AFC Champions League Elite 2026-27: Al Ahli Saudi FC lead landmark 32-team draw

The 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite will introduce a new 32-team league phase, with defending champions Al Ahli Saudi FC beginning their bid for a second successive title in the expanded competition.

The tournament will be the 45th edition of Asia’s leading club competition, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the third since the event was renamed the AFC Champions League Elite.

The AFC has provisionally awarded Saudi Arabia the right to host the knockout stages until 2029. That arrangement will be reviewed in line with the governing body’s assessment during the coming seasons.

The winners of the 2026-27 competition will qualify automatically for the league phase of the 2027-28 AFC Champions League Elite. They will also earn places in the 2027 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.

A new 32-team league phase

This season marks a significant change in the competition’s format. On 24 April 2026, the AFC announced that the number of clubs in the league phase would increase from 24 to 32, with 16 teams representing the West region and 16 from the East.

It will be the first time since the 2019 edition that 32 clubs have taken part in the competition itself. Al Ahli Saudi FC enter the campaign as holders after retaining the trophy in 2026.

The league-phase draw is organised separately for the two geographical regions:

West region

East region

Within each region, the participating clubs are divided into four balanced pots. The aim of the revised system is to increase the level of competition and create greater equality between the teams.

Each club will play two matches against different opponents from each of the four pots. The draw will determine every club’s position within its region’s competition grid.

Teams from the first pot will be placed automatically in the top row, followed by the second-pot clubs in the second row. The same process will continue for the third and fourth pots.

The location of each fixture will also be determined by the clubs’ positions in adjacent columns within their respective regions. To ensure a balanced conclusion to the league phase, clubs in the final column will host their opponents from the first column. Teams placed in the first column will play against clubs from the final column away from home.

The final classification of the clubs competing in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite will be used for the draw arrangements.

Draw and match dates

The league-phase draw is scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday, 18 August 2026.

The ceremony is due to begin at 11:00 BST-equivalent Saudi Arabia time and 12:00 UAE time.

The draw for the last 16 is scheduled for February 2027. The quarter-final and semi-final draws are listed for March 2026.

League-phase matches in the West region will begin on Monday, 14 September 2026, with the East region starting its fixtures on Tuesday, 15 September.

The final round of league-phase matches will be played on 15 and 16 February 2027 in the West region, followed by fixtures on 16 and 17 February in the East.