2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite
The King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah will host the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 12 August 2025 Competition proper: 15 September 2025 – 25 April 2026 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 24 (from 12 associations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 104 |
| Goals scored | 272 (2.62 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,231,449 (11,841 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Houssem Aouar Adil Boulbina (6 goals each) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 11 March 2026. | |
The 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) is the 44th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the second under the AFC Champions League Elite title.[1]
The quarter-finals onwards (referred to as the 'AFC Champions League Elite Finals') will be played as single-match knockout ties in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium) from 16 to 25 April.[2] The tournament winner will qualify for the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. Additionally, the winner will enter the league stage of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite, if they have not already qualified through their domestic performance.[3]
Al-Ahli are the defending champions.
Association team allocation
The associations are allocated slots according to their club competitions ranking which was published after the 2023–24 competitions were completed.[4] Slots were subject to later re-balancing based on the 2024–25 competition results.
| Participation for 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
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Teams
In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count since the 2002–03 season, when the competition was rebranded as the AFC Champions League.
- Notes.
- ^ AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE): Al-Ahli qualified as the winners of the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite. They replace the third-placed team in the 2024–25 Saudi Pro League.
- ^ Australia (AUS): As the 2024–25 A-League Men regular season champions Auckland FC are a team from New Zealand and therefore ineligible to participate in AFC club competitions, the spot reserved for the A-League Men regular season champions was transferred to the runners-up in the league, Melbourne City.
- ^ China (CHN): As the 2024 Chinese FA Cup winners Shanghai Port qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Chinese FA Cup winners was transferred to the third-placed team in the 2024 Chinese Super League, Chengdu Rongcheng.
- ^ Japan (JPN): As the 2024 Emperor's Cup winners Vissel Kobe qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Emperor's Cup winners was transferred to the third-placed team in the 2024 J1 League, Machida Zelvia.
- ^ South Korea (KOR): As the 2024 K League 1 third-placed team, Gimcheon Sangmu, are ineligible to qualify for AFC competitions, the spot was transferred to the fourth-placed team, FC Seoul.
- ^ Thailand (THA): As 2024–25 Thai FA Cup champions Buriram United qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Thai FA Cup winners was transferred to the runners-up team in the 2024–25 Thai League 1, Bangkok United.
Schedule
The quarter-finals for the West region have been postponed due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[6]
The schedule of the competition is as follows.[7]
| Stage | Round | Draw date | West region | East region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round | No draw | 12 August 2025 | |
| League stage | Matchday 1 | 15 August 2025 | 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 | ||
| Round of 16 | No draw[a] | TBD[b] | 3–11 March 2026 | |
| Finals | Quarter-finals | 18 March 2026 | 16–18 April 2026 | |
| Semi-finals | 20–21 April 2026 | |||
| Final | 25 April 2026 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah[8] | |||
Qualifying play-offs
The two winners of the play-off round (one from West Region and one from East Region) advanced to the league stage to join the 22 direct entrants. The losers of the qualifying play-offs entered the group stage of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
| Al-Duhail | 3–2 | Sepahan |
| East Region | ||
| Chengdu | 3–0 | Bangkok United |
West Region
East Region
| Chengdu Rongcheng | 3–0 | Bangkok United |
|---|---|---|
|
AFC Report GSA Report |
League stage
The league phase draw took place on 15 August 2025 (at 17:00 UTC+8), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[9]
Location of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite league stage teams
Orange: East Region; Blue: West Region
Orange: East Region; Blue: West Region
|
Location of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite league stage teams in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. |
Locations of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite teams in Japan and South Korea.
