"Will Ronaldo come to Uzbekistan?" On the fact that the opponents of Uzbek clubs in the Elite ACL were determined before the draw

**"Is Ronaldo Coming to Uzbekistan?" Opponents of Uzbek Clubs in Elite ACL Already Known**

The draw for the Asian Elite Champions League will be held on August 18. Since two Uzbek teams - "Neftchi" and "Pakhtakor" - will participate in this tournament, fans are very interested in the results of the draw. However, due to the rules of the draw and existing restrictions, it is already clear which teams the Fergana and Tashkent clubs will play against. It is only unknown which team they will play away and which one they will play at home. So, which clubs will be opponents for "Neftchi" and "Pakhtakor" in this tournament? Detailed information is provided below.

**Participants and League Ranking**

A total of 16 clubs will participate in the Western region of the Elite Asian Champions League. These clubs represent six countries - Saudi Arabia (5 teams), UAE (3), Qatar (3), Iran (2), Uzbekistan (2) and Iraq (1). The teams are arranged in order of ranking, as this is an important factor in the draw.

The teams are divided into 4 pots. Each team will play against two teams from each pot. One at home and the other away. However, there are additional requirements. First, clubs from the same country cannot play each other.

The teams in these 4 pots are divided into 4 lanes by drawing lots. Each team plays teams from one lane at home and teams from another lane away. A team does not play against teams from its own lane, as well as teams from another lane.

**Lane**

The lanes are determined by drawing lots and there are some restrictions on their formation. In order to maintain a balance in the schedule and ensure that the teams are equally strong opponents, the AFC has also decided to divide the pots according to the league rankings. That is, the clubs from the countries ranked 1st, 4th and 6th in the rankings will be placed separately, and the clubs from the countries ranked 2nd, 3rd and 5th will be placed in another pot. This means that clubs from Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq will be in one pot, and clubs from Qatar, the UAE and Uzbekistan will be in another pot. This means that any club will either play only against teams from Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq, or only against clubs from Qatar, the UAE and Uzbekistan. It is this factor that almost determines the opponents that the Uzbek clubs will play against.

**Draw**

The 4 pots presented above will be divided into pots A, B, C and D based on the draw. First, the teams in Pot 1 are drawn into 4 lanes.

Now, one team from Pot 2 is placed in each lane. This is where the above restrictions come into play. Pot 2 had the teams "An-Nassr" (Saudi Arabia), "Neftchi", "Al-Quwa" (Iraq) and "Shabab Al-Ahli" (UAE). Let's place "An-Nassr". As mentioned above, the Saudi Arabian club cannot be in the same lane as the Qatari and UAE clubs. This means that "An-Nassr" can only go to the lane of "Istiqlol" and "Al-Ahli". In the same way, for example, "Neftchi" can only go to the lane where "As-Sadd" or "Al-Ain" are located.

Continuing with the same logic, the following lanes can be formed in the end.

Of course, the draw could be slightly different, for example, Al-Qadisiya and Al-Ittihad, Al-Gharafa and Al-Wasl could swap places, or Pakhtakor and Neftchi could be in the same pot. But nothing will change in terms of who the opponents will be. Pots B and D in the table above will be opponents of Uzbek clubs. Although the teams in these pots could swap places, considering that we will play both pots, it is still unclear who we will play at home and away. For example, Pot A will play B at home and D away, while Pot C will do the opposite, playing B away and D at home.

So, it is clear that the following teams will be opponents for both "Neftchi" and "Pakhtakor":

* "Al-Ahli" (Saudi Arabia)

* "Istiqlol" (Iran)

* "Al-Quwa" (Iraq)

* "An-Nassr" (Saudi Arabia)

* "Al-Hilal" (Saudi Arabia)

* "Tractor" (Iran)

* "Al-Qadisiya" (Saudi Arabia)

* "Al-Ittihad" (Saudi Arabia)

Uzbek clubs will play against the five-team Saudi Arabia, as well as clubs from Iran and Iraq.

It should be noted that the AFC's attempt to equalize the opponents has somewhat backfired. While the UAE and Qatari teams, which are ranked 2nd and 3rd in the rankings, constantly play against Saudi giants, the Iraqi club "Al-Quwa" does not play against the Saudis at all. It is a bit unfair that 5 out of 8 opponents of Uzbek clubs are clubs from Saudi Arabia. It would be more interesting and balanced if other factors did not interfere, just noting that clubs from the same country do not compete with each other, in my opinion.

**Will Ronaldo come to Uzbekistan?**

It is clear that "Neftchi" and "Pakhtakor" will play against "An-Nassr" in the tournament, but where these matches will be held will be determined by the draw on August 18. If "Neftchi" and "Pakhtakor" are placed in different lanes, "An-Nassr" will play one at home and the other away with our team. That is, depending on luck, Ronaldo's team could come to Fergana and play Pakhtakor at home, or play Neftchi at home and visit Tashkent. Even if our teams are placed in the same group, there are two options. Cristiano could visit both Tashkent and Fergana, or Al-Nassr could host both teams at home.