The 2025–26 AFC Challenge League was the 12th edition of the Asia's third-tier continental club football competition, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the second under the AFC Challenge League title.[1][2]
 Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City hosted the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 12 August 2025 Competition proper: 25 October 2025 – 13 May 2026 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 20 (from 27 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Al-Kuwait (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  PKR Svay Rieng |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 40 |
| Goals scored | 135 (3.38 per match) |
| Attendance | 185,784 (4,645 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Kwame Peprah(8 goals) |
| Best player |  Amoory |
| Fair play award | Svay Rieng |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
The final was played on 13 May 2026 at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City, Kuwait, with Kuwaiti club Al-Kuwait defeating Cambodian club Svay Rieng 4–3 to win their first Challenge League and fourth Asian title.[3][4][5]
Arkadag were the reigning champions, but did not defend their title as the Challenge League winners automatically qualified for the Champions League Two group stage. The winners of the 2025–26 AFC Challenge League automatically qualified for the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two group stage.[6][7]
Association team allocation
editThe associations are allocated slots according to their club competitions ranking which was published after the 2023–24 competitions were completed.[8][9]
| Participation for 2025–26 AFC Challenge League | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
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- Notes
- ^ AFC Licensing (AFC1): Association did not have a licensed club.[10]
- ^ AFC Slots (AFC2): The indirect slot of one of the Member Associations that did not enter a team was redistributed to the next highest eligible Member Association. However, for the East Region, the fifth slot – which was to be reallocated to either Laos or Brunei – had to be forfeited, since both member associations had only one licensed team.[10][11]
- ^ Lebanon (LBN): The team with the additional indirect slot received a bye in the play-off round due to an insufficient number of participating teams.
- ^ Palestine (PLE): Association did not enter a team.
Teams
edit- Notes
- ^ Bangladesh (BAN): Mohammedan, winner of the 2024–25 Bangladesh Premier League champions, failed to obtain an AFC license. Instead, the runners-up, Abahani Dhaka, qualified for the Challenge League qualifying playoffs.
- ^ Chinese Taipei (TPE): As 2025 Taiwan President FA Cup winners Tainan City TSG already qualified for the Challenge League playoffs via their league position, the spot reserved for the Taiwan President FA Cup winners was transferred to the 2024 Taiwan Football Premier League runners-up, Futuro.
- ^ Lebanon (LBN): Since the 2024–25 Lebanese FA Cup could not take place due to escalation of the conflict in the south with Israel,[12] the AFC Challenge League playoff spot was passed to the Premier League runners-up, Safa.
- ^ Kuwait (KUW): Since the 2024–25 Kuwait Emir Cup could not be completed in time for due to tightness of schedules, the AFC Challenge League playoff spot was passed to the Premier League runners-up, Al-Arabi.
- ^ Maldives (MDV): The 2024 Dhivehi Premier League was not held. The teams from Maldives are determined by the results of the 2023 Dhivehi Premier League. Thus Maziya, the 2023 Dhivehi Premier League champions, participate in the AFC Challenge League group stage.[10]
- ^
- ^ Syria (SYR): Since the 2024–25 Syrian Cup could not take place due to the ongoing political situation and hostilities in Syria, the AFC Challenge League playoff spots were awarded based on the Premier League standings.[13] Al-Ittihad Ahli, winner of the 2024–25 Syrian Premier League champions, failed to obtain an AFC license. Instead, the runners-up, Al-Karamah and third-place, Hutteen, qualified for the Challenge League qualifying playoffs.[10]
- ^ Turkmenistan (TKM): Arkadag, winner of the 2024 Ýokary Liga and 2024 Turkmenistan Cup, also won the 2024–25 AFC Challenge League and qualified for the Champions League Two group stage. The 2024 Ýokary Liga runners-up Ahal and third place Altyn Asyr qualify for the Champions League Two qualifying playoffs and Challenge League group stage respectively.
