2026–27 AFC Champions League Two
International football competition
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The 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two will be the 23rd edition of the Asia's second-tier club football tournament, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the third under the AFC Champions League Two title.[1][2]
DatesQualifying:
12 – 31 August 2026
Competition proper:
15 September 2026 – 15 May 2027
12 – 31 August 2026
Competition proper:
15 September 2026 – 15 May 2027
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 35 (from 24 associations)
Total: 35 (from 24 associations)
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 12 – 31 August 2026 Competition proper: 15 September 2026 – 15 May 2027 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 32 Total: 35 (from 24 associations) |
← 2025–26 2027–28 → | |
The tournament will feature 32 teams in the group stage.[3] The winner will qualify for the preliminary stage of the 2027–28 AFC Champions League Elite, if they have not already qualified through their domestic performance.[4]
Association team allocation
The associations are allocated slots according to their club competitions ranking which was published after the 2024–25 competitions were completed.[5][6][7]
| Participation for 2025–2026 AFC Champions League Two | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
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- Notes
Teams
- Notes
- ^ Iran (IRN): 2025–26 Persian Gulf Pro League League was abandoned due to the Iran-Israel war, and the AFC Champions League Two slot was determined through a play-off between the third to sixth-placed teams. The third-placed team (Sepahan Isfahan) failed to obtain club license required to enter the competition and was excluded from the play-offs. Consequently, the play-off was contested between the fourth to sixth-placed teams, with Chadormalu Ardakan emerging as the winner.
- ^ Australia (AUS): As 2025 Australia Cup winners Newcastle Jets qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Australia Cup winners was transferred to the next highest Australian team in the 2025–26 A-League Men not already qualified for continental football.[9]
- ^ Bahrain (BHR): Al-Muharraq qualified as the 2025–26 Bahraini King's Cup winners.
- ^ Jordan (JOR): Al-Faisaly qualified as the 2025–26 Jordanian Pro League runners-up because both finalists of the 2025–26 Jordan FA Cup could not take the reserved spot: Al-Hussein already qualified for the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite, and Al-Ramtha failed to obtain an AFC license.
- ^ Malaysia (MAS): As 2025 Malaysia FA Cup winners Johor Darul Ta'zim qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Malaysia FA Cup winners was transferred to the runners-up of the 2025–26 Malaysia Super League.
- ^ Saudi Arabia (KSA): As the 2025–26 Saudi King's Cup winners Al Hilal qualified for the AFC Champions League Elite via league position, the spot reserved for the King's Cup was transferred to the 6th place team.
- ^ Singapore (SGP): As 2025–26 Singapore Cup winners Lion City Sailors qualified for the Champions League Two via their league position, the spot reserved for the Singapore Cup winners was transferred to the runners-up in the 2025–26 Singapore Premier League.
- ^ United Arab Emirates (UAE): As Al Ain won the 2025–26 UAE President's Cup final, the spot reserved for the UAE fourth placed team was transferred to the fifth placed team in the league.
- ^ Kuwait (KUW): As Al-Kuwait won the 2025–26 Kuwaiti Premier League main league and qualified to group stage as 2025–26 AFC Challenge League champions, the spot reserved for the league champions was transferred to the second-placed team in the league.
- ^ BYE: Received a bye to the Group Stage in accordance with the relevant Competition Regulations[10]
Schedule
The schedule of the competition is expected to be as follows.[11]
| Stage | Round | Draw date | West region | East region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | No draw[a] | 12 August 2026 | 31 August 2026 | |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 18 August 2026 | 15–16 September 2026 | 16–17 September 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | 13–14 October 2026 | 14–15 October 2026 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 27–28 October 2026 | 28–29 October 2026 | ||
| Matchday 4 | 3–4 November 2026 | 4–5 November 2026 | ||
| Matchday 5 | 24–25 November 2026 | 25–26 November 2026 | ||
| Matchday 6 | 8–9 December 2026 | 2–3 December 2026 | ||
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 19 December 2026 | 9–10 and 16–17 February 2027 | 10–11 and 17–18 February 2027 |
| Quarter-finals | 2–3 and 16–17 March 2027 | 10–11 and 17–18 March 2027 | ||
| Semi-finals | 6 and 13 April 2027 | 7 and 14 April 2027 | ||
| Final | 15 May 2027 | |||
Preliminary stage
The three winners of the preliminary stage (two from West Region and one from East Region) advanced to the group stage to join the 29 direct entrants. The losers of the qualifying play-offs will enter the group stage of the 2026–27 AFC Challenge League.[11]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
East Bengal  | 12 Aug |  Al-Arabi |
Arkadag  | 12 Aug | Goa |
| East Region | ||
Persib  | 31 Aug |  Manila Digger |
West Region
East Region
Attendance: 0[b]
Group stage
The group stage draw took place on 18 August 2026 (at 14:00 UTC+8), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| Region | Groups | Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Region | A–D |  Al Jazira or  Al-Ittihad |
 Al-Rayyan |
 Al-Faisaly |
 Al-Khaldiya |
 Pakhtakor or Al-Hussein |
 Gol Gohar |
Al-Muharraq |
 Al-Nahda | ||
| Al Taawoun |
Nasaf |
Al-Seeb |
East Bengal or Al-Arabi | ||
| Al Wahda |
 Al-Shorta |
Al-Kuwait |
Arkadag or Goa | ||
| East Region | E–H |  Gangwon FC or  Gamba Osaka |
 BG Pathum United |
 Thể Công–Viettel |
 Tampines Rovers |
 Adelaide United or Công An Hà Nội |
 Shanghai Shenhua |
Lion City Sailors |
 Tai Po | ||
| Machida Zelvia |
Melbourne Victory |
Kitchee |
 Phnom Penh Crown | ||
| FC Seoul |
 Kuching City |
PKR Svay Rieng |
Persib or Manila Digger | ||
Singapore
Hong Kong
Location of the clubs participating in the group stage.
Location of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two group stage teams in the Gulf area and surrounding region.