Vietnam’s Cong An Ha Noi face daunting schedule in AFC Champions League Elite debut

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held the draw ceremony for the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday.

Cong An Ha Noi secured a place in the competition after beating Australia’s Adelaide United 2-0 in the play-off.

Goals from Henen and Koko sent the Vietnamese side through to the continent’s premier club competition for the first time.

As debutants, Cong An Ha Noi were placed in Pot 4, the lowest-seeded pot.

The AFC Champions League Elite uses a league-stage format similar to the revamped UEFA Champions League. The 32 teams are divided into eastern and western regions, with 16 clubs in each region.

Rather than being split into conventional groups, all 16 teams in each region compete in a single league. Each club plays eight matches against eight different opponents, with four at home and four away.

The draw therefore did not divide the teams into traditional groups but determined each club’s eight opponents.

In the eastern region, the 16 teams are Kashima Antlers, Vissel Kobe, Kashiwa Reysol, Kyoto Sanga and Gamba Osaka of Japan; Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Daejeon Hana Citizen and Pohang Steelers of South Korea; Shanghai Port and Beijing Guoan of China; Buriram United, Port FC and Ratchaburi FC of Thailand; Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia; Newcastle Jets of Australia; and Cong An Ha Noi of Vietnam.

Being placed in the lowest-seeded pot does not put Cong An Ha Noi at a significant disadvantage, as the draw format requires each team to face two opponents from each seeding pot.

Cong An Ha Noi were drawn against Kashima Antlers and Shanghai Port from Pot 1; Vissel Kobe and Johor Darul Ta'zim from Pot 2; Beijing Guoan and Kashiwa Reysol from Pot 3; and Kyoto Sanga and Gamba Osaka from Pot 4.

The draw means Cong An Ha Noi will face all five Japanese clubs in the competition, as well as two Chinese clubs and one Malaysian side.

Both Kyoto Sanga and Gamba Osaka are strong Japanese clubs. Gamba Osaka, in particular, have a strong record in continental competitions, having won the AFC Champions League Elite in 2008. They also beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in last season’s AFC Champions League Two final.

Against the Pot 3 opponents, Cong An Ha Noi will face China’s Beijing Guoan and Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol, both considered among the strongest teams in the pot.

From Pot 2, the Vietnamese club will face another Japanese club, Vissel Kobe.

From Pot 1, Cong An Ha Noi will take on Japan’s Kashima Antlers and China’s Shanghai Port, both among Asia’s top clubs.

Cong An Ha Noi will not face any of the three Thai clubs in the competition.

No reason to fear

Despite the difficult schedule, the campaign will give Cong An Ha Noi coach Alexandre Polking and his players valuable exposure to some of Asia’s top clubs.

Cong An Ha Noi can also dream of reaching the knockout stage, as Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia and Thailand’s Buriram United did last season, when both Southeast Asian clubs reached the quarterfinals.

Since the 2024-25 season, the AFC has allowed clubs to register and use an unlimited number of foreign players in its continental competitions, meaning a team can field up to 11 foreign players in its starting line-up. The rule also gives less-established clubs more opportunities to cause upsets.

Johor Darul Ta'zim regularly fielded 10 foreign players in its starting line-up and earned four points against three Japanese clubs in the 2025-26 league stage.

The Malaysian side also went unbeaten against three Chinese clubs, beating Chengdu Rongcheng 2-0 away, defeating Shanghai Shenhua 3-1 at home and drawing 0-0 with Shanghai Port at home.

Despite being without six players who were with Vietnam's national team at the 2026 ASEAN Cup, Cong An Ha Noi still beat Australia’s Adelaide United 2-0 away in the play-off to reach the league stage of Asia’s top club competition for the first time.

With their strongest squad available and the addition of quality foreign players, Polking and his players can therefore hope to make their mark in the continental competition, just as Johor Darul Ta'zim and Buriram United did.

Along with trying to collect points in their four away matches, Cong An Ha Noi will have a chance to earn crucial points in their four home games against Kashima Antlers, Vissel Kobe, Kyoto Sanga, and Beijing Guoan in their bid to reach the knockout stage.

Whatever the outcome, Cong An Ha Noi and Vietnamese football are set for a memorable AFC Champions League Elite campaign.

The league stage of the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite is scheduled to run from September 14, 2026 to February 17, 2027, followed by the round of 16 in March 2027.

From the quarterfinals onward, the competition will be held in Saudi Arabia from April 23 to May 1.