The draw for the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite League took place on Friday evening in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and resulted in several exciting matches, similar to last season’s edition.
Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia holds the Elite title from last year’s edition. The competition will feature 12 teams from the West Zone and 12 teams from the East Zone, divided into two groups. Sixteen of the 24 teams will ultimately advance to the quarter-finals.
Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia will also participate, along with Al-Ittihad, the Roshen League champions, along with three Qatari clubs: Al-Sadd, Al-Gharafa, and Al-Duhail; three Emirati clubs: Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai, Al-Wahda, and Sharjah; and Al-Shorta of Iraq.
The following lines briefly review the match schedules for the most prominent Arab teams in the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite League during the league stage.
Al-Hilal’s 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite Schedule
Home: Al-Sadd, Al-Shorta, Al-Duhail, Al-Wahda
Away: Shabab Al-Ahli, Nasaf, Sharjah, Al-Wahda
Al-Ittihad’s 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite Schedule
Home: Shabab Al-Ahli, Nasaf, Sharjah, Al-Gharafa
Away: Al-Sadd, Al-Shorta, Al-Duhail, Al-Wahda
Al-Ahli’s 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite Schedule
Home: Shabab Al-Ahli, Nasaf, Sharjah, Al-Gharafa
Away: Al-Sadd, Al-Shorta, Al-Duhail, Al-Wahda
2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite Schedule – League Stage
First round: September 15-17 – Second round: September 29-1 – Third round: September 20-22 – Fourth round: November 3-5 – Fifth round: November 24-25 – Sixth round: December 9th and 10th for the East Asian group, and December 22nd and 23rd for the West Asian clubs – the seventh from February 9th to 11th – the eighth and final from February 16th to 18th.
