2026–27 AFC Champions League Two

2026–27 AFC Champions League Two
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
12–31 August 2026
Competition proper:
15 September 2026 – 15 May 2027
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 35 (from 24 associations)
2027–28 →

The 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two will be the 23rd edition of the Asia's second-tier club football tournament, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the third under the AFC Champions League Two title.[1][2]

The tournament will feature 32 teams in the group stage.[3] The winner will qualify for the preliminary stage of the 2027–28 AFC Champions League Elite, if they have not already qualified through their domestic performance.[4]

Gamba Osaka were the reigning champions. They were unable to defend their title as they advanced to participate in the AFC Champions League Elite league 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.[5][6][7]

Participation for 2025–2026 AFC Champions League Two
Participating
Not participating
Notes
  1. ^
    India (IND): The AFC granted India a one-season exemption from the mandatory 24-match league requirement for play-off slot.[8]
  2. ^
    AFC Slots (AFC): The indirect slot received a bye to the Group Stage in accordance with the relevant Competition Regulations.

Teams

Qualified teams for the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two
Entry round West Region East Region
Group stage Team Qualifying method App. (last) Team Qualifying method App. (last)
United Arab Emirates Al-Jazira 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite preliminary stage losers 1st Australia Adelaide United 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite preliminary stage losers 1st
Jordan Al-Hussein 4th (2025–26) South Korea Gangwon FC 1st
Saudi Arabia Al Taawoun 2025–26 Saudi Pro League sixth place[Note KSA] 2nd (2024–25) Japan Machida Zelvia 2025 Emperor's Cup winners 1st
United Arab Emirates Al Wahda 2025–26 UAE Pro League fifth place[Note UAE] 1st South Korea FC Seoul 2025 K League 1 sixth place 1st
Qatar Al-Rayyan 2025–26 Qatar Stars League third place 2nd (2010) Thailand BG Pathum United 2025–26 Thai League 1 fourth place 2nd (2025–26)
Iran Gol Gohar 2025-26 Persian Gulf Pro League fourth place [Note IRN] 1st China Shanghai Shenhua 2025 Chinese Super League runners-up 1st
Uzbekistan Nasaf 2025 Uzbekistan Super League third place 5th (2024–25) Australia Melbourne Victory 2025–26 A-League Men fourth place[Note AUS] 1st
Iraq Al-Shorta 2025–26 Iraq Stars League runners-up[Note IRQ] 3rd (2015) Malaysia Kuching City 2025–26 Malaysia Super League runners-up[Note MAS] 1st
Jordan Al-Faisaly 2025–26 Jordanian Pro League runners-up[Note JOR] 12th (2021) Vietnam Thể Công–Viettel 2025–26 V.League 1 runners-up 2nd (2022)
Bahrain Al-Muharraq 2025–26 Bahraini Premier League champions[Note BHR] 9th (2025–26) Singapore Lion City Sailors 2025–26 Singapore Premier League champions 13th (2025–26)
Bahrain Al-Khaldiya 2025–26 Bahraini Premier League runners-up[Note BYE] 4th (2025–26) Singapore Tampines Rovers 2025–26 Singapore Premier League runners-up[Note SGP][Note BYE] 17th (2025–26)
Oman Al-Seeb 2025–26 Oman Professional League champions 3rd (2025–26) Hong Kong Kitchee 2025–26 Hong Kong Premier League champions 9th (2020)
Oman Al-Nahda 2025–26 Sultan Qaboos Cup winners[Note BYE] 5th (2023–24) Hong Kong Tai Po 2025–26 Hong Kong FA Cup winners[Note BYE] 4th (2025–26)
