Asian Football Confederation 2026-27 calendar revealed

Asian football enters an action-packed season.

As we head into a new football season action-packed with international and intercontinental competitions like the UEFA Champions League and all domestic leagues such as the Indian Super League (ISL), the Asian Football Confederation has released their calendar for the 2026-27 season. Countries & clubs under the jurisdiction of the AFC will have more than enough tournaments to keep them busy for the entire season.

In this article, we will take a look at all of the tournaments scheduled to be played by Asian countries or clubs, the hosts of the tournaments & their schedules.

The countdown is on! 🤩

Tickets for #U17WWC Morocco 2026 are available now in the Visa pre-sale.

🎟️ https://t.co/5KHW04E4mE pic.twitter.com/yKmPgM3DVk

— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) September 1, 2026

September 2026

September has already started to showcase exactly why football fans are in for a season to remember. With the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup already underway, and all of the draws for the AFC Women’s Champions League group stage and the Beach Soccer Asian Cup are already out, with many exciting matches to look forward to.

• 3 Sep: AFC Women’s Champions League 2026/27 Group Stage Draw
• 5-27 Sep: FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026
• 8 Sep: AFC Challenge League 2026/27 Preliminary Stage – East
• 10 Sep: AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2026 Draw
• 14 Sep – 3 Oct: Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 – Football Tournament
• 14-16 Sep: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 MD1
• 15-17 Sep: AFC Champions League Two  2026/27 MD1
• 19 Sep: FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup
• 24 Sep – 3 Oct: FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026

October 2026

October will be host to the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026. This will be a one-of-a-kind event, where all member nations are invited to attend. In this tournament, every team will get to play at least 10 matches with 40 minute halves each.

• 5-11 Oct: AFC U17 Women’s Asian China Cup 2027 Qualifiers
• 11-14 Oct: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 MD2
• 13-15 Oct: AFC Champions League Two  2026/27 MD2
• 17-24 Oct: AFC Challenge League 2026/27 Group Stage
• 17 Oct – 7 Nov: FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026
• 22-31 Oct: FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026
• 26-28 Oct: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 MD3
• 27-29 Oct: AFC Champions League Two  2026/27 MD3

November 2026

The most exciting tournament in the penultimate month of the year has to be the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026. As this will be the second time where this tournament will be played 3 with 48 nations, many future stars will showcase their talent on the world stage.

• 1-7 Nov: AFC Women’s Champions League 2026/27 Group Stage
• 2-4 Nov: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 MD4
• 3-5 Nov: AFC Champions League Two  2026/27 MD4
• 8-20 Nov: AFC U17 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2027 Qualifiers
• 12 Nov: Women’s Olympic Football Tournament 2028 Asian Qualifiers Draw
• 18-28 Nov: AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2026 Finals
• 19 Nov – 13 Dec: FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026
• 23-25 Nov: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 MD5
• 24-26 Nov: AFC Champions League Two 2026/27 MD5

December 2026

The end of the year always brings about the end of group stages in Intercontinental club based competitions. December will be home to a lot of stories and even more heartbreaks as teams from around Asia will battle it out to qualify for the knockout rounds.

• 1-2 Dec: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 MD6 – East
• 2-3 Dec: AFC Champions League Two  2026/27 MD6 – East
• 3 Dec: AFC Women’s Champions League 2026/27 Knockout Stage Draw
• 7-8 Dec: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 MD6 – West
• 8-9 Dec: AFC Champions League Two  2026/27 MD6 – West
• 10 Dec: AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Final Draw
• 15 Dec: FIFA/AFC Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 & Round 2 Draw
• 17 Dec: AFC Champions League Two 2026/27 Knockout Stage Draw
• 22 Dec: AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027 Final Draw

Read More: AFC Asian Cup 2027 Final Draw revealed

January 2027

The year will start off with the AFC Asian Cup. The tournament will be packed with 24 of the best Asian countries will be going Head-to-Head for the title of “Asian Champions”. Whether or not defending champions Qatar will be able to bring the coveted trophy back home is a question only time can answer.

• 7 Jan-5 Feb: AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027
• 27-31 Jan: FIFA Women’s Champions Cup

February 2027

As we head into the shortest month of the year, the knockout rounds for the Intercontinental club competitions will take the limelight again. Different teams will strive for greatness, but only some will achieve it.

• 8-10 Feb: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 MD7
• 9-11 Feb: AFC Champions League Two  2026/27 R16 1st Leg
• 15-16 Feb: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 MD8
• 16-18 Feb: AFC Champions League Two 2026/27 R16 2nd Leg
• 18 Feb: AFC U17 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2027 Final Draw

March 2027

As the spring season will begin to start in Asia, there will be a blossom of the most entertainment that football can provide. With so many matches and finals, almost every day of March will be a football fans’ dream.

