2025–26 AFC Champions League Two knockout stage

The knockout stage of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two is being played from 10 February to 16 May 2026.[1] A total of 16 teams will compete in the knockout stage.[2]

Qualified teams

The following teams advanced from the group stage.

Region Group Winners Runners-up
West Region A Al Wasl Esteghlal
B Al Ahli Arkadag
C Al-Hussein Sepahan
D Al-Nassr Al-Zawraa
East Region E Macarthur FC Công An Hà Nội
F Gamba Osaka Ratchaburi
G Persib Bangkok United
H Tampines Rovers Pohang Steelers

Format

In the knockout stage, 16 teams play a single-elimination tournament, split by Region. Each tie will be played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, except the final which will be played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out will be used to decide the winners if necessary (Regulations Article 10). The order of matches (home vs away) was determined at the draw, except for the final, which was pre-determined on a rotation basis, with the match to be hosted by the team from the West Region. The draw for the knockout stage was held on 30 December 2025.[3]

Schedule

The quarter-finals for the West Region have been postponed due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[4][5]

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[2]

Stage Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Knockout stage Round of 16 30 December 2025 10–12 February 2026 17–19 February 2026
Quarter-finals 4 March 2026 –TBD 11 March 2026 –TBD
Semi-finals 7–8 April 2026 14–15 April 2026
Final 17 May 2026

Bracket

Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
Al-Zawraa325
Al Wasl (a.e.t.)246
Al Wasl
Al-Nassr
Arkadag000
Al-Nassr 112
Winner QF1
West Region
Winner QF2
Sepahan202
Al Ahli (a.e.t.)213
Al Ahli
Al-Hussein
Esteghlal022
17 May
Al-Hussein134
Winner SF1
Winner SF2
Pohang Steelers112
Gamba Osaka123
Gamba Osaka (a.e.t.)123
Ratchaburi112
Ratchaburi303
Persib011
Gamba Osaka
East Region
Bangkok United
Bangkok United224
Macarthur FC022
Bangkok United224
Tampines Rovers123
Công An Hà Nội011
Tampines Rovers336

Round of 16

Summary

The first legs were played on 10 and 12 February, and the second legs were played on 17 and 19 February 2026.[6]

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
West Region
Al-Zawraa 5–6 Al Wasl3–22–4 (a.e.t.)
Arkadag 0–2 Al-Nassr0–10–1
Sepahan 2–3 Al Ahli2–20–1 (a.e.t.)
Esteghlal 2–4 Al-Hussein0–12–3
East Region
Pohang Steelers 2–3 Gamba Osaka1–11–2
Ratchaburi 3–1 Persib3–00–1
Bangkok United 4–2 Macarthur FC2–02–2
Công An Hà Nội 1–6 Tampines Rovers0–3[a]1–3

West Region

Al-Zawraa 3–2 Al Wasl
  • Jamous 45+7'
  • Riascos 68', 76'
 Report
Attendance: 13,000
Referee: Nasrullo Kabirov (Tajikistan)
Al Wasl 4–2 (a.e.t.) Al-Zawraa
 Report
  • Gbadamosi 21', 65'
Attendance: 3,602
Referee: Alex King (Australia)

Al Wasl won 6–5 on aggregate.

Esteghlal 0–1 Al-Hussein
Report
Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)[b]
Attendance: 1,695
Referee: Qasim Al-Hatmi (Oman)
Al-Hussein 3–2 Esteghlal
 Report
Attendance: 2,590
Referee: Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan)

Al-Hussein won 4–2 on aggregate.

Arkadag 0–1 Al-Nassr
Report
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Ammar Mahfoodh (Bahrain)
Al-Nassr 1–0 Arkadag
 Report
Attendance: 3,631
Referee: Payam Heydari (Iran)

Al-Nassr won 2–0 on aggregate.

Sepahan 2–2 Al Ahli
 Report
Attendance: 337
Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)
Al Ahli 1–0 (a.e.t.) Sepahan
 Report
Attendance: 1,339
Referee: Ryo Tanimoto (Japan)

Al Ahli won 3–2 on aggregate.

East Region

Ratchaburi 3–0 Persib
 Report
Attendance: 5,844
Referee: Ahmed Eisa Darwish (United Arab Emirates)
Persib 1–0 Ratchaburi
 Report
Attendance: 26,406

Ratchaburi won 3–1 on aggregate.

Công An Hà Nội 0–3
Awarded[a]		 Tampines Rovers
 Report
Attendance: 3,186
Referee: Zaid Thamer Mohammed (Iraq)
Tampines Rovers 3–1 Công An Hà Nội
 Report
Attendance: 1,701
Referee: Kim Yu-jeong (South Korea)

Tampines Rovers won 6–1 on aggregate.

