AFC Challenge League
Seven clubs advanced from the Preliminary Stage to join the eight sides that were granted direct entry to the Group Stage and the two eliminated teams from the AFC Champions League Two 2026/27™ Preliminary Stage (West). An additional three clubs will be confirmed following the completion of the remaining Preliminary Stage matches in the East.
The contenders will be divided into five groups of four—three in the West, two in the East—and do battle in a single round-robin centralised league format in the Group Stage from October 17 to 24, 2026.
Borneo FC Samarinda, Fortis FC, Homs Al Fidaa SC and One Taguig FC are making their Continental bows, while a further five will be debuting in the ACGL Group Stage: Ahal FC, Al Ittihad Ahli of Aleppo SC, FC Goa, New Taipei City Hang Yuan FC and Qadsia SC.
In accordance with the with the 2026/27 Slot Allocation, the teams will be seeded into four pots per region, as below:
The country protection principle will be in force and the draw software will prevent deadlock situations.
Following the Group Stage, which will see Qadsia SC, FC Istiklol, Paro FC, Borneo FC Samarinda and Shan United FC serve as centralised hosts, the Quarter-finals and Semi-finals—both double-legged affairs—are set for March 3-18 and April 7-15, 2027 respectively, with the Final slated for May 8.
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