Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the reigning champion of South Korea's K-League, has been paired with other Asian league winners in the group stage of the continent's top club competition next year.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that Jeonbuk has drawn Kashiwa Reysol of Japan and Guangzhou Evergrande FC of China in Group H of next year's AFC Champions League. In 2011, Kashiwa took the J-League title and Guangzhou won the Chinese Super
League championship.
The AFC will place a yet-to-be-determined champion from the Thailand league in Group H, making it the proverbial "group of death" in the early phase.
Jeonbuk finished runner-up to Qatar's Al Sadd in this year's Champions League.
From the K-League, the top two teams and the FA Cup champion earn automatic berths in the group stage, while the third-place club will enter a playoff.
Ulsan Hyundai FC, runner-up to Jeonbuk in the K-League, will face Brisbane Roar of Australia, Beijing Guoan of China and the winner of Japan's Emperor's Cup in Group F.
South Korean FA Cup champion, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, is in Group G, along with Japan's Nagoya Grampus, China's Tianjin Teda and Australia's Central Coast Mariners.
Pohang Steelers, which ended third in the K-League, must win the playoff in February next year to join Gamba Osaka of Japan and FC Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan, plus another playoff team, in Group E.
The Champions League's group stage kicks off on March 6 and will take the home-and-away format. There are eight groups of four clubs total.
The top two teams from each group will make up the round of 16. The one-and-done final will be held on either Nov. 9 or 10 next year.
The K-League has produced nine Champions League winners, more
than any other league, including two of the past three.
(Yonhap News)
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