The 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two was the 22nd edition of the Asia's second-tier club football tournament, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the second under the AFC Champions League Two title.[1][2] It featured 32 teams in the group stage.[3]
 King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh hosted the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 13 August 2025 Competition proper: 16 September 2025 – 16 May 2026 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 32 Total: 35 (from 23 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Gamba Osaka (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Al-Nassr |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 116 |
| Goals scored | 334 (2.88 per match) |
| Attendance | 777,086 (6,699 per match) |
| Top scorer |  Trent Buhagiar (8 goals) |
| Best player |  Issam Jebali |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
The final was held at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, between Gamba Osaka and Al-Nassr. Gamba Osaka won 1–0, with Deniz Hümmet scoring the match's only goal, to give the club its first title. As winners, they qualified to the preliminary stage of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite.
Sharjah were the reigning champions. They were unable to defend their title as they participated in the AFC Champions League Elite league stage instead.
Association team allocation
editThe associations were allocated slots according to their club competitions ranking, which was published after the 2023–24 competitions were completed.[4][5] Slots were subject to later re-balancing based on the 2024–25 competition results.
| Participation for 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
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- Notes
- ^ AFC Licensing (AFC): Association did not have a licensed club.[6]
- ^ Thailand (THA): As North Korea had no licensed teams to participate in AFC club competitions, their ACL2 spot was redistributed to the highest eligible Member Association (Thailand).[7] The indirect slot later received a bye in the play-off round due to an insufficient number of participating teams.
Teams
editThe number of appearances and last appearance include the AFC Cup as the predecessor of the AFC Champions League Two.
- Notes
- ^ China (CHN): As 2024 Chinese FA Cup winners Shanghai Port qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Chinese FA Cup winners was transferred to the fourth-placed team in the 2024 Chinese Super League.
- ^ India (IND): Considered to have withdrawn during the league stage.[9]
- ^ Iraq (IRQ): As 2024–25 Iraq FA Cup winners Duhok failed to obtain an AFC license,[6] their AFC Champions League Two group stage spot was passed to the 2024–25 Iraq Stars League runners-up.
- ^ Japan (JPN): As 2024 Emperor's Cup winners Vissel Kobe qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Emperor's Cup winners was transferred to the fourth-placed team in the 2024 J1 League.
- ^ Malaysia (MAS): As 2024 Malaysia FA Cup winners Johor Darul Ta'zim qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the Malaysia FA Cup winners was transferred to the runners-up of the 2024–25 Malaysia Super League.
- ^ Qatar (QAT): As regular season third place, Al-Gharafa, qualified for the Champions League Elite via winning the 2025 Emir of Qatar Cup, the spot reserved for the third-placed team was transferred to the fourth-placed team in the 2024–25 Qatar Stars League.
- ^ Saudi Arabia (KSA): As 2024–25 Saudi King's Cup winners Al-Ittihad qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position, the spot reserved for the King's Cup winners was transferred to the third-placed team in the 2024–25 Saudi Pro League.
- ^ Singapore (SGP): As 2024–25 Singapore Cup winners Lion City Sailors qualified for the Champions League Two via their league position, the spot reserved for the Singapore Cup winners was transferred to the runners-up in the 2024–25 Singapore Premier League.
- ^ Turkmenistan (TKM): As Arkadag won the 2024–25 AFC Challenge League and the 2024 Ýokary Liga, Turkmenistan was allocated a spot in the group stage. The qualifying play-off slot reserved for the Ýokary Liga champions was transferred to the runners-up, Ahal.
- ^ United Arab Emirates (UAE): As 2024–25 UAE President's Cup winners Shabab Al Ahli and Sharjah qualified for the Champions League Elite via their league position and winning the previous edition of this competition respectively, the spot reserved for the UAE President’s Cup was transferred to the third-placed team in the 2024–25 UAE Pro League. The spot originally reserved for the third-placed team was then transferred to the fourth-placed team.
