2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite
International football competition
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The 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) was the 44th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the second under the AFC Champions League Elite title.[1]
12 August 2025
Competition proper:
15 September 2025 – 25 April 2026
Al-Ahli (2nd title)
Machida ZelviaThe King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah hosted the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 12 August 2025 Competition proper: 15 September 2025 – 25 April 2026 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 24 (from 12 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Al-Ahli (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Machida Zelvia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 115 |
| Goals scored | 303 (2.63 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,461,893 (12,712 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Rafa Mújica(8 goals) |
| Best player |  Franck Kessié |
| Best goalkeeper | Kōsei Tani |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
The round of 16 for the West region[a] and the quarter-finals onwards were played as single-match knockout ties in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium) from 13 to 25 April.[2][3] The tournament winner qualified for the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. Additionally, the winner entered the league stage of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite, if not already qualified through their domestic performance.[4]
Al-Ahli were the defending champions, having won their first title in the 2024–25 season. They successfully defended their title following a 1–0 victory after extra time against Machida Zelvia in the final.
Association team allocation
The associations were allocated slots according to their club competitions ranking, which was published after the 2023–24 competitions were completed.[5] Slots were subject to later re-balancing based on the 2024–25 competition results.
| Participation for 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite | |
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| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
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Teams
In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count since the 2002–03 season, when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League.
- Notes.
- ^ AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE): Al-Ahli qualified as the winners of the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite. They replaced the third-placed team in the 2024–25 Saudi Pro League.
- ^ Australia (AUS): As the 2024–25 A-League Men regular season champions Auckland FC were a team from New Zealand and therefore ineligible to participate in AFC club competitions, the spot reserved for the A-League Men regular season champions was transferred to the runners-up in the league, Melbourne City.
- ^ China (CHN): As the 2024 Chinese FA Cup winners Shanghai Port qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Chinese FA Cup winners was transferred to the third-placed team in the 2024 Chinese Super League, Chengdu Rongcheng.
- ^ Japan (JPN): As the 2024 Emperor's Cup winners Vissel Kobe qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Emperor's Cup winners was transferred to the third-placed team in the 2024 J1 League, Machida Zelvia.
- ^ South Korea (KOR): As the 2024 K League 1 third-placed team, Gimcheon Sangmu, were ineligible to qualify for AFC competitions, the spot was transferred to the fourth-placed team, FC Seoul.
- ^ Thailand (THA): As 2024–25 Thai FA Cup champions Buriram United qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Thai FA Cup winners was transferred to the runners-up team in the 2024–25 Thai League 1, Bangkok United.
Schedule
The quarter-finals for the West region were postponed due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[7]
The schedule of the competition was as follows.[8]
| Stage | Round | Draw date | West region | East region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round | No draw | 12 August 2025 | |
| League stage | Matchday 1 | 15 August 2025 | 15–16 September 2025 | 16–17 September 2025 |
| Matchday 2 | 29–30 September 2025 | 30 September–1 October 2025 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 20–21 October 2025 | 21–22 October 2025 | ||
| Matchday 4 | 3–4 November 2025 | 4–5 November 2025 | ||
| Matchday 5 | 24–25 November 2025 | 25–26 November 2025 | ||
| Matchday 6 | 22–23 December 2025 | 9–10 December 2025 | ||
| Matchday 7 | 9–10 February 2026 | 10–11 February 2026 | ||
| Matchday 8 | 16–17 February 2026 | 17–18 February 2026 | ||
| Round of 16 | No draw[b] | 13–14 April 2026[a] | 3–11 March 2026 | |
| Finals | Quarter-finals | 18 March 2026 | 16–18 April 2026 | |
| Semi-finals | 20–21 April 2026 | |||
| Final | 25 April 2026 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah[9] | |||
Qualifying play-offs
The two winners of the play-off round (one from West Region and one from East Region) advanced to the league stage to join the 22 direct entrants. The losers of the qualifying play-offs entered the group stage of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
Al-Duhail  | 3–2 |  Sepahan |
| East Region | ||
Chengdu Rongcheng  | 3–0 |  Bangkok United |
West Region
East Region
| Chengdu Rongcheng | 3–0 | Bangkok United |
|---|---|---|
|
AFC Report GSA Report |
League stage
The league phase draw took place on 15 August 2025 (at 17:00 UTC+8), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[10]
Orange: East Region; 
Blue: West Region|
Location of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite league stage teams in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. |
Locations of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite teams in Japan and South Korea.
