Vietnam has two spots in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26
Two Vietnamese football clubs will qualify directly for the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26.
11/06/2025 09:52:05
On the afternoon of June 10, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officially updated the number of clubs qualifying directly for the group stage and those required to compete in the qualifying rounds of the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26. Accordingly, in the East region, one group stage slot will be allocated to the club eliminated from the AFC Champions League Elite qualifiers.
The next 10 direct qualification slots are allocated based on AFC regulations (including one slot for a Vietnamese club). The remaining 5 slots will be contested by 6 clubs from the national leagues of Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
Based on the East Asia national league rankings, clubs from Thailand (ranked 4th), Vietnam (7th), Hong Kong (8th), and Singapore (9th) are granted direct entry into the group stage. Meanwhile, clubs from the Philippines (10th) and Indonesia (11th) will have to compete for the final spot in the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26 group stage.
In summary, aside from the one spot given to the club eliminated from the AFC Champions League Elite, the remaining 15 group stage slots in the East region for the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26 will be distributed as follows: five clubs from the national leagues of Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, and Malaysia (one club from each league).
Four national leagues — Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Singapore — will each have two representatives qualifying directly for the group stage. Among them, the confirmed representatives are: Ratchaburi (Thailand), Eastern (Hong Kong), and Tampines Rovers (Singapore). Vietnam’s representatives will be announced at a later date.
In the case of the Philippines, one representative will qualify directly for the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26. The other representative, Manila Digger FC, will compete in the qualifiers against Persib Bandung (Indonesia). This is also the only Indonesian club participating in next season’s AFC Champions League, but they must start from the qualifying round.
The match between Manila Digger FC and Persib Bandung will take place on August 13. The winner will become the 16th and final club from the East region to compete in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26.
