AFC: Expanding club opportunities and raising the bar for ambitions in the new season

Kuala Lumpur, 14 Sep (KUNA) -- Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), affirmed that the new season of AFC club competitions marks a pivotal milestone, expanding opportunities for clubs, raising the bar for ambition, and signaling a renewed phase of strength, reach, and growing value for Asian club football.

In a press statement issued by the continental body, headquartered in Malaysia, on the occasion of the launch of the AFC club competitions, Sheikh Salman stated that the Asian club competition framework is no longer a collection of isolated tournaments but rather "a comprehensive continental project that redraws the competitive map, broadens club opportunities, and elevates the ceiling of ambition from the far east to the far west of the continent."

He added that the start of the season opens a new chapter through a multi-tiered system comprising the AFC Champions League Elite, the AFC Champions League Two, and the AFC Challenge League, in addition to the AFC Women's Champions League, with the aim of enhancing technical standards, broadening participation, and intensifying competition among clubs across the continent.

He noted that the AFC Champions League Elite holds a special position as the pinnacle of the competitions, explaining that expanding the league phase to 32 clubs this season—16 from the West and 16 from the East—strengthens competitive opportunities and raises the level of challenge.

He considered the AFC Champions League Two and the AFC Challenge League to be fundamental elements of the competition framework, as they provide clubs with platforms to develop capabilities, gain continental experience, and build a sustainable presence, thereby extending the impact of the competitions to the largest possible number of federations, clubs, players, and fans.

He affirmed that the notable technical, fan-driven, commercial, and media development witnessed in Asian club tournaments aligns with the unprecedented rise in prize money and the expansion of financial distribution to include participation, performance, and progression to the knockout stages, making returns more stable for clubs.

He expressed pride in the growing fan engagement with Asian club competitions in light of recent development initiatives, noting that the AFC Champions League Elite for the 2025-2026 season recorded a 174 percent increase in cumulative reach, reaching approximately 2.5 billion views, while the AFC Champions League Two achieved a 32 percent growth, reaching 916 million views.

He emphasized that the ambition to develop Asian club competitions has grown beyond merely organizing successful tournaments, as the strategic goal is to build a more competitive, sustainable, and attractive club ecosystem that offers every club an opportunity to grow, regardless of its location within the Asian continent.

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