Schedule
editThe quarter-finals and semi-finals for the West region were postponed due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[14] The AFC later announced that the quarter-finals and semi-finals for the West region would be played as single legged ties at Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.[15]
The schedule of the competition is as follows.[16]
| Stage | Round | Draw date | West region | East region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | No draw[a] | 12 August 2025 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 28 August 2025 | 25 October 2025 | 26 October 2025 |
| Matchday 2 | 28 October 2025 | 29 October 2025 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 31 October 2025 | 1 November 2025 | ||
| Knockout stage | Quarter-finals | No draw[b] | 19 April 2026[c] | 5 and 12 March 2026 |
| Semi-finals | 22 April 2026[c] | 9 and 16 April 2026 | ||
| Final | 9 May 2026 at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City | |||
Preliminary stage
editThe bracket of the preliminary stage was determined based on each team's seeding, with the higher seeded hosting the match. Teams from the same association could not be placed into the same tie. The winners of the preliminary stage (five from West and four from East) advanced to the group stage of the competition.[17]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
Dhaka Abahani  | 0–2 |  Muras United |
Al-Karamah  | 0–1 | Bashundhara Kings |
| Abdysh-Ata | 5–2 | Hutteen |
Maziya  | 0–4 | Al-Arabi |
Paro  | 1–0 |  Abu Muslim |
| East Region | ||
Tainan City  | 4–1 |  Khangarid |
| SP Falcons | 3–1 | Taichung Futuro |
Yangon United  | 1–1 (3–5 p) |  Ezra |
Kasuka  | 0–6 | Phnom Penh Crown |
West Region
edit| Dhaka Abahani | 0–2 | Muras United |
|---|---|---|
| AFC Report GSA Report |
|
| Maziya | 0–4 | Al-Arabi |
|---|---|---|
| AFC Report GSA Report |
Iwuala  3' Ngoy 41' John 55' Ashkanani 87' |
| Paro | 1–0 | Abu Muslim |
|---|---|---|
|
AFC Report GSA Report |
East Region
edit
| Yangon United | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Ezra |
|---|---|---|
|
AFC Report GSA Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 3–5 | ||
| Kasuka | 0–6 | Phnom Penh Crown |
|---|---|---|
| AFC Report GSA Report |
|
Group stage
edit
Kuwait
Seeb
Beirut
West Region
editGroup A
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ALS | ATA | AAK | PAR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Al-Shabab |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 | Advance to Quarter-finals | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | ||
| 2 |  Altyn Asyr |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | 1–0 | 3–1 | ||||
| 3 | Abdysh-Ata Kant |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 1 | 3–3 | |||||
| 4 | Paro (H) |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 1 |
Group B
editGroup C
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MRU | AAR | SSC | RTT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muras United (H) |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 5 | Advance to Quarter-finals | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | ||
| 2 | Al-Arabi |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 5 | 2–2 | 2–1 | ||||
| 3 |  Safa |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 | 2–1 | |||||
| 4 |  Regar-TadAZ Tursunzoda |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 1 |
Ranking of second-placed teams
edit| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | Al-Ansar |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 | Advance to Quarter-finals |
| 2 | A | Altyn Asyr |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | |
| 3 | C | Al-Arabi |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 5 |
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) fair play ranking; 5) drawing of lots
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) fair play ranking; 5) drawing of lots
East Region
editGroup D
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SVR | MDF | SPF | EZR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PKR Svay Rieng (H) |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 7 | Advance to Quarter-finals | 2–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 2 |  Manila Digger |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 | 2–0 | 3–1 | ||||
| 3 | SP Falcons |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | 3–1 | |||||
| 4 | Ezra |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 0 |
Group E
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | DUB | PPC | TNC | SNU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dewa United Banten (H) |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 7 | Advance to Quarter-finals | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–1 | ||
| 2 | Phnom Penh Crown |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 7 | 3–2 | 3–1 | ||||
| 3 | Tainan City |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 3 | 2–1 | |||||
| 4 | Shan United |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 0 |
Knockout stage
editBracket
edit| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||
| Al-Ansar | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Muras United | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Muras United | 1 | |||||||||||||
| West Region | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Kuwait | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Al-Shabab | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Al-Kuwait | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Al-Kuwait (a.e.t.) | 4 | |||||||||||||
| PKR Svay Rieng | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Phnom Penh Crown | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| PKR Svay Rieng | 4 | 2 | 6 | |||||||||||
| PKR Svay Rieng | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||
| East Region | ||||||||||||||
| Manila Digger | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Manila Digger | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||
| Dewa United Banten | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
Quarter-finals
editThe West regions quarter-finals fixtures were postponed indefinitely by the AFC due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran war.[18] The first legs for the East Region were played on 5 March, with the second legs on 12 March. The fixtures in the West Region were shortened to a single leg to be played on 19 April.[19]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
| Al Ansar | 0–3 | Muras United |
| Al-Shabab | 3–5 | Al-Kuwait |
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Region | ||||
| Phnom Penh Crown | 2–6 | PKR Svay Rieng | 1–4 | 1–2 |
| Manila Digger | 3–2 | Dewa United Banten | 1–0 | 2–2 |
Semi-finals
editThe first legs for the East Region were played on 9 April, with the second legs on 16 April 2026. The single-legged fixture for the West Region was played on 22 April.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
| Muras United | 1–2 | Al-Kuwait |
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Region | ||||
| PKR Svay Rieng | 4–1 | Manila Digger | 1–1 | 3–0 |
Final
editThe final took place on 13 May 2026, with the team from the West Region hosting the final. The winners also qualified for the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two group stage, unless they have already qualified for the Champions League Two through their league performance.
