2018 AFC Champions League group stage
The 2018 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 12 February to 18 April 2018. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2018 AFC Champions League. Draw The seeding of each team in the draw was determined by their association and their qualifying position within their association. The mechanism of the draw was as follows: For the West Region, a draw was held for the three associations with three direct entrants (United Arab Emirates, Iran, Qatar) to determine the seeds 1 placed in order for Groups A, B and C. The remaining teams were then allocated to the groups according to the rules set by AFC. For the East Region, a draw was held for the two associations with three direct entrants (South Korea, Japan) to determine the seeds 1 placed in order for Groups E and F. The remaining teams were then allocated to the groups according to the rules set by AFC. The following 32 teams entered into the group-stage draw, which included the 24 direct entrants and the eight winners of the play-off round of the qualifying play-offs, whose identity was not