AFC Champions League Two: All you need to know about groups & more

The teams will look to impress in the AFC competition.

A harmonious blend of traditional craft and contemporary design, the 65-centimetre-tall silverware reflects the excellence and prestige of the Continent’s new second-tier men’s club competition that is set to showcase the foremost rising teams in Asia.

The striking feature of the ACL Two trophy is its form which calls to mind the torso of a football player, which symbolises strength and fitness – key player attributes in the modern game. Underlining the importance of the collective, 11 stripes have been hand-hammered onto the trophy, which adorn the body like a football kit.

This new trophy was handcrafted by world-renowned trophy makers, Thomas Lyte, the London-based luxury goldsmiths and silversmiths that hold a Royal Warrant and are responsible for many of the world’s most prestigious trophies in professional sports, including the AFC Asian Cup and AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

It is part of the family of trophies for the new AFC club competitions, together with the AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite), AFC Women’s Champions League – unveiled last month – and AFC Challenge League, with both the AFC and Thomas Lyte working closely to produce designs with iconic and recognisable silhouettes.

The groups are confirmed! 3️⃣2️⃣ teams can now begin their quest towards #ACLTwo success! pic.twitter.com/VrnhU1ukps

— #ACLElite & #ACLTwo (@TheAFCCL) August 16, 2024

The distinctive handles of the ACL Two trophy link it with its men’s counterpart for the ACL Elite, with the duo sharing the same visual language and artistry, further underscoring their interconnected nature.

A process known as wire eroding is used to cut the tournament name elegantly onto the trophy’s foot, with the winners’ names engraved on its large and rounded plinth.

The inaugural champions will emerge from the 32-strong cast that was in the hat for the Group Stage draw, which produced eight groups that will be contested in a round-robin, home-and-away format from September 17 to December 5.

The top two finishers from each group advance to the Round of 16, to be played in February 2025. This will be followed by the Quarter-finals in March and Semi-finals in April, before the tournament culminates in a single-leg Final on May 17, 2025.

In addition to the opportunity to hoist aloft a new trophy, all participating clubs will be supported by significant increases in financial distribution as teams in the Group Stage are guaranteed a minimum of USD 300,000, with the champions receiving at least USD 3.28 million.

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