AFC draw leagues and groups for Champions League kick off


  AFC Champions League Elite champions Al Ahli Saudi FC will open their title defence on September 15 against the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli.

They will then face PFC Nasaf (Uzbekistan), Sharjah FC UAE), Al Gharafa SC (Qatar), Al Sadd SC (Qatar), Al Shorta (Iraq), Al Duhail SC (Qatar) and Al Wahda FC (UAE) in the West zone league stage.

In the East region, South Korea’s Ulsan HD will open their bid for a third Champions League title against Buriram United (THA), before facing Melbourne City FC (AUS), Sanfrecce Hiroshima (JPN), Chengdu Rongcheng FC (CHN), Shanghai Port (CHN), Vissel Kobe (JPN), Shanghai Shenhua FC (CHN) and FC Machida Zelvia (JPN).

The AFC held the draws for its senior men’s club competitions at the end of last week.

In the Champions League Elite each team will play four home and four away matches in the league stage with the top eight finishers in the East and West regions progressing to the Round of 16, scheduled for March 2-11, 2026.

The centralised finals will see all matches from the Quarter-finals onwards being contested in Saudi Arabia between April 17 and 25, 2026.



 

AFC Champions League Two

The 32 teams qualified for AFC Champions League Two – 16 each from the East and West Regions – were divided into eight groups.

Play kicks off on September 16.

The Group Stage concludes on December 24 before moving into the Round of 16 between February 10-19, 2026. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are set for March 3-12 and April 7-15 respectively, with the final pencilled in for May 16, 2026.

Draw Result
Group A: Al Wasl FC (UAE), Esteghlal FC (IRN), Al Muharraq SC (BHR), Al Wehdat (JOR)
Group B: Al Ahli SC (QAT), PFC Andijon (UZB), FC Arkadag (TKM), Al Khaldiya SC (BHR)
Group C: Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan SC (IRN), Al Hussein (JOR), Mohun Bagan Super Giant (IND), Ahal FC (TKM)
Group D: Al Nassr Club (KSA), Al Zawraa SC (IRQ), FC Istiklol (TJK), FC Goa (IND)
Group E: Beijing FC (CHN), Macarthur FC (AUS), Tai Po FC (HKG), Cong An Ha Noi FC (VIE)
Group F: Gamba Osaka (JPN), Nam Dinh FC (VIE), Ratchaburi FC (THA), Eastern FC (HKG)
Group G: Bangkok United (THA), Selangor FC (MAS), Lion City Sailors FC (SGP), Persib Bandung (IDN)
Group H: FC Pohang Steelers (KOR), BG Pathum United (THA), Kaya FC-Iloilo (PHI), Tampines Rovers FC (SGP).

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