Saudi Arabia have moved into first place in the AFC Clubs Competitions Ranking for the first time since the system was introduced in 2014. It means that the country will have the full allocation in the 2023 AFC Champions League with three teams in the group stage and one that can advance through the play-offs. There is bad news however for the UAE, which will only have one guaranteed team in the group stage.
The good news for Saudi Arabia comes from its success on the pitch. In November, Al-Hilal defeated Pohang Steelers 2-0 in the final of the 2021 Champions League trophy. It was the second triumph in the three years for the Riyadh giants. Not only that, but Al-Hilal defeated local rivals Al-Nassr in the semi-final in October.
In the previous rankings that determined allocations for the 2021 and 2022 continental tournaments, Saudi Arabia was ranked second in West Asia behind Qatar but the exploits from Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr have moved the country into pole position, not only in West Asia but in the continent overall.
The rankings are issued at the end of each year and are made up of results from the previous four years in the tournament. The table determines how many clubs each nation is allowed to send to the various stages of Asia’s flagship tournament. As well as automatic berths in the group stage, there is also a knockout route. The first of those is the preliminary rounds with teams that win those ties going through to the final play-offs.
While Saudi Arabian teams are smiling, the new rankings spell bad news for others. Qatar slip down to third behind Iran and lose one automatic group stage slot. UAE have gone from fourth to fifth and now have only one guaranteed place in the first round, as well as two play-off slots.
Uzbekistan are big winners in moving from sixth to fourth above the UAE. Instead of one automatic place and one play-off place, the Central Asian nation will double its allocation to two and two.
Over in the eastern zone – the tournament is divided into two geographic halves until the final – South Korea are ranked first, followed by Japan, and they will be represented by three clubs in the Group Stage and one in the preliminary or play-offs.
The same applies for third and fourth ranked China and Thailand respectively who will both have the same representation as their West Region counterparts, Qatar and Uzbekistan.
Iraq, Lebanon and Kuwait from the West Zone will be represented by two clubs in the Group Stage, similar to the Philippines, Malaysia and Australia in the ASEAN Zone.
Meanwhile India, Bangladesh and Maldives from the South Zone, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan from the Central Zone as well as North Korea, Macau and Chinese Taipei from the East Zone will receive one direct slot to the Group Stage and another entry to the preliminary or play-offs stage.
The draw for the 2022 AFC Champions League and 2022 AFC Cup will take place on Jan.13 in Kuala Lumpur.