Kuala lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced the draw mechanism for the group stage of the 2026-2027 AFC Champions League, which is set to occur on August 18 at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The announcement details the participation of 32 clubs, equally split between the West and East zones, and their division into four pots per zone, with each team playing eight matches split between home and away venues.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the AFC outlined that the top eight clubs from each zone will secure a spot in the Round of 16, scheduled from March 1 to 17. The finals, covering the quarter-finals to the final match, will take place in Saudi Arabia from April 23 to May 1. The draw mechanism involves selecting clubs using a fixed grid and an electronic program, ensuring clubs from the same national federation do not compete against each other in the league stage.

The distribution of the West Zone pots was also clarified by the AFC. Pot 1 includes Al-Ahli Saudi, Al-Ain from UAE, Al-Sadd from Qatar, and Esteghlal from Iran. Pot 2 features Al-Nassr from Saudi Arabia, Nasaf Qarshi from Uzbekistan, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya from Iraq, and UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli. Pot 3 lists Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia, Al-Gharafa from Qatar, Tractor from Iran, and Al-Wasl from UAE. Finally, Pot 4 consists of Al-Qadisiyah from Saudi Arabia, Al-Shamal from Qatar, Al-Ittihad from Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor. The draw will ensure sporting fairness with the allocation of home and away matches.