Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1983181/coming-stadium-near-you-hong-kong-champions-eastern-set-afc
Sport/ Hong Kong

Coming to a stadium near you: Hong Kong champions Eastern set for AFC Champions League place

An improved Member Association ranking means the city is set to be rewarded with a place in the group stage of Asia’s top club competition for the first time next year

Eastern won the Hong Kong Premier League last season. Photo: SCMP

Newly crowned Premier League champions Eastern look set to become the first Hong Kong team to compete in the AFC Champions League group stage, partly as a result of improved performances by local clubs and the national team.

The latest AFC Member Association (MA) ranking reveal Hong Kong have leapfrogged Vietnam to become the sixth-best team in East Asia, meaning the city will get one slot in the group stage and one in the play-offs for the 2017 competition.