Sharjah has been chosen to host the 2021 Asian Champions League next month after the continent’s governing body decided to stage all Group B fixtures in the emirate.
The four-team pool, featuring Sharjah, Iran’s Tractor, Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor and the winner of the play-off between Saudi Arabia’s Al Wehda and Iraq’s Al Quwa Al Jawiya, will take place April 14-30.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced in January that this year’s Champions League, extended for the first time to 40 teams, would be played in centralised group stages because of the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Respective member associations had to bid for the right to host.
On Thursday, the AFC confirmed three West Zone groups are to be played in Saudi Arabia, with Groups A and D going to Riyadh and Group C to Jeddah. India, whose FC Goa represent the country’s first entrant in the competition’s history, will host Group E.
In a statement, AFC general secretary Windsor John said: “On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to thank all our member associations for their interest in hosting our club competitions and commitment towards ensuring we continue to place the safety and wellbeing of our players, teams, and officials at the forefront of all our priorities.
“The AFC is most grateful for the support of the AFC Competitions Committee and our commercial partners and we will continue to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders as we strive to ensure a safe and successful 2021 club football season.”
All Champions League West Zone fixtures will be played from April 14-30, with the East Region matches, initially scheduled for April 21-May 7, being pushed back to "June/July".
The UAE has two entrants in the group stages already - Sharjah and Shabab Al Ahli - while Al Ain and Al Wahda each face a play-off match on April 7 to join the tournament proper. Al Ain are away to Iran’s Foolad, with Wahda welcoming Iraq’s Al Zawraa to their Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Al Ain are the only UAE winners of the continent’s premier club competition, in 2003.
Sharjah, meanwhile, reached the quarter-finals in 2004, but last year, when competing as UAE champions, they finished bottom of their group.
In January, the decision was made to stage all last-16 and quarter-final matches in September, as single games, with the semi-finals to take place across two legs on October 19-20 and 26-27. The final, also two-legged, is set to fall on November 21 and 27.
