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:
- Matchday 1 – 17/18 Sep
- Matchday 2 – 1/2 Oct
- Matchday 3 – 22/23 Oct
- Matchday 4 – 5/6 Nov
- Matchday 5 – 26/27 Nov
- Matchday 6 – 10/11 Dec
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
- Opta Ranking – 315
- Opta Rating – 78.5
- Estimated Squad Value – €18.60 million
- Qualified via – J League (2024) 4th
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
- Opta Ranking – 611
- Opta Rating – 74.8
- Estimated Squad Value – €10.30 million
- Qualified via – Korean FA Cup (2024) Winner
The Steel Yard is home to former Swansea and Newcastle Midfielder Ki Sung Yeung and has a stellar history of 5 K League titles, 6 Korean FA Cups, and 3 AFC Champions League titles. Despite being one of the top leagues in East Asia, the Sailors have had reasonable success against K League teams in our short history, beating Daegu in 2022 and more recently Jeonbuk in 2023. The Steelers have also been inconsistent in the K league this season, with only 10 wins out of 24 games, so while Pohang are far better than us on paper, I think we can expect a decent contest should Sailors draw Pohang out of Pot 1.
Bangkok United
- Opta Ranking – 617
- Opta Rating – 74.7
- Estimated Squad Value – €6.98 million
- Qualified via – Possible ACL Elite Qualifying Round Loser (TBC) after finishing 2nd in Thai League 1 (2024/25)
Both Bangkok United and Sailors look very different from the last time we met in the 2023 ACL, where we lost both home and away in two very close group stage games. There are several familiar faces in their foreign contingent this season, with former Rovers Kyoga Nakamura and Seia Kunori securing an exciting move to the Thai League, as well as Richairo Zivkovic who was playing in Sailors colours the last time these two teams met.
Bangkok United has a ACLE qualifier to navigate first before finding out which continental competition they’ll be playing in, but it would be quite a boring outcome if we do draw them out of this Pot, since we already have plenty of opportunities to play against Thai opposition in the Shopee Cup and in friendlies. There is even a chance that we play them twice in 8 days this year, because our 4th Dec Shopee Cup game in Bangkok is in between ACL2 MD5 and 6.
Chengdu Rongcheng
- Opta Ranking – 641
- Opta Rating – 74.4
- Estimated Squad Value – €10.08 million
- Qualified via – Possible ACL Elite Qualifying Round Loser (TBC) after finishing 3rd in CSL (2024)
The other team that is competing in the ACL Elite Qualifying Playoffs alongside Bangkok United, Chengdu Rongcheng are about to embark on the first continental campaign in club history. The Sichuan-based Chinese Super League (CSL) team is only 7-years old, were only promoted to the CSL in 2022, and have no trophies in their short history. Just like last season, Chengdu are currently 3rd in the CSL, with the 2025 CSL table looking eerily similar to the 2024 one, as all the top 4 positions are identical.
While finishing 3rd in the CSL by no means easy, the days of extravagant spending by CSL teams to sign superstars are long gone, and given the existence of a Japanese and a Korean team in this Pot, Chengdu is probably one of the more beatable teams we can draw out of Pot 1.
Beijing Guoan
- Opta Ranking – 724
- Opta Rating – 73.6
- Estimated Squad Value – €14.50 million
- Qualified via – Chinese Super League (2024) 4th
Performing at a level incredibly similar to Chengdu Rongcheng in the past few seasons, Beijing Guoan’s club history is in stark contrast to the new boys from Chengdu. Playing in a 68,000 capacity Workers’ Stadium, Beijing Guoan are a traditional powerhouse in the Chinese Super League. They have never been relegated from the CSL, and have participated in 10 of the last 17 editions of the ACL. Among the small group of foreigners in the Beijing squad (due to CSL rules), Angolan Fabio Abreu has proven to be one of the most vital players, amassing a staggering 43 goal contributions since the beginning of 2024.
On paper though, Beijing are just about the weakest team in this Pot, and while there are surely no easy games out of Pot 1 (or in the whole competition for that matter), I think we can be cautiously optimistic should we need to bring 3 points home from the Chinese capital.
