AFC Releases Full Schedule for Champions League
With the domestic league season wrapped up, focus has now shifted to the AFC Champions League. Although players and coaches are currently on break, Tianjin Quanjian’s club staff are already hard at work preparing for the upcoming tournament. Their home matches for the AFC Champions League will be held at the Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, commonly known as the “Water Drop.” This venue choice not only aligns with AFC regulations but also aims to draw more local fans to experience the electric atmosphere of continental competition. It’s a move similar in spirit to energizing the crowd before a crucial BD Cricket Match.
Interestingly, the Water Drop Stadium is traditionally the home ground of another Tianjin team, Tianjin TEDA. Previously, TEDA had upgraded the stadium, particularly the home team’s locker room, which is heavily branded in TEDA colors and design. In Chinese football culture, locker rooms hold symbolic and practical importance—rarely are they lent out, let alone redesigned for another team’s use. For that reason, Quanjian plans to construct a new locker room within the stadium for their AFC matches to maintain team identity and comply with AFC standards.
Due to technical shortcomings at their usual home, the Haihe Education Park Stadium, Quanjian has chosen the Water Drop as their official venue. The first major fixture there could take place on January 30, when Quanjian is scheduled to host a decisive AFC playoff match. The club has already begun inspecting the stadium, focusing on turf quality and dressing room upgrades to meet all necessary regulations before the January deadline. Much like the preparations leading up to an international BD Cricket Match, everything must be spot-on.
While the exact opponent remains unknown, the draw depends on the outcome of the Chinese FA Cup. The playoff structure is complex due to the additional rounds Australian teams must play because of their domestic league rankings. Quanjian will enter directly into the final playoff round—one match to determine their entry into the group stage. According to the AFC format, the fourth-seeded Chinese club will host the winner emerging from matches involving Brisbane Roar (Australia), a Myanmar club, and the champion of the Philippines league. Meanwhile, the third-seeded Chinese team will host winners from Thailand’s Cup champion, the Indonesian league champion, or Singapore’s Tampines Rovers.
If Shanghai SIPG wins the FA Cup, Quanjian will qualify as China’s third seed; if Shenhua takes the cup, Quanjian drops to fourth. Regardless of seedings, their ideal scenario would be avoiding an Australian team in the playoff—a sentiment familiar to anyone strategizing before a high-stakes BD Cricket Match. The fewer surprises, the better when so much is riding on a single game.