Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings were drawn with Indian outfit East Bengal FC, Nejmeh SC of Lebanon, and Paro FC of Bhutan in Group A of the inaugural AFC Challenge League.
The draw of the tournament was made at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday.
Kings qualified for the tournament as the 2023-24 BPL champions. It'll also be their fifth consecutive group stage appearance in an AFC club competition.
There are 12 teams in three groups in West Zone, with the champions and best runners-up of the three groups playing in the next round.
The group matches are set to be played over three match days between October 26 and November 2, with each group taking place in a centralised venue in a single round-robin format.
Group A matches will be hosted by Paro FC at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu.
Eight teams will progress from the group stage鈥攖he three group winners and best-ranked runners-up from the west and the top two finishers of each group from the east鈥攖o the double-legged quarterfinals, which will take place between March 5 and 13, next year.
