The draw for the AFC Champions League Two has been completed, with both Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory’s paths to Asian glory now set.
Having failed to qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite through the playoffs Adelaide dropped down into the ACL Two, where they were seeded in Pot One.
Meanwhile Melbourne Victory secured their spot in this season’s competition after finishing as the third-best Australian side in the 2025/26 Isuzu UTE A-League.
Read on to find out who both sides will face in this season’s AFC Champions League Two!
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ADELAIDE UNITED
Seeded in Pot One, Adelaide United were one of four top seeds in this year’s competition alongside Gangwon (KOR), Machida Zelvia (JPN) and FC Seoul (KOR).
Airton Andrioli’s side were drawn in Group F alongside Thailand’s BG Pathum United, who are making their second consecutive appearance in the ACL Two.
Also joining the Reds in Group F will be Lion City Sailors of Singapore, who famously knocked out Sydney FC in the semi-finals two seasons ago.
Meanwhile the fourth side drawn into Group F is two-time Hong Kong Premier League champions Tai Po, who will be making their first appearance in the ACL Two.
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MELBOURNE VICTORY
Melbourne Victory were housed in Pot Two for the 2026/27 ACL Two, alongside BG Pathum United (THA), Shanghai Shenhua (CHN) and Kuching City (MAS).
Giovanni Savarese’s side will compete in Group E alongside Korean giants FC Seoul,
The third side drawn out of the hat were six-time Vietnamese champions The Cong – Viettel, who last played in the competition back in 2022.
Meanwhile the final team drawn alongside Victory in Group E will be the winner of Indonesia’s Persib Bandung and Manila Digger FC of the Philippines, with the two sides facing off in a playoff on August 31.
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When will the games be played?
The Group Stage matches will take place between Tuesday, September 15 and Wednesday, December 3 with both the Reds and Victory playing three home matches as well as three away matches in a round-robin format.
The 2026/27 campaign will mark Adelaide United’s return to AFC Champions League competition, with the Reds set to test themselves against some of Asia’s leading clubs.
As for Victory, the four-time A-League champions are back competing in Asia for the first time since 2020.
What prize money is on offer?
Both Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory have netted themselves a fee of $300,000 USD (roughly $424,000 AUD) just for qualifying for the tournament.
When it comes to winning matches, should the Reds and Victory chalk up some victories then they’ll receive $50,000 USD per win and the prize money on offer for latter-stage qualification is also very helpful.
Round of 16 qualification will see clubs earn $80,000 USD, quarter-final qualification will see them earn $160,000 USD and getting to the Semi-finals is worth $240,000 USD.
The prize for the winner? $2.5 million USD (roughly $3.5m AUD) whilst the runner-up receives $1 million USD.
