AFC Champions League: Neymar's Al-Hilal to play against Mumbai City FC; Check every detail

Neymar Jr's Al-Hilal is set to play their AFC Champions League match against Mumbai City FC. The most successful team in AFC Champions League's history will be coming to India along with a squad full of stars to play their Group D fixture of the tournament.

Mumbai City FC was the first team from India to register a win in the AFC Champions League. This will be their second appearance in the AFC Champions League. They are drawn into Group D along with Al Hilal SFC of Saudi, Nassaji Mazandaran FC of Iran, and Navbahor of Uzbekistan.

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After an incredible move from PSG to Al-Hilal, Brazilian maestro Neymar Jr. will be gracing the Indian soil for a highly anticipated group-stage match against Mumbai City FC. Neymar has officially committed to Al Hilal with a staggering two-year contract, valued at over 160 million euros ($174 million).

AFC Champions League West Region groups:

Group A: Pakhtakor (UZB), Al Fayha FC (KSA), Ahal FC (TKM), Al Ain FC (UAE)
Group B: Al Sadd SC (QAT), FC Nasaf (UZB), Al Faisaly (JOR), Sharjah FC (UAE)
Group C: Al Ittihad (KSA), Sepahan SC (IRN), Air Force Club (IRQ), AGMK FC (UZB)
Group D: Al Hilal SFC (KSA), Nassaji Mazandaran FC (IRN), Mumbai City FC (IND), Navbahor (UZB)
Group E: Persepolis FC (IRN), Al Duhail SC (QAT), FC Istiklol (TJK), Al Nassr (KSA)

When will the AFC Champions League matches start?

The group stage will start on September 19.

Where the Mumbai City FC vs Al-Hilal match will take place?

The Mumbai City FC vs. Al-Hilal match will take place at Balewadi Stadium in Pune

Mumbai City FC's opponents

Al Hilal SFC

AL Hilal is the most successful team in AFC Champions League history having won the tournament a record four times. They won the tournament in 1991, 2000, 2019 and 2021. They were the runners-up of the last season as well. Neymar's inclusion in the squad has made them a better side on paper. Along with Neymar, they now have Kalidou Koulibaly, Yassine Bounou, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Aleksander Mitrovic. With this squad, they will surely be one of the favourites to top from this group.

Nassaji Mazandaran FC

The Iranian side qualified for the AFC Champions League after winning their first-ever silverware Hazfi Cup last year. Along with Mumbai City FC, they are making their debut as well in the tournament. Nassaji Mazandaran have an all-Iranian squad except for Alaa Abbas, who is a striker from Iraq.

Navbahor

The side from Uzbekistan made it to the group stage after beating Qatar's Al Wakrah by 1-0 in the playoffs. Navbahor won the Uzbek League, their domestic league once before in 1996. They have won the Uzbek Cup thrice in 1992, 1995, 1998. Along with their domestic talents, Navbahor have some foreign players from Serbia and Montenegro.