Al-Arabi and Al-Qadsia await AFC Challenge League draw

19/08/2026

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug 19: Al-Arabi and Al-Qadsia will discover their AFC Challenge League group-stage opponents today when the draw is held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, following the completion of the preliminary and playoff rounds.

The group stage is scheduled to begin on October 17, with the competition divided into West and East zones.

Al-Qadsia has qualified after finishing third in the Kuwait Premier League, while Al-Arabi has entered the tournament after losing 4-1 to India’s East Bengal in the AFC Champions League Two playoff last week at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

Kuwait Club is the defending AFC Challenge League champion and subsequently earned direct qualification for the AFC Champions League Two.

The West Zone features 12 teams, with Al-Qadsia, Tajikistan’s Istiklol, and Bhutan’s Paro selected to host the three centralized group stages.

Alongside the two Kuwaiti clubs, the West Zone lineup includes Syria’s Homs Al-Fidaa and Ahli Aleppo, Lebanon’s Al-Ansar and Al-Najma, India’s Goa, Tajikistan’s Istiklol and Regar-TadAZ, Turkmenistan’s Ahal, Kyrgyzstan’s Muras United, Bangladesh’s Fortis and Bhutan’s Paro.

The East Zone comprises eight teams: Indonesia’s Borneo, Philippines’ One Taguig, Myanmar’s Shan United and Yangon United, Taiwan’s Tainan City and Hang Yuen, Mongolia’s FC Ulaanbaatar, plus the losing side from the East Zone AFC Champions League Two playoff.

The group stage will run from October to December, with the quarterfinals scheduled for March 2027, the semifinals in April, and the final on May 8.

For the West Zone draw, Al-Arabi, Goa, and Ahal are in Pot 1, while Al-Qadsia, Al-Ansar, and Al-Najma are in Pot 2. Pot 3 contains Istiklol, Fortis, and Ahli Aleppo, with Paro, Regar-TadAZ, and Homs Al-Fidaa in Pot 4.

According to AFC regulations, clubs from the same pot or the same country cannot be drawn into the same group.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff