The AFC Champions League Two (abbreviated as the ACL Two or ACL2) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC Champions League Elite and above the AFC Challenge League.
The competition was founded in 2004 as the AFC Cup, played primarily among clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying slots to the top-tier AFC Champions League. The competition rebranded to its current name in 2024. In a bid to increase competitiveness, its format was also changed to include clubs from higher ranked AFC member associations, and the prize money was increased.
Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in national leagues and cup competitions. Participation in the competition is open to clubs from the top 12 nations in the East and the West region based on the AFC club competitions ranking. The participant from each nation ranked 1–6 in each region is the highest-placed club in that nation that did not qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite. The nations ranked 7–12 in each region enter their top club(s) directly to the AFC Champions League Two.
The winner of the AFC Champions League Two will be allocated an indirect preliminary stage slot for the next AFC Champions League Elite season, if they have not already qualified through domestic competition. The current champions of the competition is Gamba Osaka, who defeated Al-Nassr in the 2026 final. Al-Kuwait and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya are the most successful clubs in the competition's history, having won three titles each. Clubs from Kuwait have won four titles, making them the most successful nation in the competition.
History + Winners Season Winners AFC Cup 2004 Al-Jaish 2005 Al-Faisaly 2006 Al-Faisaly 2007 Shabab Al-Ordon 2008 Al-Muharraq 2009 Kuwait SC 2010 Al-Ittihad Aleppo 2011 Nasaf Qarshi 2012 Kuwait SC 2013 Kuwait SC 2014 Qadsia 2015 Johor Darul Ta'zim 2016 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2017 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2018 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2019 Al-Ahed 2020Cancelled 2021 Al-Muharraq 2022 Al-Seeb 2023–24 Central Coast Mariners AFC Champions League Two 2024–25 Sharjah 2025–26 Gamba Osaka
The AFC Cup began in 2004 as a second-tier competition to relate back to the AFC Champions League, as 14 countries that had developing status competed in the first competition, with 18 teams being nominated. The winners and three runners-up would then head to the knock-out stage. Al-Jaish took the first AFC Cup after they defeated fellow Syrian opponents Al-Wahda on away goals.
In 2005, 18 teams competed from nine nations with the nations still being allowed to choose from one or two teams entering. After Syrian teams left the AFC Cup to try at the AFC Champions League for four years, Al-Faisaly defeated Nejmeh in the final. With it, Jordanian teams would win the next two AFC Cup seasons with Bahrain joining the league while Bangladesh was relegated to the AFC President's Cup until the tournament's abolition in 2014.
Al-Muharraq would break the trend in 2008 as they won the last two-legged final before it headed back into a one-leg system, a rule that was never changed until now.
On 23 December 2022, it was announced that the AFC competition structure would change from the established formats from the 2024–25 season. A new second-tier tournament called the AFC Champions League Two would be introduced. Meanwhile, a new third-tier competition was also launched under the name AFC Challenge League.
On 24 May 2024, AFC announced that the records and statistics of the preceding AFC club competitions will be recognised and integrated within the revamped club competitions, with the data from the AFC Cup transferring to the AFC Champions League Two.
Format
Some changes were applied in terms of teams and format for the 2017 AFC Cup. A total of 36 teams participated in the group stage (12 each from West Asia and ASEAN, and 4 each from East Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia). The final is played as a one-off match.
Allocation The allocation of group stage teams by member country was listed below; asterisks represent occasions where at least one team was eliminated in qualification for the group stage. Those who had not reached the group stage but had only played in qualification are not bolded. AssociationsSpots20042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023–242024–252025–262026–27EAFF China00000000000000000000111 Chinese Taipei00000000000000*111*112*000 Guam00000000000000*000000000 Hong Kong12222222222220021220222 Japan00000000000000000000111 Macau0000000000000*0101001*000 Mongolia0000000000000*10*0*0*10*1000 North Korea0000000000000221*0000000 South Korea00000000000000000000112*Total12222222222223444434556AFF Australia00000000000000002112* Brunei00000000000000000*0*00*000 Cambodia00000000000001*111221*002 Indonesia00000122122200222222*111 Laos00000000000110*0*11*0*10*000 Malaysia22222210222222100222111 Myanmar00000000222222222001*000 Philippines000000000001*2222201221*0* Singapore22222111222222222221*222 Thailand000±102221000000000003*3*1 Timor-Leste00000000000000000*100000 Vietnam00010222222002222211121Total4446488710101010911121212111112111110SAFF Bangladesh122000000000*11*1*11*1*1*1*000 Bhutan0000000000000*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*000 India22222222222222221*2220*1*1* Maldives222222221*22221*1*021*1*1*000 Nepal000000000000*00*0100*0*0*000 Pakistan0000000000000*0000000000 Sri Lanka00000000000000*00*0*0*0*0000Total56644444344454444444011CAFA Afghanistan00000000000000*000000000 Iran000000000000000000002*2*1 Kyrgyzstan000000000010*0*21*1*2221*000 Tajikistan000000000211*1*1*1*22221*21*0 Turkmenistan222200000001*1*1*21*2222*1*2*1 Uzbekistan00000112100000001110111Total22220112122224447774663WAFF Bahrain00112210012222222221*1*22 Iraq00000203222222200002111 Jordan02232222222222222201222* Kuwait000002333222000221221*01* Lebanon22222322222222222222000 Oman101222222221*2221*1*021*00*2 Palestine00000000000*1*20*0*11221*000 Qatar00000010000000000000111 Saudi Arabia00000000100000000000111 Syria2000023321*2222222222*000 United Arab Emirates000000000000000000002*12* Yemen10022222220*0*00000000000Total64610101716171614141414121212121112129812TotalFinals1818202420323132323232323234363639373736313132Qualifying1818202420323132333334414050444348434349333435
Prize money The prize money as of the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two are as follows, in United States dollar (USD):
RoundTeamsAmountPer teamTotalFinal (Champions)1$2.5 millionFinal (Runners-up)1$1 millionSemi-finals4$240,000$960,000Quarter-finals8$160,000$1,280,000Round of 1616$80,000$1,280,000Group stage32$300,000$9,600,000Total32$16,620,000
Marketing Sponsorship The tournament has been sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to the single main sponsor typically found in national top-flight leagues.
