Recently, the focus of Chinese soccer has turned to the change of hosting venue for the World Qualifying Tournament. Behind the scenes, this reflects the fact that participation in international tournaments remains challenging, even in a global environment shrouded by epidemics. The national soccer team is about to embark on a journey to the United Arab Emirates, while the three teams participating in the AFC Champions League are about to battle it out in the play-offs and group stage. These teams will start their journey against the odds, and there seems to be little hope that Guangzhou will send any of their first-team players to the tournament.
Arranged by the AFC, Guangzhou's Group J matches will be played in a tournament format at Lei Fort Stadium in Buriram, Thailand. Opponents in the same group include Hong Kong Premier League side Jiezhi, Thai Premier League newcomers Thai Harbour, Japan's Cerezo Osaka and the winner of the play-off against Australia's Melbourne Victory.
Guangzhou's first round of the group stage will be played on the evening of June 24th against either Sakura Osaka or Melbourne Victory. The final round of the group stage will be played on July 9. The entire group stage will consist of a total of six matches, which is a tight schedule and a tough test for the team.
It was originally expected that the three Chinese Super League (CSL) teams might send their ladder teams to participate in the tournament due to the clash between the AFC Champions League (AFC) group stage and the CSL's first stage schedule. However, the National Football League's Top 40 campaign disrupted the original plan, and the earliest restart is expected to be delayed until July 20th. In the meantime, there are rumors that Guangzhou may send their remaining first-team players to the AFC Champions League group stage, but it is unlikely.
Even though there are no conflicts in the schedule, Guangzhou still faces a huge challenge to send a first team to the tournament. Even if they return home quickly from the group stage in Thailand, the players will still have to go through quarantine and will not be able to rejoin their coaching staff and teammates immediately after they return from the WC qualifiers, which will undoubtedly affect the team's performance in the Chinese Super League. Given the uncertainty of the epidemic, the situation of last year's team being stranded at the venue after the AFC Champions League could repeat itself.
The deadline for registration for the AFC Champions League group stage is June 8, and the club has already reported the relevant plan to the group, and the selection of players will be decided by the group's senior management. It is expected that the main focus will be on young players, while the other two teams, including the additional team harbor, the current plan is still to send the second team to participate.
