Contenders gear up for #ChallengeLeague group battles

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

Contenders gear up for #ChallengeLeague group battles

Kuala Lumpur: The cast of the AFC Challenge League™ (ACGL) will aim to begin their quest for glory in the 2025/26 campaign on a winning note when the Group Stage kicks off on October 25 (Saturday).

Split evenly into groups of five—three in the West and two in the East—in August, the 20 teams will contest the fixtures in a single round-robin centralised league format in the 12th edition of Asia’s third-tier men’s club competition, which was known as the AFC President’s Cup prior to its revamp in 2024/25.

Group Stage showdowns decided

Thu, 28 Aug, 2025

Group Stage showdowns decided

Kuala Lumpur: The 20 teams hoping to savour AFC Challenge League™ 2025/26 glory learnt their Group Stage opponents following the Official Draw at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.

The sides were divided into five groups - two in the East Zone and three in the West Zone - with matches to be played on October 25 to November 1, 2025, in a single round-robin centralised league format.

PS - Al-Karamah SC (SYR) 0-1 Bashundhara Kings (BAN)

Wed, 13 Aug, 2025

PS - Al-Karamah SC (SYR) 0-1 Bashundhara Kings (BAN)

Doha: An Emmanuel Sunday strike secured Bashundhara Kings progress into the AFC Challenge League™ 2025/26 after the Bangladesh side edged Syria’s Al-Karamah SC 1-0 in their Preliminary Stage tie on Tuesday.

Having sealed qualification, Bashundhara will now await the Group Stage draw on August 28 with head coach Mahabub Hossain aiming to improve on last season’s performance.

PS - FC Abdysh-Ata (KGZ) 5-2 Hutteen SC (SYR)

Wed, 13 Aug, 2025

PS - FC Abdysh-Ata (KGZ) 5-2 Hutteen SC (SYR)

Bishkek: A dominant performance from FC Abdysh-Ata saw the Kyrgyz Republic side overpower Hutteen SC 5-2 in their AFC Challenge League™ 2025/26 Preliminary Stage clash on Tuesday.

A hat-trick by Evgenii Kozlov and one apiece from Erbol Atabaev and Mirabdulla Abbasov at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium ensured Abdysh-Ata made the Group Stage for a second consecutive time.

PS - Kasuka FC (BRU) 0-6 Phnom Penh Crown FC (CAM)

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

PS - Kasuka FC (BRU) 0-6 Phnom Penh Crown FC (CAM)

Bandar Seri Begawan: Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Crown FC cruised to a 6-0 win over Brunei Darussalam’s Kasuka FC in their AFC Challenge League™ 2025/26 Preliminary Stage on Tuesday.

Victory meant Phnom Penh reached the Group Stage for the fourth time.