Pot 2
The teams in Pot 2 appear to be quite close in terms of quality, with no clear best or worst team. Just like with Bangkok United, we will be marginally more likely to draw BG Pathum out of this Pot compared to the other teams, due to country protection and with Ratchaburi being in the same Pot as us.
Nam Dinh
- Opta Ranking – 930
- Opta Rating – 71.7
- Estimated Squad Value – €7.84 million
- Qualified via – V League (2024/25) Champions
The Vietnamese champions had a solid 2024/25 season, winning the domestic league by 8 points, keeping 11 clean sheets from 26 games and scoring an average of 2 goals per game on the way too the title. They also advanced to the Round of 16 in the ACL2, losing to Sanfrecce Hiroshima to set up that iconic Quarterfinal tie.
Their star striker Nguyen Xuan Son/Rafaelson will be a familiar name to followers of Southeast Asian Football. He won both the MVP and top scorer awards at the last Asean Championship, and was also the top scorer for Nam Dinh in the past 2 league seasons. He has not played a competitive game since breaking his leg in the Asean Championship final, but given his recovery timeline, we could potentially see him back in action in the ACL2/Shopee Cup.
Nam Dinh could prove to be one of the toughest teams from Pot 2, and just like Bangkok United, since we already have to play them in the Shopee Cup I think it would be ideal if we don’t play them 3 times in the same season.
Selangor
- Opta Ranking – 1029
- Opta Rating – 70.9
- Estimated Squad Value – €6.59 million
- Qualified via – Malaysia Super League (2024/25) 2nd
The MSL giants and perennial runners-up (because #WhatCanYouDo) secured their ACL2 slot by being the best-of-the-rest last season and might be looking at the ACL2 as their best chance of silverware given that immovable obstacle they have back in their domestic competitions.
After the departure of key attacking talents in Ronnie Fernandez and Yohandry Orozco, Selangor have refreshed their foreigner lineup with some Brazilian flair to complement top scorer Alvin Fortes. However, their best foreign player is out on loan at the Lion City Sailors after being deemed surplus to requirements, and perhaps Safuwan and his new teammates might be looking to prove a point should we get paired against the MSL team.
BG Pathum
- Opta Ranking – 1083
- Opta Rating – 70.5
- Estimated Squad Value – €8.70 million
- Qualified via – Thai League 1 (2024/25) 3rd
Finishing a very distant 3rd place in Thai League 1, it appears that BG Pathum are not breathing the same air as Buriram and Bangkok United. However, plenty of quality lies within the ranks of a team that has dominated possession, averaging 55.5%, and conceding just 1.1 goals per game in the league last season.
The team has made a habit of signing Singaporeans, with latest addition Jordan Emaviwe playing alongside 2024/25 SPL top scorer Tomoyuki Doi, and together with Thai veterans such as Chanathip Songkrasin and Sarach Yooyen who have more than 150 caps between them, represents an exciting yet familiar lineup that could provide an intriguing matchup against the Sailors.
Macarthur
- Opta Ranking – 1106
- Opta Rating – 70.4
- Estimated Squad Value – €4.48 million
- Qualified via – Australia Cup (2024) Winner
Before looking up the rankings, I was expecting Macarthur to be the highest ranked team in Pot 2 and was a bit surprised to see them ranked bottom of the Pot.
While they don’t have the star power from the likes of Juan Mata or Douglas Costa unlike their neighbours in Sydney, Macarthur do have a solid new signing in South Korean international and former Sunderland forward Ji Dong Won, and are also the former home of Sailors’ legend Valere Germain. Currently, Macarthur seems to have only 3 foreign players on their books, with a number of very young players in their roster as well.
Winnable game in a brilliant away day destination? Yes, please.
Pot 4
Out of Pot 4, we cannot draw Tampines due to country protection, and due to the presence of Tai Po and Kaya in our Pot, we are more likely to draw Eastern and Manila (if they win the playoff) compared to Hanoi or Persib (if they win the playoff). Pot 4 contains teams that we absolutely have to beat if we want to advance from the group stages, and revenge may well be the theme of this Pot, after 2 heartbreaking losses to Hanoi and Persib last season in the Shopee Cup and ACL2 respectively.
