The group-stage draw ceremony of the 2018 AFC Champions League will be held at the AFC Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday, 6th December.

Qatar’s Al Duhail, Al Sadd and Al Rayyan qualified for the tournament proper, while Al Gharafa have to win play-off should they make it to the group stage.

League champions Al Duhail and Emir’s Cup winners Al Sadd were to originally represent Qatar, but Al Rayyan too received a direct berth after the AFC decided to increase the country’s direct slots to three.

Ismail Ahmed and Mohammed Bashir will represent Al Duhail at the draw, while Mohammed Gholam, Ahmad Al Ansari and Abdullah Al Berik comprise the Al Sadd delegation. 

Mathker Al Shafi will represent Al Rayyan. Al Gharafa’s representatives are Saad Al Shammari and Taha Al Muhaiza.

The 32 teams will be drawn into eight groups of four sides — four groups each in the West Region (Groups A-D) and East Region (Groups E-H). Teams from the same association cannot be drawn into one group.

The group stage will be played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advance to the knockout stage.