Official Global Partners Neom Qatar Airways Visit Saudi
Official Global Supporters
Aspetar Kelme Midea Tecno Mobile Visa Inc.
Records and statistics
Results
Performance by club
Performance by nation NationTitlesRunners-upTotal437325314224213134112112101101101101022011011011011011
Most Valuable Player Season Player Club 2011 Artur Gevorkyan Nasaf Qarshi 2012 Rogerinho Al-Kuwait 2013 Bader Al-Mutawa Al-Qadsia 2014 Saif Al Hashan Al-Qadsia 2015 Safiq Rahim Johor Darul Ta'zim 2016 Hammadi Ahmed Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2017 Manuchekhr Dzhalilov Istiklol 2018 Hammadi Ahmed Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2019 Mehdi Khalil Al-Ahed 2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia 2021 Abdulwahab Al-Malood Al-Muharraq 2022 Eid Al-Farsi Al-Seeb 2023–24 Mikael Doka Central Coast Mariners 2024–25 Caio Lucas Sharjah 2025–26 Issam Jebali Gamba Osaka
Top scorers YearPlayerClubGoals2004 Indra Sahdan Daud Home United7 Egmar Goncalves Home United2005 Mo'ayyad Salim Al-Faisaly9 2006 Mahmoud Shelbaieh Al-Wehdat8 2007 Odai Al Saify Shabab Al-Ordun5 Mohammed Ghaddar Nejmeh2008 Rico Al-Muharraq192009 Robert Akaruye Busaiteen8 Mohamad Hamwi Al-Karamah Jehad Al Hussain Al-Kuwait Huỳnh Kesley Alves Bình Dương2010 Afonso Alves Al-Rayyan92011 Ivan Bošković Nasaf Qarshi102012 Amjad Radhi Erbil9 Raja Rafe Al-Shorta2013 Issam Jemâa Al-Kuwait162014 Juan Belencoso Kitchee112015 Daniel McBreen South China8 Riste Naumov Ayeyawady United2016 Hammadi Ahmed Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya162017 Kim Yu-song April 2592018 An Il-bom April 25122019 Bienvenido Marañón Ceres–Negros102020 Bienvenido Marañón Ceres–Negros52021 Khusayin Norchaev Nasaf Qarshi72022 Jasur Hasanov Sogdiana Jizzakh5 Paulo Josué Kuala Lumpur City Pedro Paulo Viettel2023–24 Marco Túlio Central Coast Mariners82024–25 Sardar Azmoun Shabab Al Ahli92025–26 Trent Buhagiar Tampines Rovers8
Winning coaches YearClubCoach2004 Al-Jaish Costică Ștefănescu2005 Al-Faisaly Branko Smiljanić2006 Al-Faisaly Adnan Hamad2007 Shabab Al-Ordon Nizar Mahrous2008 Al-Muharraq Salman Sharida2009 Al-Kuwait Mohamad Abdulla2010 Al-Ittihad Valeriu Tița2011 Nasaf Qarshi Anatoliy Demyanenko2012 Al-Kuwait Marin Ion2013 Al-Kuwait Marin Ion2014 Al-Qadsia Antonio Puche2015 Johor Darul Ta'zim Mario Gómez2016 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Basim Qasim2017 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Hussam Al Sayed2018 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Basim Qasim2019 Al-Ahed Bassem Marmar2021 Al-Muharraq Isa Sadoon Al-Hamdani2022 Al-Seeb Rashid Jaber2023–24 Central Coast Mariners Mark Jackson2024–25 Sharjah Cosmin Olăroiu2025–26 Gamba Osaka Jens Wissing
Top goalscorers
Rank Player Goals Years Club(s) 1 Bienvenido Marañón 35 2016–2020 Ceres–Negros 2 Mahmoud Shelbaieh 34 2006–2016 Al-Wehdat 3 Aleksandar Đurić 32 2004–2014 Geylang United, Singapore Armed Forces, Tampines Rovers Amjad Radhi 32 2011–2018 Erbil, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 5 Bader Al-Mutawa 30 2010–2019 Al-Qadsia Rico 30 2006–2015 Al-Muharraq, Al-Riffa, Al-Hidd 7 Ali Ashfaq 29 2004–2020 Club Valencia, New Radiant, VB Sports Club, TC Sports Club 8 Rogerinho 28 2009–2015 Al-Kuwait 9 Jordi Tarrés 25 2012–2019 Kitchee 10 Kim Yu-song 24 2017–2019 April 25
See also CONMEBOL Sudamericana – South American equivalent UEFA Europa League – European equivalent CAF Confederation Cup – African equivalent List of association football competitions
Notes
References
External links Official website AFC Cup on RSSSF