Kuwait Al-Kuwait 2025–26 AFC Challenge League winners 14th (2024–25) Cambodia PKR Svay Rieng 2025–26 Cambodian Premier League champions 2nd (2020)
Cambodia Phnom Penh Crown 2025–26 Cambodian Premier League runners-up[Note BYE] 4th (2023–24)
Preliminary stage India East Bengal 2025–26 Indian Super League champions 10th (2024–25) Indonesia Persib 2025–26 Indonesia Super League champions 4th (2025–26)
India Goa 2025–26 AIFF Super Cup winners 2nd (2025–26) Philippines Manila Digger 2025–26 Philippines Football League champions 2nd (2025–26)
Turkmenistan Arkadag 2025 Ýokary Liga champions 2nd (2025–26)
Kuwait Al-Arabi 2025–26 Kuwaiti Premier League runners-up[Note KUW] 4th (2023)
Notes
  1. ^
    Australia (AUS): As 2025 Australia Cup winners Newcastle Jets qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Australia Cup winners was transferred to the next highest Australian team in the 2025–26 A-League Men not already qualified for continental football.[9]
  2. ^
    Bahrain (BHR): Al-Muharraq qualified as the 2025–26 Bahraini King's Cup winners.
  3. ^
    Iran (IRN): 2025–26 Persian Gulf Pro League League was abandoned due to the Iran-Israel war, and the AFC Champions League Two slot was determined through a play-off between the third to sixth-placed teams. The third-placed team (Sepahan Isfahan) failed to obtain club license required to enter the competition and was excluded from the play-offs. Consequently, a play-off was contested between the fourth to sixth-placed teams, with Chadormalu Ardakan emerging as the winner. However AFC had already received fourth-placed team Gol Gohar as the official replacement submitted by the Iran Football Federation before the play-offs.
  4. ^
    Iraq (IRQ): As the 2025–26 Iraq FA Cup was cancelled due to scheduling constraints,[10] their AFC Champions League Two group stage spot was passed to the 2025–26 Iraq Stars League runners-up.
  5. ^
    Jordan (JOR): Al-Faisaly qualified as the 2025–26 Jordanian Pro League runners-up because both finalists of the 2025–26 Jordan FA Cup could not take the reserved spot: Al-Hussein already qualified for the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite, and Al-Ramtha failed to obtain an AFC license.
  6. ^
    Kuwait (KUW): As Al-Kuwait won the 2025–26 Kuwaiti Premier League main league and qualified to group stage as 2025–26 AFC Challenge League champions, the spot reserved for the league champions was transferred to the second-placed team in the league.
  7. ^
    Malaysia (MAS): As 2025 Malaysia FA Cup winners Johor Darul Ta'zim qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Malaysia FA Cup winners was transferred to the runners-up of the 2025–26 Malaysia Super League.
  8. ^
    Saudi Arabia (KSA): As the 2025–26 Saudi King's Cup winners Al Hilal qualified for the AFC Champions League Elite via league position, the spot reserved for the King's Cup was transferred to the 6th place team.
  9. ^
    Singapore (SGP): As 2025–26 Singapore Cup winners Lion City Sailors qualified for the Champions League Two via their league position, the spot reserved for the Singapore Cup winners was transferred to the runners-up in the 2025–26 Singapore Premier League.
  10. ^
    United Arab Emirates (UAE): As Al Ain won the 2025–26 UAE President's Cup final, the spot reserved for the UAE fourth placed team was transferred to the fifth placed team in the league.
  11. ^
    BYE: Received a bye to the Group Stage in accordance with the relevant Competition Regulations[11]