Bangkok United 2–0 Macarthur FC
 Report
Attendance: 1,092
Referee: Shen Yinhao (China)
Macarthur FC 2–2 Bangkok United
 Report
Attendance: 1,666
Referee: Meder Tayçiev (Kyrgyzstan)

Bangkok United won 4–2 on aggregate.

Pohang Steelers 1–1 Gamba Osaka
 Report
Attendance: 4,589
Referee: Ahmad A'Qashah (Singapore)
Gamba Osaka 2–1 Pohang Steelers
 Report
  • Nishiya 61'
Attendance: 9,456

Gamba Osaka won 3–2 on aggregate.

Quarter-finals

Summary

The West Regions quarter-finals fixtures were originally scheduled to take place between 3 and 10 March, but were postponed indefinitely by the AFC due to impacts from the 2026 Iran war.[4][5] The first legs for the East Region were played on 4 and 5 March, with the second legs played on 11 and 12 March.[9]

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
West Region
Al Wasl TBD Al-Nassr
Al Ahli TBD Al-Hussein
East Region
Gamba Osaka 3–2 Ratchaburi1–12–1 (a.e.t.)
Bangkok United 4–3 Tampines Rovers2–12–2

West Region

Al-Nassr v Al Wasl
Al-Hussein v Al Ahli

East Region

Gamba Osaka 1–1 Ratchaburi
 Report
Attendance: 7,024
Referee: Alex King (Australia)
Ratchaburi 1–2 (a.e.t.) Gamba Osaka
  • Gleyson 50'
 Report
Attendance: 9,862

Gamba Osaka won 3–2 on aggregate.

Bangkok United 2–1 Tampines Rovers
 Report
Attendance: 1,153
Referee: Ryo Tanimoto (Japan)
Tampines Rovers 2–2 Bangkok United
 Report
Attendance: 1,350
Referee: Wang Di (China)

Bangkok United won 4–3 on aggregate.

Semi-finals

Summary

The first legs will be played on 7 and 8 April, and the second legs will be played on 14 and 15 April.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
West Region
Winner QF1TBDWinner QF2
East Region
Gamba Osaka SF2 Bangkok United8 Apr15 Apr

West Region

Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
Winner QF2 v Winner QF1

East Region

Gamba Osaka v Bangkok United
Bangkok United v Gamba Osaka

Final

Main article: 2026 AFC Champions League Two final

The final is scheduled to be played on 17 May 2026. The host of the final was determined by the pre-determined rotation basis, with the team of the West Region hosting the final. The winners will also qualify for the preliminary stage of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite, unless they have already qualified through their league performance.

Winner SF1 v Winner SF2


Notes

  1. ^ a b Tampines Rovers were awarded a 0–3 victory by forfeit, after Công An Hà Nội fielded two ineligible players, Stefan Mauk and Rogério Alves. The score on the field was originally a 4–0 win by Công An Hà Nội.[7]
  2. ^ Esteghlal were required to play their home matches at neutral venues instead of their regular home stadium, Azadi Stadium, Tehran, due to security concerns relating to the 2026 Iran massacres.[8]
  3. ^ a b Al-Hussein play their home matches at Amman International Stadium, Amman, instead of their regular home stadium Al-Hassan Stadium, Irbid, which did not meet AFC requirements.
  4. ^ Sepahan were required to play their home matches at neutral venues instead of their regular home stadium, Naghsh-e Jahan Stadium, Isfahan, due to security concerns relating to the 2026 Iran massacres.[8]
  5. ^ The match was originally scheduled to be played on 4 March 2026, but postponed due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[4]
  6. ^ The match was originally scheduled to be played on 11 March 2026, but postponed due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[5]
  7. ^ The match was originally scheduled to be played on 3 March 2026, but postponed due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[4]
  8. ^ The match was originally scheduled to be played on 10March 2026, but postponed due to the impacts from the 2026 Iran War.[5]
  9. ^ Bangkok United play their home matches at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, instead of their regular home stadium Pathum Thani Stadium, Pathum Thani, which hosted the 2026 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup in the same time.

References

  1. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026)" (PDF). AFC. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b "AFC Champions League Two 2025-26 Competition Regulations". AFC. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  3. ^ "[AFC Champions League Two] Knockout Stage finalised". AFC. 30 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d "Statement on AFC Club Competitions". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d "Second-leg knockout ties of AFC Club Competitions postponed". Asian Football Confederation. Asian Football Confederation. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Official Match Schedule Knockout Stage - Round of 16" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 30 December 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 December 2025.
  7. ^ "AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee Meeting on 17 February 2026" (PDF).
  8. ^ a b "Iran's bid for normalcy via sport: Matches return but players refuse the script". Iran International. 25 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Official Match Schedule Knockout Stage - Quarter-finals, Semi-finals & Final" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
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