Mumbai City FC have been drawn alongside Al Hilal in AFC Champions League 2023-24 Draw. This brings an opportunity for Neymar to come and play in India. The Islanders will be playing their home games in at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune. The other teams in the group are Nassaji Mazandaran FC and Navbahor from Iran and Uzbekistan.
Mumbai City qualified for the group stage of Asia’s premier club competition for the second successive season after winning the 2022–23 Indian Super League Shield and the subsequent Club Play-off against Jamshedpur FC.
Al Hilal SFC, record four-time AFC Champions League Winners and finalists in four of the last six seasons, will present the biggest test for the Islanders; they have also recently signed Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr, who had previously won prestigious tournaments like the UEFA Champions League and gold in the 2016 Olympics.
FC Nassaji Mazandaran, winners of Iran’s 2021-22 Hazfi Cup, and PFC Navbahor Namangan, runners-up of the 2022 Uzbekistan Super League, will be making their AFC Champions League debut.
Mumbai City FC’s AFC Champions League 2023-24 games to have VAR in India
Matches will be played on a home-and-away round-robin basis, with the group winners and three best runners-up across all five west zone groups qualifying for the Round of 16. Mumbai City FC will play their home games at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune.
Des Buckingham’s side had an impressive outing in the AFC Champions League last season, registering two wins over Iraq’s Al Quwa Al Jawiya to finish Group B in second place with seven points. Mumbai City will hope for more of the same this season, with an added advantage of playing on Indian soil.
