# 2024–25 AFC Challenge League group stage

The 2024–25 AFC Challenge League group stage was played from 26 October to 2 November 2024.

## Draw

The draw for the group stage took place on 22 August at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 18 teams were drawn into five groups: three comprising four teams from the West each (Groups A–C) and two involving three teams from the East each (Groups D–E). Teams were seeded into pots: four pots for West region and three pots for East region, and drawn into the relevant positions within each group, based on their association ranking. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.
The following 18 teams entered the group stage draw, which included the 14 direct entrants, two losers from the AFC Champions League Two qualifying play-offs (labeled ACL2) and the two winners of the preliminary stage (labeled PS).
| Region | Groups | Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| West Region | A–C | East Bengal | Arkadag | Bashundhara Kings | Hilal Al-Quds |
| West Region | A–C | Al-Ahli Club | Nejmeh | Al-Seeb | Abdysh-Ata Kant |
| West Region | A–C | Al-Arabi | Al-Fotuwa | Maziya | Paro |
| East Region | D–E | Madura United | Svay Rieng | Young Elephants | — |
| East Region | D–E | Shan United | Tainan City | SP Falcons | — |

## Format

In the group stage, each group will be played in a single round-robin format on a centralised venue. Eight teams will progress to the quarter-finals of the knockout stage : the three group winners and best-ranked runners-up from the West, and the group winners and runner-ups of each group from the East.

### 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;
* 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);
* Drawing of lots.

## Schedule

The schedule of the group stage is as follows.
| Round | Dates (West region) | Dates (East region) |
| Matchday 1 | 26 October 2024 | 27 October 2024 |
| Matchday 2 | 29 October 2024 | 30 October 2024 |
| Matchday 3 | 1 November 2024 | 2 November 2024 |

## Groups

The detailed schedule was announced on 22 August 2024 after the draw ceremony.

### West Region
#### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | EAB | NJM | PAR | BSK |
| 1 | East Bengal | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 7 | Advance to Quarter-finals | | 3–2 | 2–2 | |
| 2 | Nejmeh | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | | | | | 1–0 |
| 3 | Paro (H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | | | 1–2 | | |
| 4 | Bashundhara Kings | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 | | 0–4 | | 1–2 | |

#### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AKG | AAK | ABD | MAZ |
| 1 | Arkadag | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | Advance to Quarter-finals | | | | 2–1 |
| 2 | Al-Arabi (H) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 6 | Advance to Quarter-finals | 3–2 | | 0–1 | |
| 3 | Abdysh-Ata Kant | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | | 0–2 | | | |
| 4 | Maziya | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 | | | 0–2 | 0–3 | |
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head goal difference: Arkadag +1; Al-Arabi 0; Abdysh-Ata Kant –1.

#### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ASB | AAM | AFT | HAQ |
| 1 | Al-Seeb (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | +9 | 9 | Advance to Quarter-finals | | 1–0 | | 3–0 |
| 2 | Al-Ahli Club | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 2 | | | | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| 3 | Al-Fotuwa | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 2 | | 0–5 | | | |
| 4 | Hilal Al-Quds | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 2 | | | | 0–0 | |
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head goals scored: Al-Ahli Club 1, Al-Fotuwa 1, Hilal Al-Quds 0; Overall goal difference: Al-Ahli Club –1, Al-Fotuwa –5.

#### Ranking of runners-up teams

| Pos | Grp | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | B | Al-Arabi | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 6 | Advance to Quarter-finals |
| 2 | A | Nejmeh | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | |
| 3 | C | Al-Ahli Club | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 2 | |

### East Region
#### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SNU | TNC | YEP |
| 1 | Shan United (H) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | Advance to Quarter-finals | | 2–2 | |
| 2 | Tainan City | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | Advance to Quarter-finals | | | 3–2 |
| 3 | Young Elephants | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0 | | 0–2 | | |

#### Group E

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MDU | PRR | SPF |
| 1 | Madura United | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | Advance to Quarter-finals | | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | Advance to Quarter-finals | | | 2–1 |
| 3 | SP Falcons (H) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 1 | | 0–0 | | |