Why Mumbai City FC Will Not Play AFC Champions League 2023/24 Home Matches in Mumbai?

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Mumbai City FC were drawn in Group D of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League along with Al Hilal SFC (Saudi Arabia), Nassaji Mazandaran (Iran) and Navbahor (Uzbekistan) at the Group Stage Draw that took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Islanders secured their second appearance in Asia's biggest club football competition after lifting the 2022-23 Indian Super League Winners' Shield and then subsequently defeating 2021-22 ISL Shield Winners Jamshedpur FC 3-1 in a single-leg playoff in April 2023.

While fans await the fixture dates as they will be eager to see the likes of Neymar in action, one thing is confirmed as Mumbai City FC will not play their AFC Champions League games in their actual home of Mumbai Football Arena, where they will still play during the ISL season.

Why Mumbai City FC will not play AFC Champions League home matches this season in Mumbai?

The reason why the games can't be played at their actual home is the present infrastructural set up at the Mumbai Football Arena makes the venue ineligible to host AFC Champions League games.

Where will Mumbai City FC play their AFC Champions League 2023/24 matches?

With the Mumbai Football Arena being ineligible to host the ACL matches, Mumbai City FC will set up base in Pune for their three 'home' games in the Group Stage of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League. The matches will be played at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune.

The club CEO Kandarp Chandra made the announcement saying, "While all of us at Mumbai City are excited about a huge season ahead of us, we are very disappointed at not being able to bring AFC Champions League football to Mumbai. Unfortunately, the current infrastructure in Andheri does not allow us to host Champions League games."

"While we share the disappointment of our fans in Mumbai, we will spare no effort to ensure our supporters cherish a memorable matchday experience in Pune as we prepare to welcome fans to experience AFC Champions League football for the first time," Chandra added.

With a rich history of hosting elite football, the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex serves as the nearest football-specific stadium to Mumbai and allows Mumbai City FC to maintain close proximity for fans to travel from Mumbai.