Schedule
editThe quarter-finals for the West region were postponed due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[10]
The schedule of the competition was as follows.[11]
| Stage | Round | Draw date | West Region | East Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Stage | Preliminary stage 1 | No draw[a] | 13 August 2025 | |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 15 August 2025 | 16–17 September 2025 | 17–18 September 2025 |
| Matchday 2 | 30 September and 1 October 2025 | 1–2 October 2025 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 21–22 October 2025 | 22–23 October 2025 | ||
| Matchday 4 | 4–5 November 2025 | 5–6 November 2025 | ||
| Matchday 5 | 28–29 October[b] and 25–29 November 2025 | 26–27 November 2025 | ||
| Matchday 6 | 23–24 December 2025 | 10–11 December 2025 | ||
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 30 December 2025 | 10–11 and 17–18 February 2026 | 11–12 and 18–19 February 2026 |
| Quarter-finals | 19 April 2026 | 4–5 and 11–12 March 2026 | ||
| Semi-finals | 22 April 2026 | 8 and 15 April 2026 | ||
| Final | 16 May 2026 at King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh | |||
- Notes
Qualifying play-offs
editThe three winners of the play-off round (two from West Region and one from East Region) advanced to the group stage to join the 29 direct entrants. The losers of the qualifying play-offs entered the group stage of the 2025–26 AFC Challenge League.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
Goa  | 2–1 |  Al-Seeb |
RT Tursunzoda  | 1–2 |  Ahal |
| East Region | ||
Persib  | 2–1 |  Manila Digger |
West Region
edit| Goa | 2–1 | Al-Seeb |
|---|---|---|
| AFC Report GSA Report |
|
East Region
edit| Persib | 2–1 | Manila Digger |
|---|---|---|
| AFC Report GSA Report |
|
Group stage
editThe group stage draw took place on 15 August 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[12]
|
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Locations of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two teams in Central Thailand |
West Region
editGroup A
editGroup B
editGroup C
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ALH | SEP | AHA | MBG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Al-Hussein |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 9 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 1–0 | 3–1 | ||
| 2 |  Sepahan |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 | 2–0 | — | 2–2 | |||
| 3 | Ahal |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 1 | 1–4 | 0–1 | — | |||
| 4 | Mohun Bagan |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew[a] | — |
- ↑ On 27 September 2025, AFC announced that Mohun Bagan SG were considered to have withdrawn from the AFC Champions League Two after they failed to travel to Iran to play their fixture against Sepahan in Isfahan, citing security concerns. Their single match played, a 1–0 defeat to Ahal, was annulled and all their remaining matches were cancelled.[13] This was the second year in a row that Mohun Bagan had been withdrawn from the competition for refusing to fulfill a fixture in Iran.[14] In December 2025 the AFC banned them from entering the following season's AFC competitions, meaning they will not be eligible to re-enter the Champions League until the 2027–28 season[15]
Group D
editEast Region
editGroup E
editGroup F
editGroup G
editGroup H
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BGT | PHS | BGP | KAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tampines Rovers |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 16 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 1–0 | 2–1 | 5–3 | |
| 2 |  Pohang Steelers |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 13 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 |  BG Pathum United |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 6 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Kaya–Iloilo |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 15 | −11 | 0 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | — |
Knockout stage
editIn the knockout stage, 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, split by Region. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, except the final which was played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out would be used to decide the winners if necessary (Regulations Article 10). The order of matches (home vs away) was determined at the draw, except for the final, which was pre-determined on a rotation basis, with the match to be hosted by the team from the West Region. The draw for the knockout stage was held on 30 December 2025.[16]
Bracket
edit| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||
 Al-Zawraa | 3 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
 Al Wasl (a.e.t.) | 2 | 4 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Al Wasl | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Nassr | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Arkadag | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Al-Nassr | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Al-Nassr | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| West Region | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Al Ahli | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sepahan | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Al Ahli (a.e.t.) | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Al Ahli | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Hussein | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Esteghlal | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 May – Riyadh | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Hussein | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Al-Nassr | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gamba Osaka | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pohang Steelers | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Gamba Osaka | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Gamba Osaka (a.e.t.) | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Ratchaburi | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Ratchaburi | 3 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Persib | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Gamba Osaka | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| East Region | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bangkok United | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Bangkok United | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
