2025–26 AFC Challenge League
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 12 August 2025 Competition proper: 25 October 2025 – 9 May 2026 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 20 (from 27 associations) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
The 2025–26 AFC Challenge League will be 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]
Arkadag are the reigning champions, but will not defend their title as the winner of the Challenge League automatically qualifies for the Champions League Two Group stage.
The winner will be given a direct slot for the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two group stage, if they have not already qualified through their domestic performance.[3]
Association team allocation
The associations are allocated slots according to their club competitions ranking which was published after the 2023–24 competitions were completed.[4][5]
| Participation for 2025–26 AFC Challenge League | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
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- Notes
- ^ AFC Licensing (AFC): Association did not have a licensed club.[6]
- ^ AFC Slots (AFC2): The indirect slot of one of the Member Associations that did not enter was redistributed to the next highest eligible Member Association.[7]
- ^ 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 the competition.
Teams
- 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,[8] 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.[6]
- ^ Mongolia (MGL): Since the 2024-25 MFF Cup could not be completed in time for due to tightness of schedules and delays, the AFC Challenge League playoff spot will be passed to the Premier League runners-up, Khangarid.
- ^ 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.[9] 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.[6]
- ^ 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
The schedule of the competition is as follows.[10]
| Stage | Round | Draw date | West region | East region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | No draw[a] | 12 August 2025 | |||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 24 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 | 19 February 2026 | 4 and 11 March 2026 | 5 and 12 March 2026 | |
| Semi-finals | 7 and 15 April 2026 | 9 and 16 April 2026 | |||
| Final | 9 May 2026 | ||||
- ^ Pre-determined format. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same tie.
Preliminary stage
The bracket of the preliminary stage was determined based on each team's seeding, with the team with higher seeding 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) will advance to the group stage and join the 11 direct entrants.[11]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Region | ||
| Abahani Dhaka | 12 August 2025 | Muras United |
| Al-Karamah | 12 August 2025 | Bashundhara Kings |
| Abdysh-Ata Kant | 12 August 2025 | Hutteen |
| Maziya | 12 August 2025 | Al-Arabi |
| Paro | 12 August 2025 | Abu Muslim |
| East Region | ||
| Tainan City | 12 August 2025 | Khangarid |
| SP Falcons | 12 August 2025 | Taichung Futuro |
| Yangon United | 12 August 2025 | Ezra |
| Kasuka | 12 August 2025 | Phnom Penh Crown |
West Region
East Region
Group stage
The group stage draw is scheduled to take place on 28 August 2025.
Beirut
Location of the 2025–26 AFC Challenge League group stage teams
See also
- 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite
- 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two
- 2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League
Notes
- ^ Al-Karamah will play their home match at Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha (Qatar), instead of their regular home stadium Khalid ibn al-Walid Stadium, Homs.
- ^ Paro will play their home match at Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu, instead of their regular home stadium Woochu Sports Arena, Paro.
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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 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.
- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ "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.