2026–27 AFC Challenge League

2026–27 AFC Challenge League
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
11 August – 8 September 2026
Competition proper:
17 October 2026 – 8 May 2027
TeamsCompetition proper: 20
Total: 29 (from 18 or 19 associations)
2027–28 →

The 2026–27 AFC Challenge League is the 13th edition of the Asia's third-tier continental club football competition, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the third under the AFC Challenge League title.[1]

Al-Kuwait are the reigning champions, but did not defend their title as the Challenge League winners automatically qualified for the Champions League Two group stage. The winners will automatically qualify for the 2027–28 AFC Champions League Two group stage, while the runners-up will qualify for the preliminary stage.

Association team allocation

The associations are allocated slots according to their club competitions ranking which was published after the 2024–25 competitions were completed.[2][3][4]

Participation for 2026–27 AFC Challenge League
Participating
Not participating
Notes
  1. ^
    AFC licensing (AFC1): Association did not have a licensed team.[5]
  2. ^
    AFC slots (AFC2): The indirect slot received a bye in the play-off round due to an insufficient number of participating teams.
  3. ^
    AFC slots reallocation (AFC3): The indirect slot of the member associations that did not enter a team was redistributed to the next highest eligible member association. However, for the East Region, the fourth slot – which was to be reallocated to either Laos, Brunei or Timor-Leste – had to be forfeited, since these member associations had only one licensed team.

Teams

Entry round West Region East Region
Group stage Team Qualifying method App. (last) Team Qualifying method App. (last)
Kuwait Al-Arabi 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two preliminary stage losers 3rd (2025–26) Philippines Manila Digger 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two preliminary stage losers 2nd (2025–26)
India Goa 1st
Turkmenistan Ahal 2025 Ýokary Liga runners-up[Note TKM] 1st Indonesia Borneo 2025–26 Indonesia Super League runners-up[Note BYE] 1st
Kuwait Al-Qadsia 2025–26 Kuwaiti Premier League third place 1st Philippines One Taguig 2025–26 Philippines Football League runners-up[Note BYE] 1st
Lebanon Ansar 2025–26 Lebanese Premier League champions 2nd (2025–26) Myanmar Shan United 2025–26 Myanmar National League champions[Note BYE] 5th (2025–26)
Lebanon Nejmeh 2025–26 Lebanese Premier League runners-up[Note BYE] 2nd (2024–25)
Tajikistan Istiklol 2025 Tajikistan Higher League champions[Note BYE] 2nd (2011)
Preliminary stage Tajikistan Regar-TadAZ 2025 Tajikistan Cup winners 6th (2025–26) Myanmar Yangon United 2025–26 Myanmar National League runner-up 2nd (2025–26)
Kyrgyzstan Dordoi Bishkek 2025 Kyrgyzstan Cup winners 9th (2013) Chinese Taipei Tainan City TSG 2025–26 Taiwan Football Premier League champions 3rd (2025–26)
Kyrgyzstan Muras United 2025 Kyrgyz Premier League runners-up 2nd (2025–26) Chinese Taipei New Taipei Hang Yuan 2025–26 Taiwan Football Premier League runners-up 1st
Bangladesh Fortis 2025–26 Bangladesh Football League 3rd place[Note BAN] 1st Mongolia FC Ulaanbaatar 2025–26 Mongolian Premier League champions 1st
Bangladesh Bangladesh Police 2025–26 Bangladesh Football League 4th place[Note BAN] 1st Mongolia Central Stallions 2025–26 Mongolian Premier League runners-up 1st
Syria Al Ittihad Ahli 2025–26 Syrian Premier League champions[Note SYR] 1st Laos Ezra 2025–26 Lao League 1 champions 2nd (2025–26)
Syria Homs Al Fidaa 2025–26 Syrian Premier League runners-up[Note SYR] 1st Brunei Kasuka 2025–26 Brunei Super League runners-up[Note BRU] 2nd (2025–26)
Maldives Maziya 2025–26 Dhivehi Premier League champions 3rd (2025–26) Timor-Leste Karketu Dili 2025 Liga Futebol Timor-Leste champions 1st
Bhutan Paro 2025 Bhutan Premier League champions 3rd (2025–26)
Afghanistan Abu Muslim 2025–26 Afghanistan Champions League champions 2nd (2025–26)
Notes
  1. ^
    Bangladesh (BAN): 2025–26 Bangladesh Football League champions Bashundhara Kings and runners-up Dhaka Abahani did not qualify due to the AFC ban. Therefore, the reserved spot transferred to the BFL third-placed team, Fortis and forth-placed team, Bangladesh Police.[6][7][8]
  2. ^
    Brunei (BRU): As 2025–26 Brunei Super League champion Indera SC, failed to obtain the AFC license, the spot reserved for the champion was transferred to the runners-up team.
  3. ^
    Kuwait (KUW): As Al-Kuwait won the 2025–26 Kuwaiti Premier League and qualified to 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two group stage as the 2025–26 AFC Challenge League champions, the spot reserved for the runners-up was transferred to the third-placed team.
  4. ^
    Syria (SYR): Since the 2025–26 Syrian Cup could not take place due to scheduling constraints, the AFC Challenge League playoff spots were awarded based on the Premier League standings.[9]
  5. ^
    Turkmenistan (TKM): As 2025 Turkmenistan Cup winners Arkadag qualified for the Champions League Two via their league position, the spot reserved for the Turkmenistan Cup winners was transferred to the runners-up of the 2025 Ýokary Liga.
  6. ^
    BYE: Received a bye to the group stage in accordance with the relevant competition regulations.[10]

