Centralised venues for nine of the 10 groups in the 2021 AFC Cup, the Asian Football Confederation’s second-tier club competition, were announced on Monday after a one-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Jordanian capital Amman and Singapore will both host two groups each. Manama in Bahrain, Male in the Maldives as well as Dushanbe in Tajikistan, Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan and Hong Kong will also serve as venues for a group each when the competition returns in April.
The hosts for one group - Group G in South East Asia - have yet to be decided.
The 2020 edition of the AFC Cup was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when quarantine regulations in many nations made international travel almost impossible.
Last year's Asian Champions League, Asia's premier club competition, went ahead despite the difficulties, with Qatar hosting the majority of the tournament on a centralised basis.
South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai won that title, defeating Persepolis from Iran in the final in Doha.
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Christian Radnedge)
