2016 AFC Champions League group stage
The 2016 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 23 February to 4 May 2016. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2016 AFC Champions League.
Draw
The seeding of each team in the draw was determined by their association and their qualifying position within their association. The mechanism of the draw was as follows:
- For the West Zone, a draw was held for the three associations with three direct entrants to determine the seeds 1 placed in order for Groups A, B and C. The remaining teams were then allocated to the groups according to the rules set by AFC.
- For the East Zone, a draw was held for the two associations with three direct entrants to determine the seeds 1 placed in order for Groups E and F. The remaining teams were then allocated to the groups according to the rules set by AFC.
| Zone | Seed 1 | Seed 2 | Seed 3 | Seed 4 |
| West Zone |  Al-Nassr | Al-Hilal | Al-Ahli | Al-Ittihad |
| West Zone |  Sepahan | Zob Ahan | Tractor Sazi |  El Jaish |
| West Zone |  Pakhtakor | Nasaf Qarshi | Lokomotiv Tashkent | Bunyodkor |
| West Zone |  Al-Ain | Al-Nasr | Lekhwiya | Al-Jazira |
| East Zone |  Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | FC Seoul | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Pohang Steelers |
| East Zone |  Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Gamba Osaka | Urawa Red Diamonds | FC Tokyo |
| East Zone |  Melbourne Victory | Sydney FC |  Buriram United |  Shandong Luneng |
| East Zone | Guangzhou Evergrande | Jiangsu Suning |  Becamex Bình Dương | Shanghai SIPG |
Format
Tiebreakers
Schedule
The schedule of each matchday was as follows.| Matchday | Dates | Matches |
| Matchday 1 | 23–24 February 2016 | Team 1 vs. Team 4, Team 3 vs. Team 2 |
| Matchday 2 | 1–2 March 2016 | Team 4 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 1 |
| Matchday 3 | 15–16 March 2016 | Team 4 vs. Team 2, Team 1 vs. Team 3 |
| Matchday 4 | 5–6 April 2016 | Team 2 vs. Team 4, Team 3 vs. Team 1 |
| Matchday 5 | 19–20 April 2016 | Team 4 vs. Team 1, Team 2 vs. Team 3 |
| Matchday 6 | 3–4 May 2016 | Team 1 vs. Team 2, Team 3 vs. Team 4 |
On 25 January 2016, the AFC announced the following changes to the schedule due to Saudi Arabia's refusal to play in Iran after the attack on their diplomatic missions in Iran and the ensuing deterioration of Iran–Saudi Arabia relations:
- Group A: change matchday 1 with matchday 6
- Group B: change matchday 2 with matchday 5
- Group C: change matchday 1 with matchday 6
- Group D: change matchday 2 with matchday 5
On 31 March 2016, the AFC announced that they have approved the neutral venues, with teams from Iran moving their home matches to Oman, and teams from Saudi Arabia moving their home matches to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Groups
Group A
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Group B
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Group C
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Group D
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Group E
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Group F
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Group G
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Group H
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