<p class="reg-lead">AFC Club Competitions Entry Regulations, Edition 2026 — the allocation of slots to each member association and the conditions a club must satisfy in order to enter continental competitions.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>2026</b> — current version</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>Preamble, definitions and five sections; 32 pages</td></tr>
<tr><td>Previous version on this site</td><td>Editions 2017 and 2021</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Five sections</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Section One — General Provisions</b> Scope of application and ranking of club competitions (Articles 1 and 2).</li>
<li><b class="t">Section Two — Slot Allocation</b> Article 3, pages 9 to 15; the table that determines how many slots each member association has in each competition.</li>
<li><b class="t">Section Three — Member Association Eligibility Criteria</b> Article 4.</li>
<li><b class="t">Section Four — Eligibility of Clubs</b> Club eligibility, licensing criteria, sporting criteria, integrity of club competitions, and appeal (Articles 5 to 9).</li>
<li><b class="t">Section Five — Final Provisions</b> The draw mechanism, disciplinary measures, decisions, amendments, unforeseen matters and implementing provisions (Articles 10 to 15).</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Article 8 and Article 9</h2>
<p>Article 8, on the integrity of competitions, is the basis on which clubs involved in match manipulation or common ownership are excluded. Article 9 opens the route of appeal, and its determination falls within the competence of the Entry Control Body, whose procedural rules are set out in a separate document.</p>
</div>

AFC Club Competitions – Entry Regulations (Edition 2026)

<p class="reg-lead">AFC Club Licensing Regulations, Edition 2026 — the criteria a club must satisfy in order to obtain a licence to take part in continental competitions, and the procedure for granting and withdrawing it.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>2026</b> — current version</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>Definitions and numbered articles; 64 pages</td></tr>
<tr><td>Previous version on this site</td><td>Editions 2016 and 2021</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Pillars of the document</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Article 3 — Licensing criteria</b> The core of the document; sporting, infrastructure, personnel and administrative, legal and financial criteria.</li>
<li><b class="t">Article 4 — Exceptions policy</b></li>
<li><b class="t">Article 5 — Licensor</b> The member association, not the Confederation itself.</li>
<li><b class="t">Articles 6 and 7 — Licensing administration and decision-making bodies</b></li>
<li><b class="t">Article 8 — Catalogue of sanctions</b></li>
<li><b class="t">Articles 9 and 10 — Core process and assessment procedure</b></li>
<li><b class="t">Article 11 — Equal treatment and confidentiality</b></li>
<li><b class="t">Article 12 — Licence applicant and the two-year rule</b></li>
<li><b class="t">Article 13 — Responsibilities of the applicant</b></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Structural note</h2>
<p>The licence is issued by the member association and the Confederation supervises it. A club's challenge is therefore raised in the first instance at association level, not directly before the Confederation. The question of overdue payables also has a separate official set of questions and answers.</p>
</div>

AFC Club Licensing Regulations (Edition 2026)

<p class="reg-lead">Statutes of the Asian Football Confederation, Edition 2026 — the Confederation's foundational instrument, together with the Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes and the Standing Orders of the Congress in a single volume.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>2026</b> — current version</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>The Statutes, their implementing regulations and the Standing Orders of the Congress; 62 pages</td></tr>
<tr><td>Previous edition on this site</td><td>Edition 2020</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What it contains</h2>
<p>The first chapter defines the Confederation: name and seat, objectives, official languages, relationship with FIFA and membership structure. The following chapters address the organs — the Congress, the Executive Committee, the President, the General Secretary and the judicial bodies — and the rules on dispute resolution. Three instruments appear in a single volume; when citing, it must be made clear whether the citation is to the Statutes or to their implementing regulations.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What to read alongside the Statutes</h2>
<p>The Statutes name the organs, but their composition and powers are set out in detail in the <strong>AFC Organisation Regulations 2023</strong>, and elections in the <strong>AFC Electoral Code 2023</strong>. All three are available in this collection.</p>
</div>

AFC Statutes (Edition 2026)

<p class="reg-lead">The Competition Regulations of the AFC Women's Champions League for the 2026/27 season — the first continental-level women's club competition.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Season</td><td><b>2026/27</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Length</td><td>65 pages</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Why this document is new</h2>
<p>The AFC Women's Champions League has been formally established in recent editions, and its regulations follow the structure of the men's competition: the competition system, player eligibility and lists, discipline, financial matters and commercial obligations. For women's clubs, the entry conditions and licensing criteria are the starting point.</p>
</div>

AFC Women’s Champions League 2026/27 Competition Regulations

<p class="reg-lead">The AFC Challenge League Competition Regulations for the 2026/27 season — the third tier of the Asian Football Confederation's club competitions.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Season</td><td><b>2026/27</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Length</td><td>62 pages</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>The standing of this competition</h2>
<p>The Challenge League replaced the AFC Cup and is the lowest of the three tiers of the Confederation's club competitions. Member associations' slot allocation in this competition is determined in the entry regulations, and the conditions for clubs are generally less demanding than at the two higher tiers.</p>
</div>

AFC Challenge League 2026/27 Competition Regulations

<p class="reg-lead">The competition regulations of the AFC Champions League Two for the 2026/27 season — the second tier of the Asian Football Confederation's club competitions.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Season</td><td><b>2026/27</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Length</td><td>62 pages</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>The standing of this competition</h2>
<p>The AFC Champions League Two sits between the AFC Champions League Elite and the AFC Challenge League. Its regulations are adopted independently each season and determine, for that season, the competition system, player eligibility, suspension and disqualification, financial arrangements, commercial and media obligations, and the protest procedure.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Complementary documents</h2>
<p>A club's entry into this competition is governed by the <strong>AFC Club Competitions Entry Manual 2026</strong>, and its staging by the <strong>AFC Competition Operations Manual 2026</strong>.</p>
</div>

