The battle to be crowned kings of Southeast Asia starts all over again with the ASEAN Club Championship back for a new campaign.
Officially known as the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup 2026/27, the tournament will see teams from all over the region lock horns -- with a total of eight countries represented in the group stage.
The tournament gets bigger and better this season with the group stage expanding to 14 teams, two more than previous campaigns.
The team to beat once again looks to be Thai League 1 champions Buriram United, who have emerged triumphant in the two editions thus far since the tournament returned in its Shopee Cup guise following a 20-year hiatus.
The new season also marks Indonesia's return after they withdrew from the previous campaign due to logistical reasons.
STANDINGS
With the 14 teams divided into two groups, each side will play a total of six home-and-away games with only the top two advancing to the knockout round. The semifinals and final will be played over two legs.
12 clubs qualified automatically with Buriram headlining Group A and joined by compatriots Ratchaburi, who are making their first appearance.
The group features three other debutants in Kuching City of Malaysia, Vietnamese outfit Công An Hồ Chí Minh City and the Philippines' Manila Digger -- who booked their place in the group stage with a 9-2 aggregate win over Kasuka of Brunei Darussalam in the qualifying playoffs.
Group A is rounded off by the Singapore Premier League's BG Tampines Rovers and Borneo, who are the sole returning Indonesia Super League side from 2024-25.
Over in Group B, the qualification picture already looks like it could be far more competitive with a whole host of teams looming as genuine top-two contenders -- at least on paper.
Johor Darul Ta'zim, who have won the last 12 Malaysia Super League titles, will certainly be determined to go further than last season's semifinal appearance, while another ambitious outfit in Lion City Sailors of Singapore are gunning for a first knockout round appearance.
Runners-up in 2024-25, Vietnam's Công An Hà Nội have the chance to make amends for a disappointing group-stage exit last term, while Indonesia's Persib Bandung and a third Thai team in Port have every chance of making an impact on debut.
PKR Svay Rieng will be Cambodia's sole representatives, as Shan United are for Myanmar -- after they negotiated their way past Laotian hopefuls Ezra in the qualifiers only on penalties.
- Catch all the ASEAN Club Championship action live on the ASEAN United FC YouTube channel here!
FIXTURES & RESULTS
Match Day 1
Oct. 7, 2026
Buriram United vs. Borneo (7 p.m., Buriram)
Kuching City vs. BG Tampines Rovers (9 p.m., Kuching)
Ratchaburi vs. Công An Hồ Chí Minh City (7 p.m., Ratchaburi)
Oct. 8, 2026
Johor Darul Ta'zim vs. PKR Svay Rieng (8 p.m., Johor)
Lion City Sailors vs. Công An Hà Nội (7:30 p.m., Jalan Besar)
Port vs. Persib Bandung (7 p.m., Pathum Thani)
Match Day 2
Nov. 18, 2026
BG Tampines Rovers vs. Ratchaburi (7:30 p.m., Jalan Besar)
Borneo vs. Manila Digger (8 p.m., Samarinda)
Công An Hồ Chí Minh City vs. Buriram United (7:30 p.m., Ho Chi Minh City)
Nov. 19, 2026
Công An Hà Nội vs. Johor Darul Ta'zim (7:30 p.m., Hanoi)
Persib Bandung vs. Shan United (7 p.m., Bandung)
PKR Svay Rieng vs. Port (7 p.m., Phnom Penh)
WHERE TO WATCH
Brunei: RTB (TV, OTT), @BTVSPORT, @ASEANUTDFC (Social)
Cambodia: @BTVSPORT, @BAYONTV (Social)
Indonesia: MNC (TV, OTT), @RCTI, RANS Entertainment (Social)
Laos: @ASEANUTDFC (Social)
Malaysia: @ASEANUTDFC (Social)
Myanmar: SKYNET (TV), @ASEANUTDFC (Social)
Philippines: @PHIFOOTBALLFEDERATION, @ASEANUTDFC (Social)
Singapore: @ASEANUTDFC (Social)
Thailand: TRUE VISIONS (TV, IPTV, OTT)
Timor-Leste: @BTVSPORT, @ASEANUTDFC (Social)
Vietnam: FPT Play (IPTV, OTT), @FPT BongDaOfficial (Social)
China: QIUJING (Social)
South Korea: SPOTV (TV)
Rest of the world: @ASEANUTDFC (Social)
