August 7, 2025

While Sailors won the domestic League and Cup double just a few months ago, there is no doubt that it was our fairytale ACL2 run that captured the imagination of football fans in Singapore, and perhaps even  in the rest of Asia as well. Could we defy all odds yet again to run it back and make another final, or even go one step further in this year’s edition?  As we approach the ACL2 group stage draw happening on 15th Aug, I thought this ACL2 preview article would be a good time to run through our potential opponents in this tournament, as well as the draw mechanics and rules for newer fans who may not be familiar with how this competition works. ACL2 Tournament Rules and Draw Mechanics Previously known as the AFC Cup, the second-tier AFC continental competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) in 2024. Unlike the AFC cup, the ACL2 includes clubs from the top nations in Asian Football such as Japan and Korea, and features 32 teams, the most number of teams across AFC club competitions. The tournament is split into East and West regions, with 16 participating clubs each, and the competition remains separated by region until the final where the East and West finalists will meet. The 16 clubs of each region will be seeded into 4 Pots, and 4 groups of 4 teams will be drawn with each group having 1 team from each Pot. 14 of the 16 teams in the East have been confirmed, with the last 2 slots going to the losing team in the ACL Elite qualifying playoff (between Chengdu Rongcheng and Bangkok United) and the winner of the ACL2 qualifying playoff (between Manila Digger and Persib), to be played on 12th and 13th August respectively, just before the ACL2 draw on 15th August. Sailors are rumoured to be in Pot 3 despite our heroics in last season’s ACL2, as the seedings are mostly based on AFC club competitions rankings, which assigns points to each country based on results in the last 8 years, with more recent seasons holding a higher weightage. While Singapore outscored the likes of Vietnam, China, and Australia last season, the lack of success in previous years mean that we are still ranked 15th among AFC member associations. Hopefully, with consistent performances in the coming seasons, we’ll be able to see Sailors in a higher seeding or even get an ACLE slot in the not-too-distant future. For now though, Sailors will probably be the team every other team is looking to avoid out of Pot 3. The full (rumoured) Pots are as follows: Country protection is in place for the group stage draw, meaning no 2 teams from the same country can be drawn into the same group. This has some implications on our chances of drawing certain teams in other Pots, as we’ll cover in the next section. Upon completion of the ACL2 draw on 15th Aug, our 6 group stage games will be played on the following dates: According to the AFC Competition Operations Manual, our match sequence for the 6 matchdays should be: vs Pot 2 (H), vs Pot 4 (A), vs Pot 1 (A), vs Pot 1 (H), vs Pot 2 (A), and vs Pot 4 (H). However, take this with a huge pinch of salt as there seems to be some discretion in the scheduling, and AFC does not always follow this format. Furthermore, Straits Times also recently reported that FAS is in discussions with AFC for our first group stage game to be an away game, since Bishan Stadium would not be ready in time. Potential Group Stage Opponents Our potential group stage opponents are listed below, sorted by Pots and listed according to their Opta ranking, which should give a rough sense of the relative team strength. Tampines as well as teams from Pot 3 are excluded as it is not possible to draw them in the group stage. For reference, LCS are currently ranked 1172 in the Opta rankings (as of 2 Aug 2025), with a rating of 69.9 (nice), and an estimated team value of €9.15 million according to Transfermarkt. Pot 1 The Pot 1 teams represent the biggest threat to our knockout stage hopes, not just because they are the strongest teams in the competition, but partly also due to potentially harsh weather conditions of away games in China/Japan/Korea. This is especially so if the game happens to be on Matchday 4/5/6, when the weather starts to get cold in these countries as winter approaches. If Bangkok United ends up losing their ACLE qualifier, the probability of us drawing them will be marginally higher compared to the other teams in Pot 1, as they cannot draw Ratchaburi in Pot 3 due to country protection, so Sailors are 1 of their 3 possible opponents out of this Pot. Gamba Osaka On paper the hardest team we can possibly draw for the group stage, Gamba Osaka will be heavy favorites to make the ACL2 final on the East side of the bracket (although the favorites to win ACL2 will no doubt be Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Yes, playing in the same tournament as LCS).Currently mid-table in the J League and already knocked out of the Emperor’s Cup, winning the ACL2 represents their best chance of getting back into continental competition next season. The club has 2 J1 titles and an Asian Champions League win, and has an experienced squad featuring several players that have made the step up to the Japanese National Team, including forward and club captain Takashi Usami, center back and vice-captain Shinnosuke Nakatani, and 39-year old veteran goalkeeper Masaaki Higashiguchi. Avoiding Gamba Osaka in the draw will significantly boost our chances of getting out of the group, although drawing them also represents an opportunity to benchmark ourselves against the best in East Asia (and also a fantastic away day destination, heh). Pohang Steelers The Steel Yard is home to former