After the Elimination of Ulsan.. Determining the Round of 16 Matches for the East Group in the AFC Champions League

The East Group in the AFC Champions League witnessed a strong surprise with the elimination of Ulsan Hyundai, the former champion, after a goalless draw with their host Shanghai Port, which kept them out of the qualifying spots for the knockout stages. Thus, the eight clubs qualified from the eastern group were finalized, a day after the teams from the western group were determined.

Group Standings and Team Qualifications

Ulsan, crowned champion in 2012 and 2020, finished the league stage in ninth place out of 12 teams with 8 points, trailing behind their compatriot Gangwon FC, who maintained the last qualifying spot thanks to goal difference after a goalless draw with Melbourne City. Meanwhile, South Korea's Seoul secured qualification after a 2-2 draw with Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Round of 16 Matches for the East Group

The results of the first round resulted in the following Round of 16 matchups:
Melbourne City × Buriram United
South Korea's Seoul × Vissel Kobe
Japan's Hiroshima × Malaysia's Johor
South Korea's Gangwon × Japan's Machida Zelvia
The first leg matches are scheduled to take place in the first week of March, with the return matches a week later, and the winners will continue to the final stages in a gathering format in Jeddah during April, to determine the qualifiers for the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final.