Saudi Arabia’s Al-Taawoun landed in Group Three alongside Qatar’s Al-Rayyan, Jordan’s Al-Faisaly, and Oman’s Al-Nahda following the group-stage draw for the AFC Champions League 2 in Kuala Lumpur, setting up a busy continental calendar running from September 2026 through May 2027.
Kuala Lumpur Draw Sets Up Regional Blockbusters for West and East Asia
Thirty-two clubs enter the newly formatted edition, squaring off in a home-and-away league format.
While the top-tier AFC Champions League Elite adopts a league phase modeled after revised European club competitions, the second-tier Champions League 2 maintains its traditional structure. The field divides neatly into eight groups of four—four groups originating from AFC West and four from AFC East.
Group Stage Breakdowns Across West and East
Group Three emerged as one of the most compelling fixtures of the draw, pairing Al-Taawoun of Saudi Arabia against Al-Rayyan of Qatar, Jordan’s Al-Faisaly, and Oman’s Al-Nahda. Across the other western groups, clubs from the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iran, Turkmenistan, Iraq, and India learn their paths.
In the eastern half of the draw, Australian entrants Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory face demanding travel schedules as they balance continental ambitions with their domestic domestic league campaigns. Melbourne Victory lands in Group E alongside South Korea’s FC Seoul, Vietnam’s The Cong-Viettel FC, and a playoff winner between Persib Bandung and Manila Digger. Adelaide United heads into Group F alongside Thailand’s BG Pathum United, Singapore’s Lion City Sailors, and Hong Kong’s Tai Po.
Tournament Timeline and Knockout Schedules
The group stage kicks off on September 15 and runs through December 9, 2026, spanning six matchdays. Five former continental champions enter the fray this season: Al-Faisaly, Bahrain’s Al-Muharraq, Oman’s Al-Seeb, Kuwait’s Al-Kuwait, and Uzbekistan’s Nasaf.
The Asian Football Confederation has locked in the knockout stage dates for the 2026/27 campaign. The round of 16 unfolds between February 9 and February 18, 2027, followed by the quarter-finals from March 2 to March 18, and the semi-finals from April 6 to April 14. The single-match or concluding tie structures culminate with the final on May 15, 2027.
A-League Debuts and Continental Returns
Both Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United are making their debuts in this specific second-tier tournament, as Australian teams were not allocated positions in this tier prior to the 2023/24 season. Melbourne Victory’s last continental appearance came during the Covid-impacted 2020/21 Asian Champions League campaign, which ended with a Round of 16 exit against South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai.
Adelaide United enters the competition after losing a top-tier qualifier at home to Vietnam’s Cong An Ha Noi FC, marking the club’s first appearance in AFC football since the 2017/18 season. The club previously finished as runners-up in the 2008 AFC Champions League after falling to Japan’s Gamba Osaka in the final.
