KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Super League (CSL) clubs Shanghai Port and Beijing Guoan were drawn against the same eight opponents in the league stage of the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite, with the venues reversed for each fixture.
The draw was held in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. Neither Chinese club will face a Japanese team in the league stage.
Reigning CSL champion Shanghai Port was placed in Pot 1 of the East Zone, while Chinese FA Cup holder Beijing Guoan was placed in Pot 3.
Shanghai Port will host Thailand's Buriram United and Port FC, South Korea's Daejeon Hana Citizen, and Vietnam's Cong An Ha Noi. Its away fixtures will be against South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Pohang Steelers, Australia's Newcastle Jets, and Thailand's Ratchaburi.
Beijing Guoan will face the same eight teams, with the home-and-away assignments reversed. Guoan will host Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Newcastle Jets, Pohang Steelers and Ratchaburi, while traveling to face Buriram United, Daejeon Hana Citizen, Port FC and Cong An Ha Noi.
The 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite features a revamped format, with the field expanded from 24 to 32 teams and restrictions on foreign players removed.
The competition is divided into East and West Zones of 16 teams each, with every club facing eight different opponents in the league stage.
In the draw for the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two held on the same day, Shanghai Shenhua was placed in Group G alongside Japan's Machida Zelvia, Cambodia's Svay Rieng and Singapore's Tampines Rovers. ■
