The 2017 AFC Cup group stage was played from 20 February to 31 May 2017.
[1] A total of 34 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 11 places in the knockout stage of the 2017 AFC Cup.
[2] The draw for the group stage was held on 13 December 2016, 14:30 MYT (UTC+8), at the Hilton Petaling Jaya in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
The mechanism of the draw was as follows:[6] The following 34 teams entered into the group stage draw, which included the 29 direct entrants and the five winners of the play-off round of the qualifying play-offs, whose identity were not known at the time of the draw.
[3][6] Originally there were 30 direct entrants and six winners of the play-off round, but there were one fewer direct entrant in the ASEAN Zone due to the withdrawal of one team, and the East Asia Zone qualifying play-offs were not played due to the withdrawal of three teams.