2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite league stage
Club football tournament results
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The 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite league stage was played from 15 September 2025 to 18 February 2026.[1]
Draw
The draw for the league stage was held on 15 August 2025, 17:00 MYT (UTC+8), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[2]
Seeding
For each region, the title holder or the highest seeded team from each member association involved were allocated into Pot 1, while the remaining teams were allocated into Pot 2.[3]
| Region | Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region |
| |
| East Region |
|
|
Grid result
Each team was drawn a position in the draw grid for their region: column A–C for West and D–F for East. Teams from Pot 1 were drawn into positions 1 or 2 while teams from Pot 2 were drawn into positions 3 or 4.
Each position had pre-determined matchups as part of a pairings grid. Teams in each column played matches with the other columns in each region.[3]
| Column | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | West Region | East Region | |||||
| 1 |  Al Sadd |
 Shabab Al Ahli |
 Tractor |
 Shanghai Port |
 Ulsan HD |
 Buriram United | |
| 2 |  Nasaf |
 Al-Shorta |
 Al-Ahli |
 Melbourne City |
 Johor Darul Ta'zim |
 Vissel Kobe | |
| 3 | Al-Duhail |
Sharjah |
Al-Hilal |
Shanghai Shenhua |
FC Seoul |
Sanfrecce Hiroshima | |
| 4 | Al-Gharafa |
Al Wahda |
Al-Ittihad |
Chengdu Rongcheng |
Gangwon FC |
Machida Zelvia | |
Schedule
The schedule of the league stage is as follows:
| Round | Dates (West region) | Dates (East region) |
|---|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 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 |
League stage
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 |
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
Results summary
| 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 |
Matches
Matchday 1
| Shabab Al Ahli | 1–1 | Tractor |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Matchday 2
| Al-Ittihad | 0–1 | Shabab Al Ahli |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Matchday 3
| Sharjah | 0–5 | Tractor |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Attendance: 30,647
Referee: Omar Al Ali (United Arab Emirates)
| Al-Ahli | 4–0 | Al-Gharafa |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Shabab Al Ahli | 4–1 | Nasaf |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Matchday 4
| Al-Duhail | 4–1 | Shabab Al Ahli |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Al-Gharafa | 1–2 | Al-Hilal |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Al-Ittihad | 3–0 | Sharjah |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Matchday 5
Matchday 6
| Tractor | 2–1 | Al-Duhail |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Al-Gharafa | 1–0 | Al Wahda |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Al Sadd | 4–2 | Shabab Al Ahli |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Al-Ittihad | 1–0 | Nasaf |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Matchday 7
| Nasaf | 1–1 | Al-Shorta |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha (Qatar)[note 1]
Attendance: 10,834
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoaish (Saudi Arabia)
| Al-Ittihad | 7–0 | Al-Gharafa |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Matchday 8
| Al-Ahli | 4–3 | Shabab Al Ahli |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Attendance: 6,166
Referee: Ahmad Al-Ali (Kuwait)
| Al-Gharafa | 0–2 | Tractor |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
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 |
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
Results summary
Matches
Matchday 1
| Gangwon FC | 2–1 | Shanghai Shenhua |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Machida Zelvia | 1–1 | FC Seoul |
|---|---|---|
Mochizuki  80' |
Report | Dugandžić 59' |
| Ulsan HD | 2–1 | Chengdu Rongcheng |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Matchday 2
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 1–1 | Shanghai Port |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| FC Seoul | 3–0 | Buriram United |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Chengdu Rongcheng | 1–0 | Gangwon FC |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Attendance: 41,463
Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
| Vissel Kobe | 1–0 | Melbourne City |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Shanghai Shenhua | 1–1 | Ulsan HD |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Matchday 3
| Melbourne City | 2–1 | Buriram United |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Attendance: 39,093
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
Attendance: 10,197
Referee: Ahmed Eisa Darwish (United Arab Emirates)
| Gangwon FC | 4–3 | Vissel Kobe |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Matchday 4
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 1–0 | Gangwon FC |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Machida Zelvia | 1–2 | Melbourne City |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Vissel Kobe | 1–0 | Ulsan HD |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Matchday 5
Attendance: 2,165
Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
| Gangwon FC | 1–3 | Machida Zelvia |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Attendance: 3,502
Referee: Khalid Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)
| Shanghai Port | 1–3 | FC Seoul |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Attendance: 27,836
Referee: Abdulla Al-Marri (Qatar)
Matchday 6
| Machida Zelvia | 3–1 | Ulsan HD |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Buriram United | 2–2 | Gangwon FC |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| FC Seoul | 1–1 | Melbourne City |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Matchday 7
| Chengdu Rongcheng | 0–1 | Buriram United |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Matchday 8
See also
Notes
- Tractor were required to play their home matches at neutral venues instead of their regular home stadium, Sahand Stadium, Tabriz, due to security concerns relating to the 2026 Iran massacres.[4]
- FC Seoul played their home matches at Mokdong Stadium, Seoul, instead of their regular home stadium Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul.