2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 11 August 2026 Competition proper: 14 September 2026 – 1 May 2027 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 32 Total: 36 (from 14 associations) |
← 2025–26 2027–28 → | |
The 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) will be the 45th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the third under the AFC Champions League Elite title.
Saudi Arabia has provisionally been awarded the hosting rights for the finals until 2029.[1] The tournament winner will qualify for the 2027–28 AFC Champions League Elite league stage, the 2027 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.[2]
This will be the first season of the ACL Elite to feature 32 teams in the league stage of the competition, with the AFC confirming on 24 April 2026 that the league stage of the tournament would be expanded from 24 teams to 32.[3] This will be the first season since the 2019 AFC Champions League, in which 32 teams will compete in the competition proper.
Al-Ahli are two-time defending champions, having retained the title in 2026.
Association team allocation
The associations are allocated slots according to their club competitions ranking which was published after the 2024–25 competitions were completed.[4][5][6]
| Participation for 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
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Teams
- Notes
- ^ Japan (JPN): The champions of the J1 100 Year Vision League were given qualification spots due to the transition of the J1 League to a September to May season calendar.[8]
- ^ South Korea (KOR): As the 2025 K League 1 third-placed team, Gimcheon Sangmu is ineligible to qualify for AFC competitions due its military ownership; the spot reserved for the K League 1 third-placed team was transferred to the fourth-placed team in the league, and the spot reserved for the K League 1 fourth-placed team was transferred to the fifth-placed team in the league.
- ^ BYE: Received a bye to the League Stage in accordance with the relevant Competition Regulations[9]
Schedule
The schedule of the competition is expected to be as follows.[10]
| Stage | Round | Draw date | West region | East region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | No draw | 11 August 2026 | ||
| League stage | Matchday 1 | 18 August 2026 | 14–15 September 2026 | 15–16 September 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | 12–13 October 2026 | 13–14 October 2026 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 26–27 October 2026 | 27–28 October 2026 | ||
| Matchday 4 | 2–3 November 2026 | 3–4 November 2026 | ||
| Matchday 5 | 23–24 November 2026 | 24–25 November 2026 | ||
| Matchday 6 | 7–8 December 2026 | 1–2 December 2026 | ||
| Matchday 7 | 8–9 February 2027 | 9–10 February 2027 | ||
| Matchday 8 | 15–16 February 2027 | 16–17 February 2027 | ||
| Round of 16 | 25 February 2027 | 1–16 March 2027 | 9–17 March 2027 | |
| Finals | Quarter-finals | 13 March 2027 | 23–30 April 2027 | |
| Semi-finals | ||||
| Final | 1 May 2027 | |||
Preliminary round
The four winners of the play-off round (two from West Region and two from East Region) advanced to the league stage to join the 28 direct entrants. The losers of the preliminary round entered the group stage of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two.[2]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
Al Jazira  | 1–4 |  Al-Ittihad |
Pakhtakor  | 3–0 |  Al-Hussein |
| East Region | ||
Gangwon  | 0–1 (a.e.t.) |  Gamba Osaka |
Adelaide United .svg.png){kind=small} | 0–2 |  Công An Hà Nội |
West Region
| Al Jazira | 1−4 | Al-Ittihad |
|---|---|---|
|
AFC Report GSA Report |
East Region
| Gangwon | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | Gamba Osaka |
|---|---|---|
| AFC Report GSA Report |
|
League stage
Location of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite league stage teams
Orange: East Region; 
Blue: West Region
Orange: East Region; Blue: West Region|
Location of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite league stage teams in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. |
 470km 292miles  Location of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite teams in China, Japan and South Korea. 2025 J1 League teams in Keihanshin
|
West Region
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Ahli |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 |
| 2 | Al-Ittihad |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Al-Nassr |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Al-Hilal |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Al-Qadsiah |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Al Ain |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Al Wasl |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Shabab Al Ahli |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 |  Al-Gharafa |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Al Sadd |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Al-Shamal |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 |  Esteghlal |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Tractor |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Neftchi |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 | Pakhtakor |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 |  Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 14 September 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) penalty shoot-out if only two teams remain tied and played each other on the final matchday 6) fair play ranking; 7) drawing of lots
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) penalty shoot-out if only two teams remain tied and played each other on the final matchday 6) fair play ranking; 7) drawing of lots
East Region
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gamba Osaka |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 |
| 2 | Kashima Antlers |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Kashiwa Reysol |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Kyoto Sanga |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Vissel Kobe |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Daejeon Hana Citizen |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Pohang Steelers |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 |  Buriram United |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Port |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Ratchaburi |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 |  Beijing Guoan |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Shanghai Port |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Newcastle Jets |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 |  Johor Darul Ta'zim |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | Công An Hà Nội |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 15 September 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) penalty shoot-out if only two teams remain tied and played each other on the final matchday 6) fair play ranking; 7) drawing of lots
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) penalty shoot-out if only two teams remain tied and played each other on the final matchday 6) fair play ranking; 7) drawing of lots
See also
References
- ↑ "Saudi Arabia to host AFC Champions League Elite – Final Stage". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- 1 2 "More Member Associations to benefit from inclusive AFC Champions League". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ↑ "AFC Professional Football Committee adopts key changes to elevate Asian club football". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 24 April 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
- ↑ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ↑ "AFC Club Competitions 2026/27 Slot Allocation" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ↑ "AFC Club Competitions - Entry Regulations (Edition 2025)" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ↑ Dodd, James (26 April 2026). "Incredible Drama! Adelaide finish second after snatching last-gasp winner". Adelaide United.
As such, the Reds will now have the week off ahead of a two-legged showdown with the winner of the highest ranked Elimination Final whilst also securing themselves a lucrative spot in the AFC Champions League Elite playoffs for next season.
- ↑ "ACLE 2026/27 および ACL2 2026/27のクラブノミネーション方法について" [Club nomination procedures for ACLE 2026/27 and ACL2 2026/27]. JFA.jp (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
- ↑ "2026/27 line-ups confirmed for AFC men's club competitions". AFC. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
- ↑ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2026 - Jun 2027)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 29 April 2026. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 June 2026. Retrieved 12 June 2026.