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[11]

Schedule for 2026–27 AFC Challenge League
Stage Round Draw date West region East region
Preliminary stage No draw[a] 11–12 August 2026 11 August and 8 September 2026
Group stage Matchday 1 20 August 2026 17 October 2026 18 October 2026
Matchday 2 20 October 2026 21 October 2026
Matchday 3 23 October 2026 24 October 2026
Knockout stage Quarter-finals TBD 3 and 17 March 2027 11 and 18 March 2027
Semi-finals 7 and 14 April 2027 8 and 15 April 2027
Final 8 May 2027

Preliminary stage

The bracket of the preliminary stage was determined based on each team's seeding, with the higher seeded hosting the match. Teams from the same association could not be placed into the same tie. The winners of the preliminary stage (five from West and four from East) advanced to the group stage of the competition.

Team 1ScoreTeam 2
West Region
Dordoi Bishkek Kyrgyzstan1–1
(7–8 p)		Syria Homs Al Fidaa
Fortis Bangladesh1–0Kyrgyzstan Muras United
Al Ittihad Syria1–0Bangladesh Bangladesh Police
Paro Bhutan2–0Afghanistan Abu Muslim
Maziya Maldives0–3Tajikistan Regar-TadAZ
East Region
Central Stallions Mongolia2–2
(3–5 p)		Chinese Taipei Tainan City
FC Ulaanbaatar Mongolia1–2Chinese Taipei Hang Yuan
Ezra Laos8 SepMyanmar Yangon United
Kasuka Brunei8 SepTimor-Leste Karketu Dili

West Region

Dordoi Bishkek Kyrgyzstan1–1
(a.e.t.)		Syria Homs Al Fidaa
Yasin 84' AFC Report
GSA Report		 ‎Khatab 10'
Penalties
 7–8
  • football with check mark Mhanna
  • football with check mark Shoufan
  • football with check mark Hmeisha
  • football with check mark Mardikian
  • football with check mark Mashlab
  • football with check mark Othman
  • football with check mark Al Bitar
  • football with check mark Asaad
Attendance: 4,934
Referee: Mahmoud Al-Sawalmeh (Jordan)
Fortis Bangladesh‎1–0Kyrgyzstan Muras United
 AFC Report
GSA Report
Attendance: 2,113
Referee: Husain Al Showaikh (Bahrain)
Al Ittihad Ahli Syria1–0Bangladesh Bangladesh Police
Jordan 44' AFC Report
GSA Report
Attendance: 500
Referee: Amirjon Khorkashev (Tajikistan)
Paro Bhutan2–0Afghanistan Abu Muslim
 AFC Report
GSA Report
Attendance: 3,800
Referee: Mohamed Jafran (Sri Lanka)
Maziya Maldives0–3Tajikistan Regar-TadAZ
AFC Report
GSA Report
  • ‎Pandzhiev 51'
  • ‎Makhamadiev 89'
  • ‎A. Safarov 90+2'
Attendance: 430
Referee: Sekaran Senthilnathan (India)

