2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite

2025–26 AFC Champions League EliteTournament details

Teams| Competition proper: 24 (from 12 associations)

<- 2024–25

2026–27 ->

International football competition

The 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) will be 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 final stage will be played in Saudi Arabia.[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 domestic performance.[3]

## Association team allocation

[edit]

The associations are allocated slots according to their club competitions ranking which was published after the 2023–24 competitions were completed.[4]

Participation for 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite

| Participating
| Not participating

West Region (12 teams)  | Rank | Member
association  | Points  | Slots

|
|
|

League
stage  | Play-off
Region | AFC
1 | 1 |  Saudi Arabia | 103.148 | 3 | 0
2 | 4 |  United Arab Emirates | 74.873 | 2 | 1
3 | 5 |  Qatar | 70.330 | 2 | 1
4 | 6 |  Iran | 68.640 | 1 | 1
5 | 9 |  Uzbekistan | 47.259 | 1 | 0
6 | 10 |  Iraq | 37.118 | 1 | 0
Total  | Participating associations: 6  | 10 | 3

East Region (12 teams)  | Rank | Member
association  | Points  | Slots

|
|
|

League
stage  | Play-off
Region | AFC
1 | 2 |  Japan | 96.999 | 3 | 0
2 | 3 |  South Korea | 93.600 | 2 | 1
3 | 7 |  China | 57.764 | 2 | 1
4 | 8 |  Thailand | 49.546 | 1 | 1
5 | 11 |  Australia | 34.703 | 1 | 0
6 | 12 |  Malaysia | 31.331 | 1 | 0
Total  | Participating associations: 6  | 10 | 3

## Teams

[edit]

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.

West Region  League stage direct entrants  | Team  | Qualifying method  | App. (last)

|
|

| 2024–25 Saudi Pro League champions  |
| 2024–25 Saudi Pro League runners-up  |
| 2024–25 Saudi Pro League 3rd Place  |
| 2024–25 UAE Pro League champions  |
| 2024–25 UAE President's Cup winners  |
| 2024–25 Qatar Stars League champions  |
| 2025 Emir of Qatar Cup winners  |
| 2024–25 Persian Gulf Pro League champions  |
Nasaf | 2024 Uzbekistan Super League champions  | 9th (2023–24)
| 2024–25 Iraq Stars League champions  |
Qualifying play-off participants  Team  | Qualifying method  | App. (last)

|
|

| 2024–25 UAE Pro League runners-up  |
| 2024–25 Qatar Stars League runners-up  |
| 2024–25 Persian Gulf Pro League runners-up  |
East Region  League stage direct entrants  | Team  | Qualifying method  | App. (last)

|
|

| 2024 J1 League champions  |
Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 2024 J1 League top three  | 6th (2019)
Vissel Kobe | 2024 J1 League top three
2024 Emperor's Cup winners[Note JPN] | 4th (2024–25)
Ulsan HD | 2024 K League 1 champions  | 13th (2024–25)
Gangwon FC | 2024 K League 1 runners-up[Note KOR] | 1st
Shanghai Port | 2024 Chinese Super League champions
2024 Chinese FA Cup winners  | 9th (2024–25)
Shanghai Shenhua | 2024 Chinese Super League runners-up[Note CHN] | 11th (2024–25)
| 2024–25 Thai League 1 champions  |
| 2024–25 A-League Men regular season premiers  |
| 2024–25 Malaysia Super League champions  |
Qualifying play-off participants  Team  | Qualifying method  | App. (last)

|
|

FC Seoul | 2024 K League 1 fourth place[Note KOR] | 9th (2020)
Chengdu Rongcheng | 2024 Chinese Super League third place[Note CHN] | 1st
| 2024–25 Thai FA Cup winners  |

The following teams will also qualify to the West or East region unless they had already qualified based on their domestic performance.

West or East Region  League stage direct entrants  | Team  | Qualifying method  | App. (last)

|
|

| 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite winners  |
West or East Region  Qualifying play-off participants  | Team  | Qualifying method  | App. (last)

|
|

| 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two winners  |

Notes

1. ^

China (CHN): Shanghai Port already qualified for the Champions League Elite league stage as the 2024 Chinese Super League champions and also won the 2024 Chinese FA Cup. Thus, Shanghai Shenhua, the 2024 Chinese Super League runners-up, qualified for the Champions League Elite league stage while Chengdu Rongcheng, the 2024 Chinese Super League third place, qualified for the Champions League Elite qualifying play-off.

2. ^

Japan (JPN): Vissel Kobe already qualified for the Champions League Elite league stage as reaching at least 2024 J1 League 3rd place.

3. ^

South Korea (KOR): Gimcheon Sangmu, the 2024 K League 1 third place, are a military team and cannot qualify for AFC competitions. Korean FA Cup winners that failed to reach top four in K League 1 would qualify for the Champions League Two group stage. Thus, Pohang Steelers, the 2024 K League 1 sixth place and the 2024 Korean FA Cup winners, qualified for the Champions League Two group stage, Gangwon FC, the 2024 K League 1 runners-up, qualified for the Champions League Elite league stage while FC Seoul, the 2024 K League 1 fourth place, qualified for the Champions League Elite qualifying play-off.

## See also

[edit]

* 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two
* 2025–26 AFC Challenge League
* 2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League

## Notes

[edit]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "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.
2. ^ "Saudi Arabia to host AFC Champions League Elite – Final Stage". the-AFC. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
3. ^ "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.
4. ^ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2021-12-10.

* v
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AFC Champions League Elite

Asian Champion Club Tournament era, 1967–1972

Seasons|

* 1967
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* ~~1972~~

Asian Club Championship era, 1985–2002

Seasons|

* 1985–86
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988–89
* 1989–90
* 1990–91
* 1991
* 1992–93
* 1993–94
* 1994–95
* 1995
* 1996–97
* 1997–98
* 1998–99
* 1999–2000
* 2000–01
* 2001–02

AFC Champions League era, 2002–2024

Seasons|

* 2002–03
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023–24

Finals|

* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2024

AFC Champions League Elite era, since 2024

Seasons|

* 2024–25
* 2025–26

Finals|

* 2025

* History
* Finals
* Winning managers
* Records and statistics
* Performance comparison

* Clubs by nation
* Australia
* Bangladesh
* China
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Japan
* Malaysia
* Myanmar
* Pakistan
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* South Korea
* Thailand
* Vietnam

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