AFC Champions League Elite draw nears as Al-Nassr seeded above Al-Hilal

The stage is set for the draw for the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite, with Saudi Arabian giants Al-Nassr seeded one tier above rivals Al-Hilal ahead of Tuesday’s ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed the draw mechanism for the expanded league phase, which will feature 32 clubs divided equally between the West and East regions.

In each region, 16 teams will be split into four pots of four. Every club will play eight matches against eight different opponents, with four games at home and four away. Clubs will not face teams from their own national association during the league phase.

Al-Nassr, returning to the competition after missing last season’s edition, have been placed in Pot 2 alongside Uzbekistan’s Neftchi, Iraq’s Air Force Club and UAE side Shabab Al-Ahli.

Al-Hilal, one of the most successful clubs in Asian football, are in Pot 3 alongside Qatar’s Al-Gharafa, Iran’s Tractor and UAE club Al-Wasl.

Defending champions Al-Ahli headline Pot 1, alongside Al-Ain of the UAE, Qatar’s Al-Sadd and Iran’s Esteghlal.

Pot 4 consists of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ittihad, Qatar’s Al-Shamal and Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor.

The draw will use a fixed grid rather than individually selecting eight opponents for each club. Teams will be placed into four columns, with the position determining their home and away opponents.

The AFC has also introduced country-protection measures to ensure clubs from the same national association are not placed in positions that would result in them meeting during the league phase.

The East Region will follow the same format, with clubs including Kashima Antlers, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Buriram United, Shanghai Port, Vissel Kobe and Pohang Steelers among the participants.

The top eight teams from each region will advance to the Round of 16, which is scheduled to take place from March 1 to 17, 2027.

The competition will then move to Saudi Arabia for a centralised final stage, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final scheduled from April 23 to May 1, 2027.

Al-Ahli will begin their title defence seeking to make history by becoming the first club to win the revamped AFC Champions League Elite three times in succession.

The draw takes place on Tuesday, August 18, at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, with the outcome set to determine the first major matchups of the new Asian club season.

Fan in Afghanistan can meanwhile tune in on Tuesday, August 18, at 12.30pm Kabul time to watch the draw live and exclusively on Ariana Television.