The 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two group stage was played from 16 September to 24 December 2025. The top two teams from each group qualified for the knockout stage.
Draw
The draw for the group stage took place on 15 August in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four: four groups each in the West Region (Groups A–D) and the East Region (Groups E–H). For each region, teams were seeded into four pots and drawn into the relevant positions within each group, based on their association ranking and their seeding within their association. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.
The following 32 teams entered the group-stage draw, which included the 27 direct entrants, two losers from the AFC Champions League Elite qualifying play-offs and the three winners of the preliminary stage.
RegionGroupsPot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4A–D SepahanACLE Esteghlal Al-Muharraq Al-Wehdat Al-Nassr Andijon Al Khaldiya Al Wasl Al-Zawraa Istiklol GoaPS Al Ahli Al-Hussein Arkadag AhalPSE–H Tai Po Gamba Osaka Macarthur Lion City Sailors Eastern Pohang Steelers Selangor Kaya–Iloilo Tampines Rovers Beijing Guoan Nam Định Ratchaburi PersibPS Legend ACLE: AFC Champions League Elite qualifying play-off losers PS: Preliminary stage winners
Format In the group stage, each group was played in a double round-robin format on home and away basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16 of the knockout stage.
Tiebreakers
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations Article 8.3): Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams; If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams; Goal difference in all group matches; Goals scored in all group matches; Penalty shoot-out if only two teams playing each other in the last round of the group are tied; Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points); Drawing of lots.
Schedule The schedule of the group stage was as follows.
RoundDates (West region)Dates (East region)Matchday 116–17 September 202517–18 September 2025Matchday 230 September – 1 October 20251–2 October 2025Matchday 321–22 October 202522–23 October 2025Matchday 44–5 November 20255–6 November 202529 October 202525–26 November 202526–27 November 2025Matchday 623–24 December 202510–11 December 2025
Groups The detailed schedule was announced after the draw ceremony.
West Region Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
East Region Group E
Group F
Group G
Group H
See also 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite league stage 2025–26 AFC Challenge League group stage
Notes
References
External links