The draw was held at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on August 18, determining the league-stage opponents for both Uzbek clubs.
Neftchi, the reigning Uzbekistan champions, will host Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli, Al Hilal and Al Ittihad, while travelling to face Al Nassr and Al Qadsiah. The Fergana club will also host Iraq’s Al Quwa Al Jawiya and travel to Iran to play Esteghlal and Tractor.
The fixtures could bring several high-profile players to Fergana, including Ivan Toney of Al Ahli, Karim Benzema and Darwin Núñez of Al Hilal, and Youssef En-Nesyri of Al Ittihad.
Pakhtakor, who qualified for the tournament as Uzbekistan Cup holders after going through the qualifying stage, will face the same five Saudi clubs. The Tashkent side will host Al Nassr and Al Qadsiah and travel to play Al Ahli, Al Hilal and Al Ittihad.
Esteghlal and Tractor will also visit Tashkent, while Pakhtakor will travel to Iraq to face Al Quwa Al Jawiya.
The draw means Tashkent fans could have the chance to watch some of Al Nassr’s biggest stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané, Kingsley Coman and João Félix. Al Qadsiah’s Mateo Retegui, Julián Quiñones and Otávio could also feature in matches in the Uzbek capital.
The 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite has been expanded to 32 teams, with 16 clubs each in the West and East regions. The league stage will run from September 14, 2026, to February 17, 2027, with the top eight teams from each region advancing to the knockout stage.
Nasaf drawn in AFC Champions League Two group
Qarshi’s Nasaf also learned its opponents on August 18 after being drawn into Group A of the AFC Champions League Two.
The Uzbek club will face Al Wahda of the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait SC of Kuwait and Al Khaldiya of Bahrain.
The match schedule for both competitions has not yet been announced.
