2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 28 July – 11 August 2026 Competition proper: 14 September 2026 – 1 May 2027 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 32 (from 16 associations) |
← 2025–26 | |
The 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) will be the 45th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the third under the AFC Champions League Elite title.
The quarter-finals onwards (referred to as the 'AFC Champions League Elite Finals') will be played as single-match knockout ties from 23 April to 1 May 2026. Saudi Arabia have provisionally been awarded the hosting rights for Finals until 2029.[1] The AFC will confirm hosting arrangements after assessing Saudi Arabia’s performance as host following the conclusion of the 2026 Finals. The tournament winner will qualify for the 2027 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. Additionally, the winner will enter the league stage of the 2027–28 AFC Champions League Elite, if they have not already qualified through their domestic performance.[2]
Association team allocation
The associations are allocated slots according to their club competitions ranking which was published after the 2024–25 competitions were completed.[3]
| Participation for 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
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Teams
The following teams will also qualify to the West or East region unless they have already qualified via their domestic performance.
| Entry round | Team | Qualifying method | App. (last) |
|---|---|---|---|
| League stage | 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite champions | ||
| Preliminary stage | 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two champions |
- Notes
- ^ Japan (JPN): Champions of the J1 100 Year Vision League are given qualification spot due to the transition of J1 League to a September to May season calendar.[4]
- ^ South Korea (KOR): As the 2025 K League 1 third-placed team, Gimcheon Sangmu is ineligible to qualify for AFC competitions due its military ownership; the spot reserved for the K League 1 third-placed team was transferred to the fourth-placed in the league.
See also
References
- ^ "Saudi Arabia to host AFC Champions League Elite – Final Stage". the-AFC. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "More Member Associations to benefit from inclusive AFC Champions League". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "ACLE 2026/27 および ACL2 2026/27のクラブノミネーション方法について" [Club nomination procedures for ACLE 2026/27 and ACL2 2026/27]. JFA.jp (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2026.