#ChallengeLeague - Preview: East Zone Q-finals (1st Leg)

Mon, 02 Mar, 2026

#ChallengeLeague - Preview: East Zone Q-finals (1st Leg)

Kuala Lumpur: Attention returns to the AFC Challenge League 2025/26™ with the remaining four teams from the East Zone eager to follow in the footsteps of Turkmenistan’s FC Arkadag in lifting the coveted trophy.

The quarter-final stage promises interesting ties as the teams look to take a healthy advantage from the first leg, so join the-AFC.com as we preview the two exciting match-ups.

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R16 - 1st Leg: Gangwon FC (KOR) 0-0 FC Machida Zelvia (JPN)

Tue, 03 Mar, 2026

R16 - 1st Leg: Gangwon FC (KOR) 0-0 FC Machida Zelvia (JPN)

Chuncheon: Gangwon FC and FC Machida Zelvia cancelled each other out as they played to a goalless stalemate in the first leg of their AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26™ Round of 16 tie on Tuesday.

The tie at the Chuncheon Songam Sports Town Stadium saw scoring opportunities few and far between but sets up a winner-takes-all encounter next week in Japan.

R16 - 1st Leg: Melbourne City FC (AUS) 1-1 Buriram United (THA)

Tue, 03 Mar, 2026

R16 - 1st Leg: Melbourne City FC (AUS) 1-1 Buriram United (THA)

Melbourne: Ben Mazzeo’s late header earned Melbourne City a 1-1 draw with Buriram United on Tuesday to leave their AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26™ Round of 16 clash evenly poised ahead of the second leg in Thailand next week.

Guilherme Bissoli had crashed in an unstoppable strike in the 37th minute at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium to give the Thai League 1 champions the lead but Marcus Younis’ run set up substitute Mazzeo to nod in the equaliser five minutes into stoppage time.
 
Buriram United will be looking to reach the quarter-finals for the second season in a row while Melbourne City will be attempting to extend their first-ever run in the competition’s knockout rounds.

Preview - R16 (1st Leg): Johor Darul Ta’zim (MAS) v Sanfrecce Hiroshima (JPN)

Tue, 03 Mar, 2026

Preview - R16 (1st Leg): Johor Darul Ta’zim (MAS) v Sanfrecce Hiroshima (JPN)

Iskandar Puteri: A buoyant Johor Darul Ta'zim will be optimistic of their chances when they play Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the first leg of their AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26™ Round of 16 tie on Wednesday.

A 1-0 win over Vissel Kobe sealed Johor Darul Ta'zim's ticket to the next stage while Sanfrecce enjoyed smooth passage, with the Japanese side finishing third in the East Zone League Stage.

Preview - R16 (1st Leg): FC Seoul (KOR) v Vissel Kobe (JPN)

Tue, 03 Mar, 2026

Preview - R16 (1st Leg): FC Seoul (KOR) v Vissel Kobe (JPN)

Seoul: FC Seoul can't afford mistakes when they host Vissel Kobe in the first leg of their AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26™ Round of 16 tie on Wednesday.

Korea Republic's FC Seoul snuck into the Round of 16 while Vissel of Japan were comfortable qualifiers.

#ACLTwo - Preview: East Q-finals (1st Leg)

Tue, 03 Mar, 2026

#ACLTwo - Preview: East Q-finals (1st Leg)

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC Champions League Two 2025/26™ will move a step closer to its climax with the East Zone quarter-finals to be played over the coming days.

The ties promise to be enticing affairs with the four teams confident of lifting the coveted trophy in May.

The-AFC.com takes a look at how the East Zone quarter-final ties could play out.