Cong An Hanoi
- Opta Ranking – 1036
- Opta Rating – 70.8
- Estimated Squad Value – €6.16 million
- Qualified via – Vietnamese Cup (2024/25) Winner
Unfortunately, Hanoi has retained largely the same core as the team that outclassed us 5-0 in the Shopee Cup last season, led by captain (and one of the best Vietnamese footballers currently) Nguyen Quang Hai and Manager Mano Polking who has recently been linked with the Singapore National Team role.
The Vietnamese Cup winners have also retained the services of Leo Artur, hattrick hero in that 5-0 demolition, and top scorer Alan Grafite, presenting a challenging quest for revenge if Hanoi turn out to be our Pot 4 opponents.
Persib
- Opta Ranking – 1582
- Opta Rating – 67.4
- Estimated Squad Value – €5.34 million
- Qualified via – Possible ACL2 Qualifying Playoff Winner (TBC) after winning Liga 1 (2024/25)
The best thing about fan-made content is that I don’t have to be impartial, and after negative experiences with some boisterous Persib fans on social media and in person last season, I sincerely hope that Persib either get knocked out in the playoff or draw us and get crushed twice.
Eastern
- Opta Ranking – 1999
- Opta Rating – 65.5
- Estimated Squad Value – €1.80 million
- Qualified via – Hong Kong FA Cup (2024/25) Winners
For those unfamiliar with Hong Kong football, I suppose Eastern SC’s claim to fame is being coached by English legend and World Cup winner Bobby Moore back in the 1980s.
No strangers to continental competition, Eastern have participated in the AFC champions league or AFC Cup regularly since 2017, but have found success at this level hard to come by. Their previous ACL2 outing last season saw them finish bottom of their group behind Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Sydney FC, and Kaya-Iloilo.
Eastern recently finished 3rd in a tightly contested Hong Kong Premier League season, and had the joint best defence in the league last season, keeping 7 clean sheets and conceding only 25 goals in 24 games. However, with their 2024/25 top scorer Noah Baffoe (35 goals in all competitions) leaving for Lee Man this season, Sailors would consider Eastern a favourable draw while the HK FA Cup winners will be desperately hoping their new signings can step up to fill the huge goalscoring gap.
With an Asian Cup Qualifier coming up against Hong Kong on 18th November, some of our local players could find themselves spending plenty of time in Hong Kong in the coming months.
Manila Digger
- Opta Ranking – 2639
- Opta Rating – 63.1
- Estimated Squad Value – €1.39 million
- Qualified via – Possible ACL2 Qualifying Playoff Winner (TBC) after finishing 2nd in Philippines Football League (2024/25)
Founded only in 2018, Manila finished 1 point behind Kaya to finish 2nd in only their 2nd ever season in the Philippines Football League. There are hardly any statistics available for this league but it appears that Manila’s Gambian imports have really shined for them last season, with 3 of the top 6 scorers in the league coming from Digger – Saikou Ceesay, Modou Manneh, and Ousman Gai.
Based on the Opta rankings, Manila Digger appear to be by far the worst team involved in this year’s tournament, and they look to be facing a huge uphill battle in the qualifying playoff away to Persib. If they were to defy the odds to advance to the group stage, they will no doubt be the team that everyone hopes to draw out of Pot 4.
Conclusion
While expectations will be sky high after a stellar continental campaign in 2024/25, I think I will be very happy just to see us making it past the group stage this season. Given the calibre of opponents in the competition (and the fact that our opponents will most definitely remember to check for the eligibility of their players this time), it would be very hard to place any expectations once we get to the knockout rounds, and a lot of it will be down to our luck in the knockout stage draw, if we do indeed get there. Most importantly, we need to build consistency in continental results, which should eventually lead us to higher seedings within the ACL2 or even an ACLE slot.
For those who can’t wait for the draw to happen and want to see the possible groups that we can draw, I have created a simple excel file to simulate the ACL2 draw here (although the macro doesn’t seem to work on the browser so you have to download the file and open it with Excel). Just select your expected ACLE playoff loser and ACL2 playoff winner and click on the ‘Draw’ button to run a simulated draw.
Also, head over to the SFT telegram chat to share your thoughts on the upcoming draw and who you hope to see in our group!
Written by Chin Heng
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