Al-Ittihad to face UAE’s Al-Jazira as preliminary battles to kick off in AFC Champions League Elite
DUBAI: Saudi’s Al-Ittihad are set to face UAE’s Al-Jazira in Abu Dhabi as the quest to reach the league and group stages of both the AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League Two for the 2026-27 campaign gets underway next week with seven high-stakes one-off ties in the preliminary stage.
Four League Stage berths are at stake in the ACL Elite — two each in the West and East Regions — as eight clubs do battle on Aug. 11, with the losing clubs directly entering the group stage of the ACL Two.
In the ACL Two, four clubs will lock horns for two group stage spots in the West on Aug. 12, with the defeated sides gaining direct entry to the group stage of the AFC Challenge League.
The respective winning teams will go into the hat for the ACL Elite League Stage and ACL Two group stage draws, both scheduled to be held on Aug. 18 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
