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Mumbai City FC have confirmed that their 2023-24 AFC Champions League home game against Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal SFC will take place at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
This eagerly awaited match, which could potentially witness the presence of renowned stars, including Neymar, is scheduled for November 6.
Mumbai City have also announced that pre-registrations for the tickets will start on Friday, September 29, at 11 AM IST, and Indian football enthusiasts will be able to book their tickets through the BookMyShow app.
Due to the ineligibility of the Mumbai Football Arena to host the AFC Champions League, Mumbai City FC decided to relocate their home games to the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune.
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However, this will pose difficulties for fans from Mumbai, who would have to travel to Pune to support their team and watch footballing icons in action. Consequently, the Islanders have opted to shift their match against Al-Hilal to the DY Patil Stadium, which is located near the city and is a venue with a much larger seating capacity.
Notably, the DY Patil Stadium boasts a FIFA-accredited football pitch and has hosted Mumbai City FC's games during the 2014 and 2015 ISL seasons. It also served as a venue for the FIFA under-17 World Cup in 2017, while the final of the 2014 ISL season between Kerala Blasters FC and Atletico De Kolkata was also played at this stadium.
The stadium's official capacity is around 55,000, but there is no official confirmation regarding the number of seats allocated for the match between Mumbai City FC and Al-Hilal SFC.
Mumbai City FC’s final AFC Champions League group-stage game to be played in Pune
While Mumbai City FC’s game against Al-Hilal will be played at the DY Patil Stadium, their final home game of the AFC Champions League group stages is scheduled to take place in Pune.
They are set to welcome Uzebek side Navbahor, who managed to secure a draw against a star-studded Al-Hilal side on the opening day of the campaign.
Mumbai City, meanwhile, stumbled to a shock 2-0 defeat against Iranian club FC Nassaji Mazandarn on the first matchday. Despite creating several scoring opportunities, the ISL outfit were unable to find the back of the net, while Nassaji took advantage of Mumbai's mistakes, scoring twice on the break.
The road ahead appears challenging for the Islanders, as they must overcome two formidable teams to secure a spot in the competition's knockout stages for the first time in their history.
