The pathway towards the inaugural AFC Champions League Two™ (ACL Two) season was unveiled today by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), with 32 teams competing for top honours in the Continent’s brand-new second-tier men’s club competition.
In accordance with the finalised AFC Club Competitions 2024/25 slot allocations and club licensing requirements, 27 teams from across 21 Member Associations (MAs) – 12 from the West region and 15 from the East – qualify directly to the Group Stage, along with the three teams (two West, one East) that will be eliminated from the Preliminary Stage of the AFC Champions League Elite™.
Four teams will undergo the Preliminary Stage between July 31 and August 14 to fill the remaining two ACL Two Group Stage berths in the West: India’s East Bengal FC will face Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr FC, while Bahrain’s Al Ahli battles Kuwait’s Kuwait SC.
The two winners will complete the 32-strong cast for the 2024/25 campaign, where they are divided evenly into eight groups to contest a round-robin, home-and-away format from September 17 to December 5.
The full list of clubs, along with their respective MA rankings and slot allocations, can be found below:
West
| Rank | Member Association | Club | |
| Direct | Indirect | ||
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | Al Taawoun FC | - |
| 2 | Qatar | Al Wakrah | - |
| 3 | Islamic Republic of Iran | TBC | - |
| 4 | United Arab Emirates | Sharjah FC | - |
| 5 | Uzbekistan | FC Nasaf | - |
| 6 | Iraq | TBC | - |
| 7 | Jordan | Al Hussein | TBC* |
| 8 | Tajikistan | FC Istiklol | FC Ravshan * |
| 9 | India | Mohun Bagan Super Giant | East Bengal FC |
| 10 | Bahrain | Al Khaldiya SC | Al Ahli |
| 11 | Kuwait | - | Kuwait SC |
| 12 | Turkmenistan | - | Altyn Asyr FC |
Note: In addition to the above, two teams that are eliminated from the ACL Elite 2024/25 Preliminary Stage (West) will qualify directly for the ACL Two 2024/25 Group Stage (West)
*Teams directly qualified to Group Stage
East
| Rank | Member Association | Club | |
| Direct | Indirect | ||
| 1 | Japan | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | - |
| 2 | Korea Republic | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC | - |
| 3 | China PR | Zhejiang FC | - |
| 4 | Thailand | Port FC | - |
| 5 | Australia | Sydney FC | - |
| 6 | Malaysia | Selangor FC | - |
| 7 | Vietnam | TBC | TBC* |
| 8 | Hong Kong, China | Lee Man | Eastern* |
| 9 | Philippines | TBC | TBC* |
| 10 | Singapore | Lion City Sailors FC | Tampines Rovers FC* |
| 12 | Indonesia | - | Persib Bandung* |
Note: In addition to the above, one team that is eliminated from the ACL Elite 2024/25 Preliminary Stage (East) will qualify directly for the ACL Two 2024/25 Group Stage (East)
*Teams directly qualified to Group Stage
The official draw ceremony for the Group Stage will be conducted on 16 August 2024, with further details on the Draw Mechanics to be announced in due course.
Following the conclusion of the Group Stage, the top two finishers from each group advance to the double-legged Round of 16, which takes place from February 11 to 20, 2025. The pairings will be determined by the Knockout Stage draw, which will also chart the pathways for the Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final; regional division will apply throughout the entire tournament.
The Quarter-finals and Semi-finals, both double-legged affairs, will be played between March 4 and 13, 2025 and April 8 and 16, 2025 respectively, before the season culminates in a single-leg Final on May 17, 2025.
The overview of the ACL Two 2024/25 schedule can be found below:
An exciting new competition designed to showcase the talent of the Continent’s rising teams, the ACL Two promises fierce and thrilling action, as well as the added incentive of an indirect slot in the ACL Elite 2025/26.
All participating clubs will be supported by significant increases in financial distribution, as teams entering the Group Stage are guaranteed a minimum of USD 300,000, with additional monies available based on their eventual placings, meaning that the champions will receive at least USD 3.28 million.
