The AFC redraws the map of its championships, and Saudi Arabia and Japan lead the seats | sports

Saudi Arabia and Japan topped the number of club seats participating in the Asian Football Confederation tournaments after the Football Committee of the Continental Confederation approved, today, Friday, an increase in the number of clubs in the elite AFC Champions League and AFC Champions League 2 tournaments.

Saudi Arabia and Japan won six seats each, including three direct seats in the Elite League, two playoff seats, and a direct seat in the Asian Championship 2.

The UAE and South Korea obtained three direct seats in the Elite League each, along with an attached seat and a direct seat in the Asian Championship 2, while Qatar and Thailand obtained three direct seats each in the Elite League and a direct seat in Asia 2.

Iran got two seats in the Elite League and a seat in Asia 2, while Iraq got a direct seat in the Elite League and the same in Asia 2.

The committee that met in Jeddah, according to the Continental Confederation’s website, approved amendments to the regulations for entering club competitions in the Asian Confederation (version 2025) and regulations for club licensing (version 2024), and also agreed to adopt the regulations for entering club competitions (version 2026) and regulations for club licensing (version 2026), with the aim of raising professional standards at the continent level.

The amendments to the entry regulations (2025 version), which will be applied exclusively to the 2026/2027 season, include reviewing the distribution of seats for the national federations in line with the new expansion of the AFC Champions League for the elite from 24 to 32 clubs, including the maximum number of seats allocated to each federation, in addition to creating a new seat for the AFC Challenge League runner-up, giving him the opportunity to participate in the preliminary round of the second AFC Champions League.

Clarifications were also provided regarding sporting standards, the principles of classification of club competitions in the AFC, and the application mechanism according to the amended nomination principles.

The club licensing regulations (version 2024) were also amended, as a specific deadline was introduced for the exceptional application procedures for obtaining a club license, as a result of the amendment to the seat distribution.

Starting from the 2027/2028 season, entry regulations (2026 version) will be applied.

One of the most prominent updates is the inclusion of new requirements within the national federations’ eligibility criteria, most notably the mandatory application of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the local leagues of the higher division within the federations participating in the elite AFC Champions League.

The minimum requirements for the local competitions system have also been amended, in addition to the minimum number of matches that each club must play in local competitions for the federations participating in the Asian Challenge League, to reflect the current reality of football on the continent.

Regarding the club licensing regulations (version 2026), changes were introduced after extensive consultations and reviews with the national federations through the road map project that was launched in June 2025, provided that these amendments enter into force in the elite AFC Champions League, the second AFC Champions League, and the Asian Challenge League starting from the 2027/2028 season, and in the AFC Women’s Champions League starting from the 2028/2029 season.

The levels of some standards will also be gradually raised during subsequent licensing cycles, giving clubs greater clarity about the requirements and facilitating their implementation.