|
West Region
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Hilal |
8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 22 | Advance to round of 16 |
| 2 | Al-Ahli |
8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 17 | |
| 3 | Tractor |
8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 17 | |
| 4 | Al-Ittihad |
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 15 | |
| 5 |  Al Wahda |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 14 | |
| 6 | Shabab Al Ahli |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 11 | |
| 7 | Al-Duhail |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 8 | |
| 8 | Al Sadd |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 16 | −4 | 8 | |
| 9 | Sharjah |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 8 | |
| 10 | Al-Gharafa |
8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 21 | −14 | 6 | |
| 11 |  Al-Shorta |
8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 20 | −14 | 5 | |
| 12 |  Nasaf |
8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 4 |
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
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Sharjah | 4–3 | Al-Gharafa |
| Al Wahda | 2–1 | Al-Ittihad |
| Al-Ahli | 4–2 | Nasaf |
| Al-Shorta | 1–1 | Al Sadd |
| Shabab Al Ahli | 1–1 | Tractor |
| Al-Hilal | 2–1 | Al-Duhail |
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Nasaf | 2–3 | Al-Hilal |
| Al-Gharafa | 2–0 | Al-Shorta |
| Tractor | 0–0 | Al Wahda |
| Al-Duhail | 2–2 | Al-Ahli |
| Al Sadd | 1–1 | Sharjah |
| Al-Ittihad | 0–1 | Shabab Al Ahli |
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Al Wahda | 3–1 | Al-Duhail |
| Sharjah | 0–5 | Tractor |
| Al-Shorta | 1–4 | Al-Ittihad |
| Al-Ahli | 4–0 | Al-Gharafa |
| Shabab Al Ahli | 4–1 | Nasaf |
| Al-Hilal | 3–1 | Al Sadd |
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Nasaf | 1–2 | Al Wahda |
| Tractor | 1–0 | Al-Shorta |
| Al-Duhail | 4–1 | Shabab Al Ahli |
| Al-Gharafa | 1–2 | Al-Hilal |
| Al Sadd | 1–2 | Al-Ahli |
| Al-Ittihad | 3–0 | Sharjah |
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Nasaf | 0–1 | Tractor |
| Shabab Al Ahli | 2–0 | Al-Gharafa |
| Al-Duhail | 4–2 | Al-Ittihad |
| Al-Ahli | 0–1 | Sharjah |
| Al Wahda | 3–1 | Al Sadd |
| Al-Hilal | 4–0 | Al-Shorta |
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Sharjah | 0–1 | Al-Hilal |
| Tractor | 2–1 | Al-Duhail |
| Al-Shorta | 0–5 | Al-Ahli |
| Al-Gharafa | 1–0 | Al Wahda |
| Al Sadd | 4–2 | Shabab Al Ahli |
| Al-Ittihad | 1–0 | Nasaf |
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Nasaf | 1–1 | Al-Shorta |
| Al Wahda | 0–0 | Al-Ahli |
| Shabab Al Ahli | 0–0 | Al-Hilal |
| Al-Duhail | 1–1 | Sharjah |
| Tractor | 0–2 | Al Sadd |
| Al-Ittihad | 7–0 | Al-Gharafa |
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Sharjah | 1–2 | Nasaf |
| Al-Ahli | 4–3 | Shabab Al Ahli |
| Al-Hilal | 2–1 | Al Wahda |
| Al-Shorta | 3–2 | Al-Duhail |
| Al Sadd | 1–4 | Al-Ittihad |
| Al-Gharafa | 0–2 | Tractor |
East Region
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Machida Zelvia |
8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 7 | +8 | 17 | Advance to round of 16 |
| 2 | Vissel Kobe |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 16 | |
| 3 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima |
8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 15 | |
| 4 | Buriram United |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 14 | |
| 5 |  Melbourne City |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 14 | |
| 6 |  Johor Darul Ta'zim |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 11 | |
| 7 |  FC Seoul |
8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 10 | |
| 8 | Gangwon FC |
8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 9 | |
| 9 | Ulsan HD |
8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 9 | |
| 10 | Chengdu Rongcheng |
8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 6 | |
| 11 | Shanghai Shenhua |
8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 4 | |
| 12 | Shanghai Port |
8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 4 |
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
Knockout stage
Bracket
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 April – Jeddah (Al-Faisal) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Al Hilal | 3 (2) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 16 April – Jeddah (Al-Faisal) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Al Sadd (p) | 3 (4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Al Sadd | 3 (4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Vissel Kobe (p) | 3 (5) | ||||||||||||||||||
