AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27: Hanoi Police FC plays Play-off Match at Adelaide United’s Home Ground

According to the list of participating clubs and the slot allocation structure for the 2026/27 season recently announced by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Hanoi Police FC will represent Vietnam in the AFC Champions League Elite play-off round. The team coached by Mano Polking will face Adelaide United of Australia.

The play-off match will be played at Adelaide United’s home ground, as AFC regulations stipulate that the higher-seeded club has the right to host matches in the qualifying rounds. Seeding is determined based on the AFC club competition rankings of the Member Associations. In the East Region, Australia is currently ranked fifth, while Vietnam is ranked seventh. With the higher ranking, Adelaide United are seeded for the tie and therefore earn hosting rights for the play-off match.

This will be a particularly important fixture for Hanoi Police FC, as the winner will secure a place in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27, Asia’s premier club competition. Should the Vietnamese representatives fail to overcome Adelaide United, they will continue their continental campaign in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two.

Notably, the AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 play-off coincides with the period when the Vietnam national team will be preparing for and competing in the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026. Given that Hanoi Police FC currently have a number of national team players in their squad, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has proactively strengthened coordination with the club to ensure the national team can make the best possible preparations for the upcoming major tournament.

In the spirit of balancing club commitments and national team duties, plans for player call-ups and utilization will be developed with flexibility, meeting the technical requirements of the national team while safeguarding the legitimate interests of the clubs. The common objective is to create the most favourable conditions for both the Vietnam national team and Vietnamese club representatives to achieve positive results in international competitions.

For the 2026/27 season, Vietnamese football has been allocated two slots in the AFC club competitions. Hanoi Police FC will compete in the AFC Champions League Elite play-off round, while The Cong – Viettel have secured direct qualification to the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two.

According to the AFC slot allocation table for the East Region, Vietnam is currently ranked seventh, behind Japan, South Korea, Thailand, China, Australia and Malaysia. With this position, Vietnamese football continues to receive places in the top two tiers of AFC club competitions for the 2026/27 season.