The 2021 AFC Cup group stage was played from 14 May to 24 August 2021.^[1] A total of 38 teams should have competed in the group stage to decide the 12 places in the knockout stage of the 2021 AFC Cup.^[2]

The draw for the group stage was held on 27 January 2021, 14:30 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.^[3] The 38 teams were drawn into nine groups of four and one group of three (in the Central Asia Zone): three groups each in the West Asia Zone (Groups A–C) and the ASEAN Zone (Groups G–I), two groups in the Central Asia Zone (Groups E–F), and one group each in the South Asia Zone (Group D) and the East Asia Zone (Group J). For each zone, teams were seeded into four pots and drawn into the relevant positions within each group, based on their association ranking and their seeding within their association, in consideration of technical balance between groups. Teams from the same association in zones with more than one group (West Asia Zone, Central Asia Zone, and ASEAN Zone) could not be drawn into the same group.^[4]

Originally, 39 teams entered into the group stage draw, which included the 35 direct entrants and the four winners of the play-off round of the qualifying play-offs, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw. However, after the withdrawal of teams from Oman and Myanmar, and promotion of Kaya–Iloilo to AFC Champions League group stage, only 37 teams would compete, including 34 direct entrants, one winner of the play-off round, and two winners of the preliminary round.

More information Zone, Groups ...

Zone	Groups	Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4
West Asia Zone	A–C	Al-Salt	Al-Hidd	Al-Faisaly	Al-Muharraq
		Al-Ahed	Markaz Shabab Al-Am'ari ( Al-Seeb)[note 1]	Al-Ansar	Al-Nasr[note 1]
		Tishreen	Markaz Balata	Al-Wahda	Al-Kuwait (Winners of Play-off West Asia)[note 1]
South Asia Zone	D	ATK Mohun Bagan	Bashundhara Kings	Maziya	Bengaluru (Winners of Play-off South Asia)
Central Asia Zone	E–F	Nasaf (AGMK)[note 2]	Altyn Asyr	Khujand	Alay
		Ravshan Kulob	Dordoi	Ahal	—
ASEAN Zone	G–I	Visakha ( Kaya–Iloilo)	Lion City Sailors	Boeung Ket	Geylang International
		Hà Nội	Lalenok United (Winners of Preliminary ASEAN 2.2) ( Shan United)[note 3]	Sài Gòn	TBD (Winners of Preliminary ASEAN 2.1) (Winners of Play-off ASEAN 1)[note 3]
		Kedah	Bali United	Terengganu	Persipura Jayapura (Winners of Play-off ASEAN 2)[note 3]
East Asia Zone	J	Eastern	Tainan City	Athletic 220	Lee Man

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Standby teams^{[note 2]}

• Ayeyawady United (for Shan United)^{[note 3]}

In the group stage, each group was played on a single round-robin basis in centralised venues. The following teams advanced to the knockout stage:

• The winners of each group and the best runners-up in the West Asia Zone and the ASEAN Zone advanced to the Zonal semi-finals.
• The winners of each group in the Central Asia Zone advanced to the Zonal finals.
• The winners of each group in the South Asia Zone and the East Asia Zone advanced to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.

The schedule of each matchday was as follows.^[1]