DUBAI: Saudi’s Al-Ittihad are set to face UAE’s Al-Jazira in Abu Dhabi as the quest to reach the league and group stages of both the AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League Two for the 2026-27 campaign gets underway next week with seven high-stakes one-off ties in the preliminary stage.
Four League Stage berths are at stake in the ACL Elite — two each in the West and East Regions — as eight clubs do battle on Aug. 11, with the losing clubs directly entering the group stage of the ACL Two.
In the ACL Two, four clubs will lock horns for two group stage spots in the West on Aug. 12, with the defeated sides gaining direct entry to the group stage of the AFC Challenge League.
The respective winning teams will go into the hat for the ACL Elite League Stage and ACL Two group stage draws, both scheduled to be held on Aug. 18 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
ACL Elite - West
Having missed out last season, Uzbek powerhouses Pakhtakor are hoping to take their place among the continent’s elite again for a 20th time in the modern ACL era — which would rank them second only behind the historic 21 campaigns by Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal. The unrivaled 16-time local champions, who finished second in 2025-26 to accompany their record 14th domestic cup triumph, will take on Jordan’s Al-Hussein at the Pakhtakor Stadium in Tashkent, with the visitors aiming to take part in the expanded League Stage for the first time off the back of a domestic double in 2025-26 where they claimed their third league crown — all achieved in consecutive fashion — and first-ever cup success.
At the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Emirati outfit Al-Jazira are eying an 11th involvement, with their most recent being a group stage exit in 2022. Placed fourth in their league in 2025-26, the hosts will face an Al-Ittihad Club side targeting a 14th appearance and immediate return following last season’s quarterfinal exit. The Saudi visitors, who won Asia’s premier club competition in 2004 and 2005, and finished fifth in the SPL in 2025-26, played out 0-0 and 1-1 group stage draws in 2009 in the only two previous meetings between both teams.
ACL Elite - East
After reaching the round of 16 on their continental debut last season, Gangwon FC have the opportunity to return to the League Stage and the Korean club, who placed fifth in their domestic league in 2025-26, will entertain Gamba Osaka at the Gangneung Stadium. The Japanese visitors, who claimed the ACL Two 2025-26 trophy to add to their ACL title from 2008, are seeking an 11th ACL appearance and a first since 2021.
Adelaide United — the beaten finalists from 2008 — are also in contention for a League Stage spot, having last participated for a fifth time in 2017. Runners-up in their domestic league in 2025-26, the Australian club will host Cong An Ha Noi FC at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide and the visitors, who clinched the Vietnamese league title for a third time in 2025-26, are hunting a first-ever ACL appearance.
ACL Two - West
Lifting their fourth domestic league title in 2025-26 — and first since 2003-04 — earned East Bengal FC a preliminary spot, and the Indian club, whose last participation came in 2015, will aim to return for a ninth occasion. They entertain Al-Arabi at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata, with the runners-up in the Kuwait League in 2025-26 eying a fourth showing.
Turkmenistan’s FC Arkadag have their sights set on back-to-back involvements after reaching the round of 16 on their ACL Two debut last season, and the powerhouses, who have won every league and cup match over the past three seasons — 99 in total — will play host to India’s FC Goa at the Arkadag Stadium. The visitors, who won the AIFF Super Cup for a record third time in 2025-26, are also targeting a second showing after turning out in last season’s group stage.
ACL Two - East
For the second season in a row, Persib Bandung and Manila Digger FC meet at the preliminary stage and this showdown is taking place at the Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium in Bandung. The Indonesians, who won a record fifth league title — their third in a row — in 2025-26, prevailed in the previous meeting and went on to make the round of 16; the Filipino visitors will be keen to deny their opponents a fourth ACL Two appearance and instead earn a debut of their own to make more club history after claiming their maiden league crown in 2025-26.
