Tough draw for Cebu FC in AFC Champions League
CEBU, Philippines — The Dynamic Herb Cebu FC was drawn to the tough Group H in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two.
Represented by its sporting director Evren Tasci and team manager Hannah Jayne Wong during the official Group Stage draw ceremony at the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia recently, the Gentle Giants are grouped with South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC, Malaysia’s Selangor FC, and Thailand’s Muangthong United FC.
Cebu FC earned a ticket to the ACL Two on account of its strong performance kin the Philippines Football League (PFL) Season 2024 where it got 36 points from its 12-2 win--loss record.
Last year, the club donned the country’s tri-colors in its first continental campaign via the AFC Cup after finishing as runner-up in the 2022-2023 PFL season.
The Gentle Giants went up against Phnom Penh Crown FC, Macarthur FC, and 2022 Myanmar National League champions Shan United.
Behind the heroics of Ken Murayama, Cebu FC went on to clinch its first ever continental win, 1-0, against Shan United.
This time, the Gentle Giants will meet a new set of international clubs in the Champions League.
The Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC is a record nine-time champion of the K League, the top tier of South Korean football.
They’re also a two-time ACL titleholders, having dominated the league in 2006 and 2016 out of 16 ACL appearances, the most by any Korean club.
On the other hand, Selangor FC is the 2023 Malaysia Super League runner-up, while Muangthong United FC was a semifinalist in the 2010 AFC Cup.
Formerly the AFC Cup, the AFC Champions League Two is the 21st edition of Asia’s second-tier club football tournament.
In the ACL Two, the group stage matches will be played in a home-and-away format from September to December. The the top two teams of each group will advanced to the knockout stage.
The round of 16 will be played in February next year, the quarterfinals in March, the semifinals in April, and the finals in May 2025.
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