ranking.
| Pos | Grp | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | H | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 8 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 | F | Urawa Red Diamonds | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 3 | J | Kitchee | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 4 | G | Melbourne City | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | |
| 5 | I | Kawasaki Frontale | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 5 | |