KUALA LUMPUR, 4th February, 2026 (WAM) — The AFC Champions League Two (ACL Two) 2025/26 is set for a thrilling return to action when the Knockout Stage kicks off on 10th February.
Sixteen clubs will continue their quest for glory in the two-legged showdowns, with the pairings – as well as the route to the Final – determined during a draw in December.
Nine contenders are in their maiden ACL Two campaigns, namely Al Nassr Club, Al Wasl FC, Al Ahli SC, Esteghlal FC, FC Arkadag, Gamba Osaka, FC Pohang Steelers, Ratchaburi FC and Cong An Ha Noi FC, with this also marking Cong An’s Continental bow. With no former winners among the other seven clubs in the Round of 16, it means that the 21st edition of the ACL Two will crown a new champion.
Iraq’s Al Zawraa SC advanced to their fourth knockout berth in six appearances by placing second in Group D, and the 2017 Zonal semi-finalists, who were 2024/25 league runners-up, will welcome Al Wasl FC at the Al Zawraa Stadium in Baghdad for a 7:00 pm kick-off. The UAE visitors, fourth in their league last season, have reached their third Knockout Stage in AFC history but first since the Quarter-finals of the 1994/95 Asian Club Championship. Al Zawraa hold a superior head-to-head record, winning both group meetings during the AFC Champions League in 2019.
Making their eighth knockout appearance in AFC competition, Iran’s Esteghlal FC, which qualified as Group A runners-up, will face Jordan’s 2024/25 league champions Al Hussein at 5:45 pm at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai.
After winning the AFC Challenge League in their Continental bow last season, Turkmenistan’s FC Arkadag are on the hunt for more glory and the Group B runners-up will play host at the Ashgabat Olympic Stadium at 6:45 pm. They will face Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr Club, who picked up maximum points to top Group D and book their sixth AFC knockout appearance.
Thai outfit Ratchaburi FC ended Group F in second place to seal their debut knockout showing in AFC competition, on only their second Continental involvement after the AFC Champions League in 2021. Their Ratchaburi Stadium provides the backdrop for a 7:15 pm showdown against Indonesian’s Persib Bandung, marking their third ACL Two campaign with a second knockout qualification after winning Group G.
Also at 7:15 pm, another all-ASEAN clash takes place at the Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi, where Vietnam’s 2024/25 cup holders Cong An Ha Noi FC – the Group E runners-up – entertain Tampines Rovers FC. The Singaporean league runners-up for 2024/25 are the most experienced side remaining, with 14 ACL Two involvements, and secured their sixth knockout berth by winning Group H; their sights will be set on a breakthrough, having fallen at the last eight on four previous occasions (2005, 2006, 2007, 2016).
A second-place finish in Group H earned FC Pohang Steelers a sixth knockout showing in AFC competition, with the 2024 Korea Republic cup champions—a record sixth title—set to take on Japan’s Gamba Osaka. Winners of Group F, this marks the away side’s first knockout appearance since the 2015 AFC Champions League™ last four and is scheduled for 7:00 pm at the Steelyard in Pohang.
The Pathum Thani Stadium will witness Bangkok United making a knockout appearance for a second consecutive edition at 7:15 pm after the Thai club – league runners-up in 2024/25 – qualified as Group G runners-up. Eliminated at this stage last season, the home side will hope to go further by overcoming Group E winners Macarthur FC, who lifted the Australian cup for a second time in 2024/25 and made the Zonal Final in 2023/24 on their Continental debut.
The return legs for the ACL Two Round of 16 are scheduled for 17th to 19th February, with the eight winners advancing to the Quarter-finals from 3rd to 12th March, followed by the Semi-finals between 7th and 15th April, with the showdown Final set for 16th May.