| E7 | FC Seoul | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 20 April – Jeddah (King Abdullah) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Vissel Kobe | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Vissel Kobe | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 13 April – Jeddah (King Abdullah) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Al-Ahli | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Al-Ahli (a.e.t.) | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 17 April – Jeddah (King Abdullah) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Al-Duhail | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Al-Ahli | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 25 April – Jeddah (King Abdullah) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Al-Ahli (a.e.t.) | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Machida Zelvia | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Gangwon FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 17 April – Jeddah (Al-Faisal) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Machida Zelvia | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Machida Zelvia | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 14 April – Jeddah (King Abdullah) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Al-Ittihad | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Al-Ittihad (a.e.t.) | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 21 April – Jeddah (Al-Faisal) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Al Wahda | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Machida Zelvia | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Shabab Al Ahli | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Melbourne City | 1 | 0 | 1 (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 18 April – Jeddah (Al-Faisal) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Buriram United (p) | 1 | 0 | 1 (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Buriram United | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 14 April – Jeddah (Al-Faisal) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Shabab Al Ahli (a.e.t.) | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Tractor | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Shabab Al Ahli | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Round of 16
The first legs for the East Region were played on 3 and 4 March, with the second legs played on 10 and 11 March.
The West Region round of 16 fixtures (originally scheduled for March 2026) were postponed by the AFC due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran war.[11][12] The format changed to single-leg ties, held on 13 and 14 April in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.[13]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Region | ||||
| Gangwon FC | 0–1 | Machida Zelvia | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| FC Seoul | 1–3 | Vissel Kobe | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| Johor Darul Ta'zim | 3–2 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| Melbourne City | 1–1 (2–4 p) | Buriram United | 1–1 | 0–0 (a.e.t.) |
Finals
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, all as single-legged ties, are being held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between 16 and 25 April 2026.
Quarter-finals
| Machida Zelvia | 1–0 | Al-Ittihad |
|---|---|---|
Yengi  31' |
Report |
Semi-finals
| Machida Zelvia | 1–0 | Shabab Al Ahli |
|---|---|---|
| Sōma 13' |
Report |
Final
| Al-Ahli | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Machida Zelvia |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Buraikan 96' |
Report |
Top scorers
| Rank[14] | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | MD7 | MD8 | R16-1 | R16-2 | QF | SF | F | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rafa Mújica |
Al Sadd |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||||||||
| 2 |  Adil Boulbina |
Al-Duhail |
1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||
| Houssem Aouar |
Al-Ittihad |
2 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 |  Karim Benzema |
Al-Ittihad / Al Hilal |
1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
 Sergej Milinković-Savić |
Al Hilal |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
 Marcos Leonardo |
Al Hilal |
1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Enzo Millot |
Al-Ahli |
2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Riyad Mahrez |
Al-Ahli |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Roberto Firmino |
Al Sadd |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
 Krzysztof Piątek |
Al-Duhail |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Breno Cascardo |
Shabab Al Ahli |
1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Felipe |
Chengdu Rongcheng |
1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Yoshinori Muto |
Vissel Kobe |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Yuki Soma |
Machida Zelvia |
1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||
- Note
- Goals scored in the qualifying play-offs and matches voided by AFC are not counted when determining top scorer (Regulations Article 64.4)
See also
Notes
- Postponed and changed to single-leg format due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[2]
- Pre-determined format