2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite league stage
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The 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite league stage is being played from 14 September 2026 and will end on 17 February 2027, as part of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite.[1]
Draw
The draw for the league stage was held on 18 August 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Seeding
For each region, teams will be seeded into four pots and each club will play two matches against the clubs from each pot.[2]
| Region | Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Region |
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| East Region |
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Grid result
Each team is drawn a position in the draw grid for their region: column A–D for West and E–H for East. Teams from Pot 1 are drawn into positions 1, while teams from Pot 2 were drawn into positions 2, and so on.
Teams in each column play matches with their adjacent columns in each region. They play the teams on the right-hand side at home and the ones on the left-hand side away. Teams from the last column play teams from the first column at home, and teams from the first column play teams from the last column away.[3]
| Column | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | West Region | East Region | |||||||
| 1 |  Al Ain |
 Esteghlal |
 Al Sadd |
 Al-Ahli |
 Buriram United |
 Kashima Antlers |
 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
 Shanghai Port | |
| 2 | Shabab Al Ahli |
Al-Nassr |
 Neftchi |
 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya |
Daejeon Hana Citizen |
Vissel Kobe |
 Newcastle Jets |
 Johor Darul Ta'zim | |
| 3 | Al-Gharafa |
Tractor |
Al Wasl |
Al-Hilal |
Port |
Beijing Guoan |
Pohang Steelers |
Kashiwa Reysol | |
| 4 | Pakhtakor |
Al-Qadsiah |
Al-Shamal |
Al-Ittihad |
 Công An Hà Nội |
Kyoto Sanga |
Ratchaburi |
Gamba Osaka | |
Schedule
The schedule of the league stage is as follows:
| Round | Dates (West region) | Dates (East region) |
|---|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 14–15 September 2026 | 15–16 September 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | 12–13 October 2026 | 13–14 October 2026 |
| Matchday 3 | 26–27 October 2026 | 27–28 October 2026 |
| Matchday 4 | 2–3 November 2026 | 3–4 November 2026 |
| Matchday 5 | 23–24 November 2026 | 24–25 November 2026 |
| Matchday 6 | 7–8 December 2026 | 1–2 December 2026 |
| Matchday 7 | 8–9 February 2027 | 9–10 February 2027 |
| Matchday 8 | 15–16 February 2027 | 16–17 February 2027 |
League stage
West Region
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Ain |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 3 | Advance to round of 16 |
| 2 | Esteghlal |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 3 | |
| 3 | Al-Qadsiah |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Al-Hilal |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 | |
| 5 | Shabab Al Ahli |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | |
| 6 | Neftchi |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | |
| 7 | Al-Shamal |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 8 | Al-Ittihad |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 9 | Al-Ahli |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 | Pakhtakor |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 | Al-Gharafa |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 | |
| 12 | Al Wasl |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 | |
| 13 | Tractor |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 | |
| 14 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 | |
| 15 | Al Sadd |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0 | |
| 16 | Al-Nassr |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0 |
Updated to match(es) played on 15 September 2026. 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
| Neftchi | 1–0 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Shabab Al Ahli | 1–0 | Tractor |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Al-Shamal | 1–1 | Al-Ittihad |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Esteghlal | 3–0 | Al Sadd |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Al-Hilal | 2–1 | Al-Gharafa |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Matchday 2
Matchday 3
Matchday 4
Matchday 5
Matchday 6
Matchday 7
Matchday 8
East Region
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kashima Antlers |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 3 | Advance to round of 16 |
| 2 | Gamba Osaka |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 3 | |
| 3 | Shanghai Port |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Beijing Guoan |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 | |
| 5 | Vissel Kobe |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 | |
| 6 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 | |
| 7 | Daejeon Hana Citizen |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | |
| 8 | Buriram United |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 9 | Johor Darul Ta'zim |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 | Kashiwa Reysol |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 | |
| 11 | Port |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 | |
| 12 | Kyoto Sanga |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 | |
| 13 | Ratchaburi |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 0 | |
| 14 | Pohang Steelers |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 | |
| 15 | Công An Hà Nội |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 | |
| 16 | Newcastle Jets |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 |
Updated to match(es) played on 16 September 2026. 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
| Kashima Antlers | 7–1 | Newcastle Jets |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Daejeon Hana Citizen | 1–0 | Kyoto Sanga |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Gamba Osaka | 4–1 | Công An Hà Nội |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Ratchaburi | 4–6 | Shanghai Port |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Johor Darul Ta'zim | 1–1 | Buriram United |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Beijing Guoan | 3–1 | Pohang Steelers |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2–1 | Kashiwa Reysol |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Matchday 2
Matchday 3
Matchday 4
Matchday 5
Matchday 6
Matchday 7
Matchday 8
See also
Notes
- Esteghlal played their home match at Basra International Stadium in Basra, Iraq, instead of their regular home ground, the Azadi Stadium in Tehran, Iran, due to the 2025–2026 Iranian prtotesters massacres and 2026 Iran war.
- Tractor played their home match at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman, instead of their regular home ground, the Sahand Stadium in Tabriz, Iran, due to the 2025–2026 Iranian prtotesters massacres and 2026 Iran war.
- Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya played their home match at the Basra International Stadium in Basra, instead of their regular home ground, the Al-Madina Stadium in Baghdad, which did not meet AFC standards.
- Port played their home match at the Thammasat Stadium and Pathum Thani Stadium in Pathum Thani, instead of their regular home ground, the PAT Stadium in Bangkok, which did not meet AFC standards.
- Newcaslte Jets played their Matchday 5 game at the Central Coast Stadium in Gosford, instead of their regular home ground, the Newcastle International Sports Centre in Newcastle, due to the venue being unavailable during that time.