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is expected to be as follows.[12]

Schedule for 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two
Stage Round Draw date West region East region
Preliminary stage No draw[a] 12 August 2026 31 August 2026
Group stage Matchday 1 18 August 2026 15–16 September 2026 16–17 September 2026
Matchday 2 13–14 October 2026 14–15 October 2026
Matchday 3 27–28 October 2026 28–29 October 2026
Matchday 4 3–4 November 2026 4–5 November 2026
Matchday 5 24–25 November 2026 25–26 November 2026
Matchday 6 8–9 December 2026 2–3 December 2026
Knockout stage Round of 16 19 December 2026 9–10 and 16–17 February 2027 10–11 and 17–18 February 2027
Quarter-finals 2–3 and 16–17 March 2027 10–11 and 17–18 March 2027
Semi-finals 6 and 13 April 2027 7 and 14 April 2027
Final 15 May 2027

Preliminary stage

The three winners of the preliminary stage (two from West Region and one from East Region) advanced to the group stage to join the 29 direct entrants. The losers of the qualifying play-offs will enter the group stage of the 2026–27 AFC Challenge League.[12]

Team 1ScoreTeam 2
West Region
East Bengal India4–1
(a.e.t.)		Kuwait Al-Arabi
Arkadag Turkmenistan3–0India Goa
East Region
Persib Indonesia1–0Philippines Manila Digger

West Region

East Bengal India4–1
(a.e.t.)		Kuwait Al-Arabi
 AFC Report
GSA Report
Attendance: 17,567
Referee: Sadullo Gulmurodi (Tajikistan)
Arkadag Turkmenistan3–0India Goa
 AFC Report
GSA Report
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Abdullah Jamali (Kuwait)

East Region

Group stage

Location of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two group stage teams in the Persian Gulf area and surrounding region.
About OpenStreetMaps
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470km
292miles
Seoul World Cup Stadium
Seoul World Cup Stadium
Shanghai
Locations of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two teams in China, Japan and South Korea.

West Region

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification WAH NAS KSC KHA
1 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Uzbekistan Nasaf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
3 Kuwait Al-Kuwait 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Bahrain Al-Khaldiya 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: unknown. Source: ACL2
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification B1 B2 B3 B4
1 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Iran Gol Gohar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
3 Bahrain Al-Muharraq 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Turkmenistan Arkadag 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: unknown. Source: ACL2
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification C1 C2 C3 C4
1 Saudi Arabia Al Taawoun 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Qatar Al-Rayyan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
3 Jordan Al-Faisaly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Oman Al-Nahda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: unknown. Source: ACL2
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification D1 D2 D3 D4
1 Jordan Al-Hussein 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Iraq Al-Shorta 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
3 Oman Al-Seeb 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 India East Bengal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: unknown. Source: ACL2
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

East Region

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SEO MVC TCV SIB
1 South Korea FC Seoul 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Australia Melbourne Victory 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
3 Vietnam Thể Công–Viettel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Indonesia Persib 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: unknown. Source: ACL2
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ADE BGP LCS TPF
1 Australia Adelaide United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Thailand BG Pathum United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
3 Singapore Lion City Sailors 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Hong Kong Tai Po 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: unknown. Source: ACL2
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group G

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MCZ SHS PKR TAM
1 Japan Machida Zelvia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 China Shanghai Shenhua 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
3 Cambodia PKR Svay Rieng 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Singapore Tampines Rovers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: unknown. Source: ACL2
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group H

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification GWN KUC KIT PPC
1 South Korea Gangwon FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to round of 16 —
2 Malaysia Kuching City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
3 Hong Kong Kitchee 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Cambodia Phnom Penh Crown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
First match(es) will be played: unknown. Source: ACL2
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Pre-determined format
  2. ↑ Persib will play their preliminary stage match at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Soreang, instead of their regular home ground, Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium in Bandung, which was undergoing major pitch works.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Asian Champions League to relaunch with fewer teams and more prize money in 2024–25 season". AP News. August 14, 2023.
  2. ↑ "History beckons for AFC Cup 2023/24 contenders as final edition of popular competition kicks off". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "AFC Executive Committee approves biggest prize purse in Asian club football history from 2024/25; announces AFC Women's Champions League". the-AFC.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. ↑ "AFC Men's Club Competitions Ranking 2024/25" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  6. ↑ "AFC Club Competitions 2026/27 Slot Allocation" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "AFC Club Competitions - Entry Regulations (Edition 2025)" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "AFC grants one-season exemption to India; ISL champions set to participate in ACL 2 qualifiers". Khel Now. 15 January 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  9. ↑ "Asian Football Confederation (AFC) provides update on Australia's ACL Two slot". footballaustralia.com.au. Football Australia Media. 19 May 2026. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "اتحاد الكرة يقرر إلغاء ما تبقى من منافسات بطولة كأس العراق" (in Arabic). Iraqi News Agency. 28 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "2026/27 line-ups confirmed for AFC men's club competitions". AFC. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  12. 1 2 "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.
  13. ↑ "Persib Bandung Pindahkan Laga ACL 2 Ke Si Jalak Harupat". Suara Garut (in Indonesian). 24 August 2026. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
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