Thunder anxiously waiting for draw

The draw for the inaugural edition of the AFC Futsal Club Championship will be held in Isfahan on April 30, with Australia to be represented by New South Wales Thunder.

The draw for the inaugural edition of the AFC Futsal Club Championship will be held in Isfahan on April 30, with Australia to be represented by New South Wales Thunder.

Thunder won the right to represent Australia, courtesy of winning the 2009 National titles in January, held in Canberra.

Representative teams from hosts and Asian futsal champions Iran and runners-up Thailand have been given the top billing for the 10-team event, which will be held in Isfahan from July 4 to 12.

Foolad Mahan will be banking heavily on Vahid Shamsaee in the inaugural AFC Futsal Club Championship. With AFC Futsal Player of the Year Shamsaee in their ranks, Sepahan-based Foolad Mahan club will aim to stamp their authority in the continent while Thailand will be represented by Port Authority.

The teams will be divided into two groups of five and will play each other in round robin format with top two teams from each group qualifying for the semi-finals.

Apart from Iran and Thailand, teams from Australia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, China, Qatar, Lebanon and Iraq will vie for the top honours in the competition.

LIST OF TEAMS

Iran - Foolad Mahan Australia - New South Wales Thunder Japan - Nagoya Oceans Kyrgyzstan - AUB Altyn-Tash Bishkek Uzbekistan - Stroitel-Zarafshan China - Wuhan Dilong Thailand - Port Authority Qatar - Al Sadd Lebanon - TBA Iraq - Nawrouz