Top scorers
edit Team eliminated / inactive for this round
| Rank | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kwame Peprah |
PKR Svay Rieng |
2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | ||||
| 2 |  Moses Dyer |
Phnom Penh Crown |
1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |||
| 3 |  Ousman Gai |
Manila Digger |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||
| 4 |  Takashi Odawara |
PKR Svay Rieng |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||||
 Kenean Markneh |
Al-Shabab |
1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 6 |  Mohamed Marhoon |
Al-Kuwait |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| Amoory |
Al-Kuwait |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Yousef Nasser |
Al-Kuwait |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Abdul Aziz Al-Muqbali |
Al-Seeb |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
 Mohamad Hebous |
Al Ansar |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Riku Ichimura |
Paro |
1 | 2 | ||||||||
| Egy Maulana Vikri |
Dewa United Banten |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
 Alexis Messidoro |
Dewa United Banten |
2 | 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
editNotes
edit- ↑ Pre-determined format. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same tie.
- ↑ Pre-determined format. Teams are placed in the bracket based on their group stage results.
- 1 2 Postponed due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[14]
- ↑ Al-Karamah was required to play their home match at a neutral venue due to security concerns relating to the Israeli invasion of Syria.
- ↑ Paro played their home match at Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu, instead of their regular home stadium Woochu Sports Arena in Paro, which did not meet AFC requirements.
References
edit- ↑ "Asian Champions League to relaunch with fewer teams and more prize money in 2024–25 season". Associated Press. August 14, 2023.
- ↑ "AFC Executive Committee approves biggest prize purse in Asian club football history from 2024/25; announces AFC Women's Champions League". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation.
- ↑ "Kuwait SC lift title with stunning fightback". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 14 May 2026.
- ↑ "Kuwait SC live up to Jovovic's expectations". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 14 May 2026.
- ↑ "McConkey heartbroken but proud of Svay Rieng's progress". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 14 May 2026.
- ↑ "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 Professional Football Committee adopts key changes to elevate Asian club football". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 24 April 2026. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ↑ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ↑ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking 2024". FootyRankings. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 "List of Licensed Clubs - AFC Club Competitions 2025/26" (PDF). 5 June 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ "FC Club Competitions – Entry Regulations" (PDF). 5 March 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ "Lebanon indefinitely postpones all football matches amid Israel's attacks". Aljazeera. 26 September 2024.
- ↑ "الاتحاد العربي السوري يحدد آلية اختيار الأندية التي ستشارك في بطولة كأس التحدي الآسيوي لموسم 2026/2025" [The Syrian Arab Federation determines the mechanism for selecting the clubs that will participate in the 2025–26 AFC Challenge Cup]. Retrieved 2025-06-27 – via Facebook.
- 1 2 "Statement on AFC Club Competitions". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ↑ "Latest update on AFC club competitions". Asian Football Confederation. 24 March 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 1 July 2023.
- ↑ "2025/26 AFC Challenge League Official Match Schedule - Preliminary Stage" (PDF). AFC. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ↑ "Second-leg knockout ties of AFC Club Competitions postponed". Asian Football Confederation. 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.