2022 AFC Cup: How can ATK Mohun Bagan qualify for the AFC Cup group stage?

ATK Mohun Bagan are entitled to an AFC Cup berth as they finished runners-up in the Indian Super League (ISL) in 2020-21 season. However, the Mariners have to qualify for the group stages of the 2022 AFC Cup after going through a couple of rounds of qualifiers.

How can ATKMB qualify for the AFC Cup group stages?

The preliminary rounds of the AFC Cup qualifiers will begin in April 2022. Preliminary round 1 will be held on April 5. However, ATK Mohun Bagan will not play in this round and will directly start their campaign from round 2. They will face the winners of the game between Machhindra FC of Nepal and Blue Star FC of Sri Lanka.

If they win this match, then they will move to the next round known as the Playoff Round. Here Juan Ferrando's men will face the winners of the match between Dhaka Abahani Limited and Paro FC/Club Valencia. If Roy Krishna and co. go on to win these two matches, they will join Gokulam Kerala in Group D of the 2022 AFC Cup.

When will the matches be played?

The preliminary round 2 match will take place on April 12 whereas the playoff fixture will be held a week later on April 19.

Where will be the matches played?

According to AFC rules, the team from the higher-ranked association will be hosting the match. Hence India has a better association ranking than Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, Bagan will have the luxury of playing the play-off matches on home soil.

How will be the ties decided?

In the qualifiers, each tie will be played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out will be used to decide the winner if necessary.