• 1-2 Mar: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 R16 1st Leg- West
• 2-3 Mar: AFC Champions League Two  2026/27 QF 1st Leg – West
• 3-Mar: AFC Challenge League 2026/27 QF 1st Leg – West
• 9-10 Mar: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 R16 1st Leg – East
• 10-11 Mar: AFC Champions League Two  2026/27 QF 1st Leg – East
• 11-Mar: AFC Challenge League 2026/27 QF 1st Leg – East
• 15-17 Mar: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 R16 2nd leg
• 16-18 Mar: AFC Champions League Two 2026/27 QF 2nd Leg
• 17-18 Mar: AFC Challenge League 2026/27 QF 2nd Leg
• 24 Mar – 10 Apr: AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Finals
• 25-Mar: FIFA World Cup 2030 & AFC Asian Cup 2031 Round 1 – MD1
• 27-28 Mar: AFC Women’s Champions League 2026/27 QF
• 30-Mar: FIFA World Cup 2030 & AFC Asian Cup 2031 Round 1 – MD2
• 31 Mar – 17 Apr: AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027

April 2027

April is when football will slowly start coming to a halt. As most teams enter into the final stages of tournaments and their domestic leagues, only a final push will be necessary before glory.

• 6-7 Apr: AFC Champions League Two 2026/27 SF 1st Leg
• 7-8 Apr: AFC Challenge League 2026/27 SF 1st Leg
• 13-14 Apr: AFC Champions League Two 2026/27 SF 2nd Leg
• 14-15 Apr: AFC Challenge League 2026/27 SF 2nd Leg
• 19 Apr: Women’s Olympic Football Tournament 2028 Asian Qualifiers – MD1
• 23 Apr-1 May : AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 Finals
• 24 Apr: Women’s Olympic Football Tournament 2028 Asian Qualifiers – MD2

May 2027

May is often considered the end of the club season in football, the month of may will crown old or maybe champions anew.

• 8 May: AFC Challenge League 2026/27 Final
• 12-29 May: AFC U17 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2027 Finals
• 15 May: AFC Champions League Two 2026/27 Final
• 19-22 May: AFC Women’s Champions League 2026/27 Finals

June 2027

The end to the club season means the emergence of the international break. In June, most nations will start preparing for the qualifications of their upcoming tournaments. The international break will also lead to many friendlies being played against old or new rivals.

• 7-15 Jun: AFC U23 Asian Cup Japan 2028 Qualifiers
• 24 Jun – 25 Jul: FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027

July 2027

July will kick start the new club season with the preliminary rounds for the intercontinental club competitions.

• 27 Jul: AFC Champions League Elite 2027/28 Preliminary Stage 1
• 27 Jul: AFC Challenge League 2027/28 Preliminary Stage 1
• 28 Jul: AFC Champions League Two 2027/28 Preliminary Stage 1

August 2027

August will be filled with all club based matches and competitions, ensuring to keep football fans engaged even during a slow period of football.

• 3 Aug: AFC Champions League Elite 2027/28 Preliminary Stage 2
• 3 Aug: AFC Challenge League 2027/28 Preliminary Stage 2
• 4 Aug: AFC Champions League Two 2027/28 Preliminary Stage 2
• 10 Aug: AFC Champions League Elite 2027/28 Preliminary Stage 3
• 10  Aug: AFC Challenge League 2027/28 Preliminary Stage 3
• 11 Aug: AFC Champions League Two 2027/28 Preliminary Stage 3
• 14-22 Aug: AFC Women’s Champions League Preliminary Stage
• 28 Aug – 5 Sep: AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2028 Qualifiers

Upcoming Finals in 2026/27

This is the list containing the dates of the finals of all tournaments in this upcoming 2026-27 season.

• Sep 27: FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026 Final (Lodz, Poland)
• Oct 2: Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 – Women’s Football Tournament Final (Fukuroi, Japan)
• Oct 3: Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 – Men’s Football Tournament Final (Toyota, Japan)
• 3 Oct: FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 Final (TBC)
• Oct 31: FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026 Final (TBC, Azerbaijan)
• Nov 7: FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026 Final (Rabat, Morocco)
• Nov 28: AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2026 Final (Pattaya, Thailand)
• Dec 13: FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026 Final (Doha, Qatar)
• Jan 31, 2027: FIFA Women’s Champions Cup Final (Miami, United States)
• Feb 5, 2027: AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Final (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
• Apr 10, 2027: AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Final (Hangzhou, China PR)
• Apr 17, 2027: AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027 Final (Suzhou, China PR)
• May 1, 2027: AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 Final (TBC, Saudi Arabia)
• May 8, 2027: AFC Challenge League 2026/27 Final (TBC)
• May 15, 2027: AFC Champions League Two 2026/27 Final (TBC)
• May 22, 2027: AFC Women’s Champions League 2026/27 Final (TBC)
• May 29, 2027: AFC U17 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2027 Final (Tashkent, Uzbekistan)
• Jul 25, 2027: FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

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