|
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: ACLE
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
| 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 |
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: ACLE
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
Knockout stage
Bracket
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Al Sadd | |||||||||||||||||||
| April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Al Hilal | |||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Vissel Kobe | |||||||||||||||||||
| E7 | FC Seoul | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Vissel Kobe | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Winner QF1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Winner QF2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Al-Duhail | |||||||||||||||||||
| April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Al-Ahli | |||||||||||||||||||
| W | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | |||||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 25 April – Jeddah (KASCSS) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Winner SF1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Winner SF2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Gangwon FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Machida Zelvia | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Machida Zelvia | |||||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Al Wahda | |||||||||||||||||||
| April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Al-Ittihad | |||||||||||||||||||
| Winner QF3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Winner QF4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Melbourne City | 1 | 0 | 1 (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| April – Jeddah | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Buriram United (p) | 1 | 0 | 1 (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Buriram United | |||||||||||||||||||
| W | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Shabab Al Ahli | |||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Tractor | |||||||||||||||||||
Round of 16
The West regions Round of 16 fixtures were postponed indefinitely by the AFC due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran war.[10][11] The first legs were originally scheduled to be played between 2 and 4 March, with the second legs between 9 and 11 March. Later AFC decided that West region would change to single-leg format on 13-14 April in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.[12]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
| Al Sadd | TBD | Al Hilal |
| Al-Duhail | TBD | Al-Ahli |
| Shabab Al Ahli | TBD | Tractor |
| Al Wahda | TBD | Al-Ittihad |
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Region | ||||
| Gangwon FC | 0–1 | Machida Zelvia | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| FC Seoul | 1–3 | Vissel Kobe | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| Johor Darul Ta'zim | 3–2 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| Melbourne City | 1–1 (2–4 p) | Buriram United | 1–1 | 0–0 (a.e.t.) |
Top scorers
Team eliminated for this round / inactive for this round / Matches voided by AFC / Player left the team
- As of 11 March 2026
| Rank[13] | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | MD7 | MD8 | R16-1 | R16-2 | QF | SF | F | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houssem Aouar | Al-Ittihad | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Adil Boulbina | Al-Duhail | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Rafa Mújica | Al Sadd | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Karim Benzema | Al-Ittihad / Al Hilal | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Enzo Millot | Al-Ahli | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Krzysztof Piątek | Al-Duhail | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Breno Cascardo | Shabab Al Ahli | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Felipe | Chengdu Rongcheng | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Marcos Leonardo | Al Hilal | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||
| Sergej Milinković-Savić | Al Hilal | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Darwin Núñez | Al Hilal | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Riyad Mahrez | Al-Ahli | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Abu Al-Shamat | Al-Ahli | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Roger Fernandes | Al-Ittihad | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Benjamin Bourigeaud | Al-Duhail | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Joselu | Al-Gharafa | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Caio Canedo | Al Wahda | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Regi Lushkja | Tractor | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Suphanat Mueanta | Buriram United | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Yuki Soma | Machida Zelvia | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Max Caputo | Melbourne City | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Jesse Lingard | FC Seoul | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Taisei Miyashiro | Vissel Kobe | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Marcos Guilherme | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
- Note
- Goals scored in the qualifying play-offs and matches voided by AFC are not counted when determining top scorer (Regulations Article 64.4)
See also
Notes
- ^ Pre-determined format
- ^ Postponed due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[6]
References
- ^ "AFC Executive Committee approves biggest prize purse in Asian club football history from 2024/25; announces AFC Women's Champions League". AFC. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "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 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
- ^ a b "SAFF approves mechanism for participation of Saudi clubs in AFC competitions". saudi gazette.
- ^ a b "Statement on AFC Club Competitions". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ "AFC Calendar (Jul-2025-Jun-2026)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 10 April 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ "Venues confirmed for AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026". Asian Football Confederation. 23 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ "#ACLElite set for lift off". the-afc.com. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ^ "Statement on AFC Club Competitions". Asian Football Confederation. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ "Second-leg knockout ties of AFC Club Competitions postponed". Asian Football Confederation. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ "Latest update on AFC club competitions". Asian Football Confederation. 24 March 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ^ "AFC Champions League Elite– Top Scorers". the-afc.com. Retrieved 17 September 2025.