East Region

Central Stallions Mongolia2–2
(a.e.t.)		Chinese Taipei Tainan City
  • Baatar 73', 83'
 AFC Report
GSA Report
  • Porto 64'
  • Kim Sung-kyum 90+2'
Penalties
 3–5
Attendance: 897
Referee: Izzul Fikri (Malaysia)
FC Ulaanbaatar Mongolia1–2Chinese Taipei Hang Yuan
 AFC Report
GSA Report
  • Wang Po-ying 13' (pen.)
  • Kaneko 74'
Attendance: 972
Referee: Torphong Somsing (Thailand)
Yangon United MyanmarvLaos Ezra
[ AFC Report]
GSA Report
Kasuka BruneivTimor-Leste Karketu Dili
[ AFC Report]
GSA Report

Notes

  1. 1 2 Match host swapped following mutual agreement between the Participating Clubs.

Group stage

Location of the 2026–27 AFC Challenge League group stage teams
Brown: Group A; Green: Group B; Orange: Group C;
Yellow: Group D; Pink: Group E

West Region

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AHA ANS ITT PAR
1 Turkmenistan Ahal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarter-finals — – – –
2 Lebanon Ansar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible Quarter-finals – — – –
3 Syria Al Ittihad Ahli 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – – — –
4 Bhutan Paro (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – – – —
First match(es) will be played: 17 October 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification B1 B2 B3 B4
1 Kuwait Al-Arabi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarter-finals — – – –
2 Lebanon Nejmeh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible Quarter-finals – — – –
3 Tajikistan Istiklol (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – – — –
4 Syria Homs Al Fidaa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – – – —
First match(es) will be played: 17 October 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification C1 C2 C3 C4
1 India Goa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarter-finals — – – –
2 Kuwait Al-Qadsia (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible Quarter-finals – — – –
3 Bangladesh Fortis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – – — –
4 Tajikistan Regar-TadAZ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – – – —
First match(es) will be played: 17 October 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts

Ranking of second-placed teams

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A Lebanon Ansar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarter-finals
2 B Lebanon Nejmeh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 C Kuwait Al-Qadsia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 17 October 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) fair play ranking; 5) drawing of lots

East Region

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BOR TAG TSG D4
1 Indonesia Borneo (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarter-finals — – – –
2 Philippines One Taguig 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – — – –
3 Chinese Taipei Tainan City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – – — –
4 Winner Play-off East 1.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – – – —
First match(es) will be played: 18 September 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification E1 SHU NTH E4
1 Philippines Manila Digger 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarter-finals — – – –
2 Myanmar Shan United (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – — – –
3 Chinese Taipei Hang Yuan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – – — –
4 Winner Play-off East 1.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – – – —
First match(es) will be played: 18 September 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Pre-determined format

References

  1. ↑ "AFC Executive Committee approves biggest prize purse in Asian club football history from 2024/25; announces AFC Women's Champions League". the-AFC.
  2. ↑ "AFC Men's Club Competitions Ranking 2024/25" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  3. ↑ "AFC Club Competitions 2026/27 Slot Allocation" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  4. ↑ "AFC Club Competitions - Entry Regulations (Edition 2025)" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  5. ↑ "List of Licensed Clubs - AFC Club Competitions 2026/27" (PDF). 8 June 2026. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "এএফসি চ্যালেঞ্জ লিগে খেলতে যাচ্ছে ফর্টিস, ছিটকে গেল কিংস-আবাহনী". Channel 24 (in Bengali). 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  7. ↑ "Fortis secure AFC club license, set for Challenge League debut". Daily Sun. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "Fortis, Police set for AFC club licences". Daily Star. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "الاتحاد السوري يُلغي بطولة الكأس بسبب ضغط المباريات" (in Arabic). The New Arab. 9 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "2026/27 line-ups confirmed for AFC men's club competitions". AFC. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2026 - Jun 2027)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 29 April 2026. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 May 2026. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
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