Overview
- The Asian Football Confederation held the group draws on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, and confirmed the Elite league phase has been expanded from 24 to 32 clubs with each side playing eight league matches.
- The draw produced multiple Gulf heavyweight ties that will pit Saudi, Emirati, Qatari and Uzbek clubs against one another, including Al‑Ahli versus Al‑Ain, Al‑Hilal against Al‑Ain and Al‑Nassr facing Al‑Sadd.
- The confederation published a competition calendar that begins in mid‑September, pauses after December and resumes in February, with regionally run round‑of‑16 and centralized quarter‑finals, semi‑finals and final scheduled in spring 2027.
- In the second‑tier AFC Champions League Two East Bengal were drawn into Group D with Al‑Hussein (Jordan), Al‑Shorta (Iraq) and Al‑Seeb (Oman) and will play a home‑and‑away double round robin from mid‑September.
- Matches involving Iranian clubs will be held in neutral countries because of regional security concerns, a move that adds travel and venue complexity for fixtures and intersects with the decision to stage later knockout rounds in Saudi Arabia.