A summary of what the Asian Champions League Elite is and how the draw and tournament works.
What is it?
The Asian Champions League Elite is the Asian equivalent of the UEFA Champions League and thus is the most prestigious club football tournament in Asia. The annual tournament features 32 of the best teams from across the continent of Asia, split into an Eastern and Western conference, with the winners securing a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
The AFC Champions League Elite was first introduced in 1967 as the Asian Champion Club Tournament, and ran until 1971. The second incarnation of the tournament, the Asian Club Championship, returned in 1985 and lasted until 2002, where it would be combined with the Asian Cup Winners Cup and Asian Super Cup to form the AFC Champions League. The AFC Champions League would undergo a restructure, which took effect for the 2024-25 tournament. It was also renamed to the AFC Champions League Elite.
Saudi Arabian powerhouse Al-Hilal SFC is the most successful club in the tournament, having won four titles (1991, 2000, 2019, 2021). Their current squad boasts 2022 Ballon d’Or winner and former Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema and former Manchester City, Juventus and Barcelona full-back João Cancelo.
Fellow Saudi Club, Al-Ahli SFC, are the reigning champions, who boast England striker Ivan Toney and former Chelsea FC goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. The Western Sydney Wanderers are the only Australian club to have won the Asian Champions League, with Newcastle Jets legend Nikolai Topor-Stanley captaining the Wanderers to a 1-0 win over Al-Hilal in the 2014 final.
The Draw
The draw for the 2026/27 group stage takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the 18th of August at 6pm AEST, and will be livestreamed via the AFC Hub YouTube channel. Full match details will be confirmed in the days following the draw. The draw for the league stage works as follows,
Clubs are split into four pots based mainly on their AFC ranking.
Pot 1
- Kashima Antlers
- Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
- Buriram United
- Shanghai Port
Pot 2
- Newcastle Jets
- Johor Darul Ta’zim
- Vissel Kobe
- Daejeon Hana Citizen
Pot 3
- Port FC
- Beijing FC
- Kashiwa Reysol
- Pohang Steelers
Pot 4
- Ratchaburi
- Kyoto Sanga
- Gamba Osaka
- Công An Hà Nội
Clubs will then be drawn into a grid, with pot 1 being drawn first, then pot 2, pot 3 and pot 4. The draw determines their opponents while following several restrictions:
- Clubs from the same country cannot be drawn against each other
- A maximum of three (3) participating clubs from the same country shall be allocated into the same column
| Column E | Column F | Column G | Column H |
| Pot 1 (E1) | Pot 1 (F1) | Pot 1 (G1) | Pot 1 (H1) |
| Pot 2 (E2) | Pot 2 (F2) | Pot 2 (G2) | Pot 2 (H2) |
| Pot 3 (E3) | Pot 3 (F3) | Pot 3 (G3) | Pot 3 (H3) |
| Pot 4 (E4) | Pot 4 (F4) | Pot 4 (G4) | Pot 4 (H4) |
The column to the left of our column will be our four away games, and the column to the right of our column will be our four home games. For example, if we were drawn as ‘F2’, we would face the entire ‘E’ column away from home, and the entire ‘G’ column at home.
Tournament Format
The Asian Champions League Elite is split into two regions, East and West. Each region contains 16 teams. Each team plays 8 teams from their region (as determined by the draw), with four games to take place at home, and four away. The results of each match will be placed into a league table, with the top eight teams from each region progressing to the Round of 16.
The Round of 16 will see the 1st placed team take on the 8th place team. 2nd will take on 7th, 3rd will take on 6th and 4th will take on 5th. Each tie will take place over two legs, with each club playing home and away. The winner of each leg progresses into the quarter-finals.
From the quarter-finals onwards, the East and West regions combine, with all ties being a one game elimination at an AFC hub in Saudi Arabia, including the final.
