The 2019 AFC Cup group stage was played from 25 February to 26 June 2019.
[1] A total of 36 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 11 places in the knockout stage of the 2019 AFC Cup.
[2] The draw for the group stage was held on 22 November 2018, 14:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Teams from the same association in the West Asia Zone and ASEAN Zone cannot be drawn into the same group.
The mechanism of the draw was as follows: The following 36 teams entered into the group stage draw, which included the 32 direct entrants and the four winners of the play-off round of the qualifying play-offs, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw.