FC Goa to begin AFC Champions League campaign on April 14

The Gaurs will take on Qatar-based outfit Al Rayyan in their first game of the group stages.

A historic campaign for FC Goa in the 2021 AFC Champions League is all set to take off on April 14, 2021 against Al Rayyan (Qatar). This will be the first game ever played by an Indian club in the group stages of the AFC Champions League.

The Gaurs will then take on the Winners of Play-off West 4 (between UAE’s Al-Wahda and Iraq’s Al-Zawraa) on April 17 before squaring off against the reigning champions of the West Region - Persepolis from Iran on April 20.

FC Goa will against square off against Persepolis three days later on April 23 before finishing off the group stages with games on April 26 and April 29 against Al Rayyan and Winners of Play-off West 4 respectively.

Earlier on Wednesday, the draws for the AFC Champions League group-stage were announced by the Asian Football Confederation. The draw for the AFC Champions League group stages was held today in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, throwing up some interesting groups and good clashes. The 2021 edition will witness for the first time, 40 teams that will compete for the biggest prize in club football in the APAC region.

Through their stellar efforts last season, Goa finished at the top of the league standings in the regular season and thereby made history as the first team to make it to the group stages of the continent’s top club competition. It remains to be seen how Juan Ferrando and his men perform at the continental level as they carry hopes of scores of Indians on their shoulders.

All matches of the 2021 AFC Champions League are to be held at centralized venues under strict protocols owing to the danger posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The full schedule of the group stage is as follows:

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