Jeddah: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Professional Football Committee convened for its second meeting in Jeddah on Friday. The Committee approved amendments to the AFC Club Competitions - Entry Regulations (Edition 2025) and AFC Club Licensing Regulations (Edition 2024), and also agreed to adopt the AFC Club Competitions - Entry Regulations (Edition 2026) and AFC Club Licensing Regulations (Edition 2026), which are aimed at elevating the professional standards across the Continent.
According to Qatar News Agency, amendments to the Entry Regulations (Edition 2025), which will apply exclusively to the 2026/27 season, comprise revisions to slot allocation for Member Associations (MAs) in line with the new AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) expansion from 24 to 32 clubs. This includes the maximum number of slots allocated to each MA and introduces a new slot for the AFC Challenge League runner-up to enter the AFC Champions League Two Preliminary Stage.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) increased the number of direct slots allocated to Qatari clubs in the AFC Champions League to three for the 2026-2027 edition, up from two direct slots and one preliminary round slot since the tournament's inception two seasons ago. Saudi and Japanese clubs secured the largest share of slots in the AFC Champions League, with five each (three direct and two preliminary round slots). Emirati and South Korean clubs each received three direct slots and one preliminary round slot, while Thailand also received three direct slots, matching Qatar's allocation.
Iranian and Chinese clubs each received two direct slots, while Uzbek and Australian clubs each received one direct and one preliminary round slot. Iraqi and Malaysian clubs each received one direct slot, and Jordanian and Vietnamese clubs each received one preliminary round slot. At the AFC Champions League level, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) maintained Qatar's quota of one direct qualifying spot, the same as Japan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman, India, South Korea, Thailand, China, Australia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Several other continental federations were granted preliminary qualifying spots in the tournament.
The AFC also mandated that, starting from the 2027-2028 season, all federations participating in the AFC Champions League elite competition must implement Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in their top-tier domestic leagues. Regarding the Club Licensing Regulations (2026 edition), amendments have been introduced that will take effect in the AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions League II, and AFC Challenge League from the 2027-28 season, and in the AFC Women's Champions League from the 2028-29 season.
The committee clarified in an official statement that all decisions will be presented to the AFC Executive Committee before implementation, and that all amendments will be circulated to the national associations.