2026–27 AFC Challenge League
Asian association football tournament
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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]
DatesQualifying:
11 August – 8 September 2026
Competition proper:
17 October 2026 – 8 May 2027
11 August – 8 September 2026
Competition proper:
17 October 2026 – 8 May 2027
TeamsCompetition proper: 20
Total: 29 (from 18 or 19 associations)
Total: 29 (from 18 or 19 associations)
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 11 August – 8 September 2026 Competition proper: 17 October 2026 – 8 May 2027 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 20 Total: 29 (from 18 or 19 associations) |
← 2025–26 2027–28 → | |
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 | |
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- Notes
- ^ AFC licensing (AFC1): Association did not have a licensed team.[5]
- ^ AFC slots (AFC2): The indirect slot received a bye in the play-off round due to an insufficient number of participating teams.
- ^ 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
- Notes
- ^ 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]
- ^ Kuwait (KUW): As Al-Kuwait won the 2025–26 Kuwaiti Premier League and qualified to group stage as the 2025–26 AFC Challenge League champions, the spot reserved for the runners-up was transferred to the third-placed team.
- ^ 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]
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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]
| 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 | 17–23 October 2026 | 18–24 September 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | ||||
| Matchday 3 | ||||
| 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.
West Region
Dordoi Bishkek  | 1–1 (a.e.t.) |  Homs Al Fidaa |
|---|---|---|
Yasin  84' |
AFC Report GSA Report |
Khatab 10' |
| Penalties | ||
|
7–8 |
|
Fortis  | 1–0 | Muras United |
|---|---|---|
|
AFC Report GSA Report |
Paro  | 2–0 |  Abu Muslim |
|---|---|---|
|
AFC Report GSA Report |
Maziya  | 0–3 |  Regar-TadAZ |
|---|---|---|
| AFC Report GSA Report |
|
East Region
Central Stallions  | 2–2 (a.e.t.) |  Tainan City |
|---|---|---|
|
AFC Report GSA Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
|
3–5 |
|
| FC Ulaanbaatar | 1–2 | Hang Yuan |
|---|---|---|
|
AFC Report GSA Report |
|
Yangon United  | v |  Ezra |
|---|---|---|
| [ AFC Report] GSA Report |
Kasuka  | v |  Karketu Dili |
|---|---|---|
| [ AFC Report] GSA Report |
Notes
- Match host swapped following mutual agreement between the Participating Clubs.
Group stage
West Region
Group A
First match(es) will be played: 17 October 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Group B
First match(es) will be played: 17 October 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Group C
First match(es) will be played: 17 October 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Ranking of second-placed teams
First match(es) will be played: 17 October 2026. Source: AFC
East Region
Group D
First match(es) will be played: 18 September 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Group E
First match(es) will be played: 18 September 2026. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
See also
Notes
- Pre-determined format