Road to Continental Play for PFL clubs known

AFC Cup action between Global Cebu FC and JDT from earlier this year.

With the draws for both the AFC Cup and AFC Champions League already conducted earlier this afternoon, there is some sense of clarity with regards to continental football play for Filipino club football sides.

Based on how our club and national team performed in the past few years, the Asian Football Confederation has granted a couple of spots for the Philippines. The Philippines Football Federation has allocated both berths to the last two teams standing in the Philippines Football League, whose season concludes on December 16.

The champion of the PFL has been granted the chance to potentially play in the highest level continental club competition, the AFC Champions League. Their road to that tourney will not be easy, as they have to play on the road and win for three straight weeks in January just to earn a berth in the Group Stage, whose composition was just revealed earlier this afternoon.

After being crowned champions, the PFL winner will have just a month to prepare against Burmese side Shan United FC on January 16. The winner travels to Brisbane to face off against A-League side Brisbane Roar on January 23, with the winner then traveling to Tianjin to go up against Tianjin Quanjian FC of the Chinese Super League on January 30. If they defeat all three opponents, they are slotted into Group E, where Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC of the K-League and Hong Kong powerhouse Kitchee SC are already guaranteed spots in the Group Stage. The last spot in Group E is to be decided between either the winner of Muangthong United and Johor Darul Ta'zim, and a yet-to-be determined J-League side.

If the PFL champion fails to win in any of those three matches, they are still guaranteed continental competition, as they are slotted already into the Group Stage of the AFC Cup. The draw put them into Group F alongside S-League side Home Utd, either Shan United or Yadanarbon FC of Myanmar, and the winner of the two-leg playoff between Khmer side Boeung Ket Angkor FC and Laotian side Lao Toyota FC. If the champion is blessed to qualify in AFC Champions League play, the third place team is slotted in instead, putting some potential incentive for the third place game of the PFL Finals Series on December 16.

Meanwhile, the PFL runner-up is already guaranteed a berth in AFC Cup, as they were slotted into Group G, alongside either Bali United or Madura United of Indonesia, FLC Than Hoi or Hanoi FC of Vietnam, and Burmese side Yangon United.

AFC Cup Group Stage matches will commence in February.

Meanwhile, the PFL Finals Series will continue with the second legs set this Saturday, with 7pm kickoffs for FC Meralco Manila hosting Global Cebu FC at Rizal Memorial and Ceres-Negros FC hosting Kaya FC-Makati at the Pana-ad Park and Stadium.