AFC Champions League Two Draw: Shenhua to Face Machida! Grouped with Weak Teams from Cambodia and Singapore

On August 18, Beijing time, the draw for the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with Chinese football legend Fan Zhiyi serving as the draw master. As the only Chinese Super League participant, last season's runner-up Shanghai Shenhua, as a second-tier team, was placed in Group G and will face Machida Zelvia, Svay Rieng, and Tampines Rovers.

Group Details

Group A: Al Wahda (UAE), Nasaf (Uzbekistan), Kuwait SC (Kuwait), Al-Hala (Bahrain)

Group B: Al Jazira (UAE), Gol Gohar (Iran), Muharraq (Bahrain), Arkadag (Turkmenistan)

Group C: Al Taawoun (Saudi Arabia), Al Rayyan (Qatar), Al Faisaly (Jordan), Al-Nahda (Oman)

Group D: Al-Hussein (Jordan), Al-Shorta (Iraq), Al-Seeb (Oman), East Bengal FC (India)

Group E: FC Seoul (South Korea), Melbourne Victory (Australia), Viettel (Vietnam), Persib Bandung (Indonesia)/Manila Digger (Philippines)

Group F: Adelaide United (Australia), BG Pathum United (Thailand), Lion City Sailors (Singapore), Tai Po (Hong Kong China)

Group G: Machida Zelvia (Japan), Shanghai Shenhua (China), Svay Rieng (Cambodia), Tampines Rovers (Singapore)

Group H: Gangwon FC (South Korea), Kuching City (Malaysia), Kitchee (Hong Kong China), Phnom Penh FC (Cambodia)

Draw Rules

The AFC Champions League Two will continue the format of the previous AFC Champions League. A total of 32 teams from East and West Asia zones will be divided into 8 groups, playing home-and-away round-robin matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage. Teams from East and West Asia will not meet until the final.

The draw will follow the principle of avoiding teams from the same league, and a special draw software will be used to avoid deadlock situations.

Schedule

The group stage of the AFC Champions League Two will run from September 15 to December 9, followed by the Round of 16 from February 9 to 18, 2027.

The quarter-finals are scheduled for March 2 to 18, and the semi-finals from April 6 to 14, with the final tentatively set for May 15, 2027.

Attachment: AFC Champions League Two Pot Seeding

West Asia Zone

Pot 1: Al Jazira (UAE), Al-Hussein (Jordan), Al Taawoun (Saudi Arabia), Al Wahda (UAE)

Pot 2: Al Rayyan (Qatar), Gol Gohar (Iran), Nasaf (Uzbekistan), Al-Shorta (Iraq)

Pot 3: Al Faisaly (Jordan), Muharraq (Bahrain), Al-Seeb (Oman), Kuwait SC (Kuwait)

Pot 4: Al-Hala (Bahrain), Al-Nahda (Oman), East Bengal FC (India), Arkadag (Turkmenistan)

East Asia Zone

Pot 1: Gangwon FC (South Korea), Adelaide United (Australia), Machida Zelvia (Japan), FC Seoul (South Korea)

Pot 2: BG Pathum United (Thailand), Shanghai Shenhua (China), Melbourne Victory (Australia), Kuching City (Malaysia)

Pot 3: Viettel (Vietnam), Lion City Sailors (Singapore), Kitchee (Hong Kong China), Svay Rieng (Cambodia)

Pot 4: Tampines Rovers (Singapore), Tai Po (Hong Kong China), Phnom Penh FC (Cambodia), Persib Bandung (Indonesia)/Manila Digger (Philippines)