 Macarthur FC | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Bangkok United | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Tampines Rovers | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
 Công An Hà Nội | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Tampines Rovers | 3 | 3 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
Round of 16
editSummary
The first legs were played on 10 and 12 February, and the second legs were played on 17 and 19 February 2026.[17]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||||
| Al-Zawraa | 5–6 | Al Wasl | 3–2 | 2–4 (a.e.t.) |
| Arkadag | 0–2 | Al-Nassr | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Sepahan | 2–3 | Al Ahli | 2–2 | 0–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Esteghlal | 2–4 | Al-Hussein | 0–1 | 2–3 |
| East Region | ||||
| Pohang Steelers | 2–3 | Gamba Osaka | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Ratchaburi | 3–1 | Persib | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Bangkok United | 4–2 | Macarthur FC | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Công An Hà Nội | 1–6 | Tampines Rovers | 0–3[a] | 1–3 |
Quarter-finals
editSummary
The West Region quarter-finals fixtures were originally scheduled to take place between 3 and 10 March, but were postponed by the AFC due to impacts from the 2026 Iran war.[19][20] The quarter-finals for the West Region were rescheduled to take place on 19 April, as single-legged ties.[21]
The first legs for the East Region were played on 4 and 5 March, with the second legs played on 11 and 12 March.[22]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
| Al Wasl | 0–4 | Al-Nassr |
| Al Ahli | 3–1 | Al-Hussein |
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Region | ||||
| Gamba Osaka | 3–2 | Ratchaburi | 1–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Bangkok United | 4–3 | Tampines Rovers | 2–1 | 2–2 |
Semi-finals
editSummary
The East Region first leg was played on 8 April, and the second leg was played on 15 April. The semi-final for the West Region was played on 22 April.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
| Al-Nassr | 5–1 | Al Ahli |
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Region | ||||
| Gamba Osaka | 3–1 | Bangkok United | 0–1 | 3–0 |
Final
edit| Al-Nassr | 0–1 | Gamba Osaka |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Hümmet  30' |
Top scorers
edit Team eliminated for this round / inactive for this round / Matches voided by AFC / Player left the team
| Rank[23] | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | R16-1 | R16-2 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trent Buhagiar |
Tampines Rovers |
2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||||||
| 2 |  Kingsley Coman |
Al-Nassr |
1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||
 Tana |
Ratchaburi |
1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
| Hide Higashikawa |
Tampines Rovers |
1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
| Muhsen Al-Ghassani |
Bangkok United |
1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
 Michel Vlap |
Al Ahli |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 7 |  Ibrahim Gbadamosi |
Al-Zawraa |
1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||
 Brenner |
Nam Dinh |
2 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Denílson |
Ratchaburi |
3 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Anderson Lopes |
Lion City Sailors |
4 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Andrew Jung |
Persib |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Ryoya Yamashita |
Gamba Osaka |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 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- ↑ Tampines Rovers were awarded a 3–0 victory by forfeit, after Công An Hà Nội fielded two ineligible players, Stefan Mauk and Rogério Alves. The score on the field was originally a 4–0 win by Công An Hà Nội.[18]
References
edit- ↑ "Asian Champions League to relaunch with fewer teams and more prize money in 2024–25 season". Associated Press. 14 August 2023.
- ↑ "History beckons for AFC Cup 2023/24 contenders as final edition of popular competition kicks off". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 13 October 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.
- ↑ "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 "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.
- ↑ "SAFF approves mechanism for participation of Saudi clubs in AFC competitions". Saudi Gazette.
- ↑ "AFC axes Mohun Bagan from ACL2, Asia ban likely". The Times of India. 2025-10-01. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ↑ "Statement on AFC Club Competitions". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ↑ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026)" (PDF). the-AFC. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
- ↑ "ACLTwo Group Stage showdowns to be revealed". AFC. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ↑ "#ACLTwo - Preview: Matchday Two". Asian Football Confederation. 29 September 2025.
- ↑ Mohun Bagan’s AFC Champions League Two 2025-26 campaign ends after refusal to travel to Iran - Olympics.com, 30 September 2025
- ↑ India’s Mohun Bagan banned by AFC for refusal to play football game in Iran - Al Jazeera, 18 December 2025
- ↑ "[AFC Champions League Two] Knockout Stage finalised". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 30 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- ↑ "Official Match Schedule Knockout Stage - Round of 16" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 30 December 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 December 2025.
- ↑ "AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee Meeting on 17 February 2026" (PDF).
- ↑ "Statement on AFC Club Competitions". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Official Match Schedule Knockout Stage - Quarter-finals, Semi-finals & Final" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ↑ "AFC Champions League Two – Top Scorers". the-afc.com. Retrieved 18 September 2025.