AFC Challenge League
FIFA Region
AFC
Season
2026-2027
Location
Asia/Australia
Abbreviation
AFCCL3
Summary
The 2026-2027 AFC Challenge League ( AFCCL3) is a 3rd Tier Asian club football tournament where 18 premier league/1st division club teams from 19 of the AFC F/As (football associations) are represented. 2026-2027 AFCCL3 runs from 11 August 2026 to 8 May 2027. The winner will receive a berth in the 2027-2028 AFCCL2 Group Stage.
The 2026-2027 AFCCL3 Team Allocation table details club team slots earned by each F/A for the 2026-2027 AFC competitions . Overall F/A rankings are based on each association's performance in Asian competitions over the past eight seasons.
Kuwait SC (KUW1) are the defending AFCCL3 champion.
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2026-2027 AFC Challenge League
Team Allocation
Team Allocation
| F/A | AFC Rank | Group | Prelim |
|---|
| Turkmenistan | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| Kuwait | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| Lebanon | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| Tajikistan | 24 | 1 | 1 |
| Indonesia | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| Philippines | 27 | 1 | 0 |
| Bangladesh | 28 | 0 | 2 |
| Syria | 29 | 0 | 2 |
| Myanmar | 30 | 1 | 1 |
| Chinese Taipei | 31 | 0 | 2 |
| Maldives | 33 | 0 | 1 |
| Mongolia | 34 | 0 | 2 |
| Bhutan | 36 | 0 | 1 |
| Laos | 38 | 0 | 1 |
| Afghanistan | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| Brunei | 42 | 0 | 1 |
| Timor-Leste | 43 | 0 | 1 |
Competition Structure
| Stage | # Teams | New Teams Entering This Round | Teams From Previous Round | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary | 18 | (SEE PLAYOFF COLUMN OF TEAM ALLOCATION TABLE) | 9 Knockout matches | |
| Group | 18 | (SEE GROUP COLUMN OF TEAM ALLOCATION TABLE) | 9 winners from Playoffs stage | 3 groups of 4, 2 groups of 3; Home/Away matches against each team in group; top 2 teams in Groups D and E, top team in Groups A, B, and C, and 2nd place team with most points in Groups A, B, and C advance |
| Quarterfinals | 8 | None | 8 winners from Round of 16 | 4 sets of Home/Away matches, highest aggregate goals advances |
| Semifinals | 4 | None | 4 winners from Round of 16 | 2 sets of Home/Away matches, highest aggregate goals advances |
| Final | 2 | None | 2 winners from Round of 16 | Home/Away matches, highest aggregate goals wins |
Preliminary Round
| Date | Home | Status | Road | Venue | ||||
Mon - 10 Aug 2026
 | 22 | Tainan City FC (TPE1) | MFF Football Centre | |||
| Tainan City FC advances on PKs (5-3) | ||||||
Tue - 11 Aug 2026
 | 12 | Hang Yuan FC (TPE1) | MFF Football Centre |
 | 10 | Muras United FC (KGZ1) | Bashundhara Kings Arena |
 | 20 | Abu Muslim Farah FC (AFG1) | Changlimithang Stadium |
 | 11 | Homs Al Fidaa SC (SYR1) | Dolen Omurzakov Stadium | |||
| Homs Al Fidaa SC advances on PKs (8-7) | ||||||
 | 10 | Bangladesh Police FC (BAN1) | King Abdullah II Stadium |
Wed - 12 Aug 2026
 | 03 | FK Regar-TadAZ Tursunzoda (TJK1) | Changlimithang Stadium |
Tue - 8 Sep 2026
 | Yangon United FC (MYA1) | Laos National Stadium |
 | Karketu Dili FC (TLS1) | Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium |