Kaya FC-Iloilo down to just one match for AFC Champions League berth

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Kaya FC-Iloilo only needs to get past one team to qualify to the main tournament of the 2021 AFC Champions League.

After the Asian Football Confederation’s announced the exit of the participating Australian clubs, the Iloilo-based squad will only need to defeat China’s Shanghai Port to advance to the tournament proper.

“Following Football Australia’s confirmation of the withdrawal of its clubs from the AFC Champions League (East), the AFC COVID-19 Sub-Committee for AFC Champions League and AFC Cup 2021 (East) has decided the final line-up of clubs for the AFC Champions League 2021 Group and Playoff Stages,” read AFC’s statement.

Kaya FC was supposed to face Brisbane Roar before Shanghai Port but the Australian federation recently announced that they are pulling out of the tournament due to health and safety concerns.

If Kaya will get the better of the Chinese football club, they will automatically earn a spot in the Champions League and might face clubs like Thailand’s BG Pathum United, South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai and Vietnam’s Viettel Football Club.

Kaya is currently preparing for the match in Suphan Buri Provincial Stadium in Suphan Buri, Thailand that is scheduled on June 23.