2016 AFC Cup group stage
The 2016 AFC Cup group stage was played from 23 February to 11 May 2016. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2016 AFC Cup.
Draw
The seeding of each team in the draw was determined by their association and their qualifying position within their association. The mechanism of the draw was as follows:
- For the West Zone, a draw was held for the three associations with two direct entrants to determine the seeds 1 placed in order for Groups A, B and C. The remaining teams were then allocated to the groups according to the rules set by AFC.
- For the East Zone, a draw was held for the seven associations with two direct entrants to determine the four associations occupying seeds 1 and 2, with seeds 1 placed in order for Groups E, F, G and H, and the three associations occupying seeds 3 and 4, with seeds 3 placed in order for Groups E, F and G. The remaining teams were then allocated to the groups according to the rules set by AFC.
| Zone | Seed 1 | Seed 2 | Seed 3 | Seed 4 |
| West Zone |  Naft Al-Wasat | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya |  Al-Jaish |  Al-Hidd |
| West Zone |  Al-Wehdat | Al-Faisaly |  Shabab Al-Dhahiriya |  Tripoli |
| West Zone |  Al-Oruba | Fanja |  Istiklol | Al-Wahda |
| West Zone | Al-Muharraq | Al-Ahed |  Altyn Asyr | Ahli Al-Khaleel |
| East Zone |  Kitchee | South China |  Yangon United | Ayeyawady United |
| East Zone |  Johor Darul Ta'zim | Selangor |  New Radiant | Maziya |
| East Zone |  Mohun Bagan | Bengaluru FC |  Ceres | Kaya |
| East Zone |  Tampines Rovers | Balestier Khalsa |  Lao Toyota FC |  Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi |
;Notes
Format
Tiebreakers
Schedule
The schedule of each matchday was as follows.| Matchday | Dates | Matches |
| Matchday 1 | 23–24 February 2016 | Team 1 vs. Team 4, Team 3 vs. Team 2 |
| Matchday 2 | 8–9 March 2016 | Team 4 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 1 |
| Matchday 3 | 15–16 March 2016 | Team 4 vs. Team 2, Team 1 vs. Team 3 |
| Matchday 4 | 12–13 April 2016 | Team 2 vs. Team 4, Team 3 vs. Team 1 |
| Matchday 5 | 26–27 April 2016 | Team 4 vs. Team 1, Team 2 vs. Team 3 |
| Matchday 6 | 10–11 May 2016 | Team 1 vs. Team 2, Team 3 vs. Team 4 |
Groups
Group A
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Group B
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Group C
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Group D
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Group E
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Group F
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Group G
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Group H
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