AFC Champions League Two 2026/27 Competition Regulations

<p class="reg-lead">AFC Stadium Regulations, Edition 2026 — the technical standards for a stadium hosting AFC competition matches, from the field of play to the media facilities.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>2026</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>Definitions and several consecutive parts; 45 pages</td></tr>
<tr><td>Note</td><td>Article 2 allows each competition to add its own specific requirements</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Structure of the document</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Part One — General Provisions</b> Scope, competition-specific requirements, responsibilities of the host organisation, use of the stadium and its location (Articles 1 to 5).</li>
<li><b class="t">Part Two — Field of Play Area</b> The pitch, the warm-up area, the goals and the spare goal and the corner flag, the floodlights, the clock and boards and the giant screen, the referee review area, the team benches and the fourth official's bench, the players' tunnel, and the poles and flags (Articles 6 to 14).</li>
<li><b class="t">Part Three — Team Delegation and AFC Delegation Facilities</b> Team and referee dressing rooms, offices and meeting room, storage, seating for the match commissioner and the referee assessor, positions for the technical observers, the video operations room, parking, the accreditation centre and IT systems (Articles 15 to 24).</li>
<li><b class="t">Part Four — Broadcast and Media Facilities</b> Media centre, media tribune, press conference room, mixed zone, photographers' positions, interview positions, internet connectivity and the broadcast compound (Articles 25 to 32).</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>How this edition applies</h2>
<p>Failure to meet any of these requirements may result in a stadium being refused as a venue. Clubs that lose the hosting of continental matches are usually refused on the basis of Parts Two and Three.</p>
</div>
<p class="reg-note">The AFC Futsal and Beach Soccer Stadium Regulations are a separate document and are included in this collection.</p>

AFC Stadium Regulations (Edition 2026)

<p class="reg-lead">Competition regulations for the AFC Champions League Elite for the 2026/27 season — the top tier of club competition in Asia.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Season</td><td><b>2026/27</b> — amended version</td></tr>
<tr><td>Length</td><td>65 pages</td></tr>
<tr><td>Previous edition on this site</td><td>2024/25 season</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What these regulations determine</h2>
<p>Each season's regulations stand alone and are valid for that season only: the competition system and stages, player eligibility and lists, suspension and disqualification, financial arrangements and prize money, commercial and media obligations, and the protest procedure. Reliance on the previous season's regulations is not admissible in cases arising in the current season.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Supplementary documents</h2>
<p>This document should be read alongside the <strong>AFC Club Competitions Entry Regulations 2026</strong> (which determines which clubs are admitted in the first place), the <strong>AFC Competition Operations Manual 2026</strong> and the <strong>AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code</strong>. All three are in this collection.</p>
</div>

AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 Competition Regulations

<p class="reg-lead">The Asian Football Confederation's Enhance Programme Regulations for the 2025 to 2028 period — the Confederation's system of financial assistance to member associations and regional associations, and the conditions governing its receipt and use.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Period</td><td><b>2025 to 2028</b> — revised edition</td></tr>
<tr><td>Length</td><td>96 pages</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Subject matter</h2>
<p>The Enhance Programme replaces the Confederation's previous systems of financial assistance and lays down the conditions a member association must satisfy in order to receive assistance: submission of a spending plan, compliance with governance requirements, auditing and reporting. Spending outside the approved framework results in the suspension of subsequent payments.</p>
</div>
<p class="reg-note">The detailed policies of each sub-programme — including the Member Association Programme and the Regional Association Programme — are published in separate documents.</p>

AFC Enhance Programme Regulations (2025–2028)

<p class="reg-lead">Procedural Rules Governing the AFC Entry Control Body, Edition 2025 — the procedure of the body that decides which clubs are admitted to the AFC club competitions.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>2025</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>Definitions and three chapters; 20 pages</td></tr>
<tr><td>Why it matters</td><td>A decision of this body means a club's admission to, or exclusion from, continental competition</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Chapter One — General Provisions</h2>
<p>Purpose, scope and the substantive law applicable (Articles 1 to 3). Article 3 is of particular importance: the rules in this document are procedural, and the merits of a case are assessed on the basis of the entry regulations and the club licensing regulations.</p>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Chapter Two — Organisation</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Jurisdiction</b> of the Entry Control Body and of the appeal authority (Articles 4 and 5).</li>
<li><b class="t">Organisational rules</b> composition, meetings, chairmanship, withdrawal and conflicts of interest, confidentiality and exclusion of liability (Articles 6 to 11).</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Chapter Three — Procedure</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Time limits</b> calculation, observance, suspension and extension of time limits (Articles 12 to 15).</li>
<li><b class="t">The right to be heard</b> and its limitations (Articles 16 and 17).</li>
<li><b class="t">Evidence</b> types of evidence and the further rules of proof (Article 18 onwards).</li>
</ol>
</div>
<p class="reg-note">Articles 12 to 15 on time limits should be read before taking any step; the time limits before this body are short, and cases are lost more often through the expiry of a time limit than on the merits.</p>

Procedural Rules Governing the AFC Entry Control Body (Edition 2025)

<p class="reg-lead">AFC Equipment Regulations, Edition 2025 — what a player wears and what appears on it: colour, name and number, badges, manufacturer identification and sponsor advertising.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>2025</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>Definitions and several sections; 84 pages, together with summary slides</td></tr>
<tr><td>Why it is so long</td><td>Every rule is accompanied by an illustrative image</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Structure of the document</h2>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Section One — Introduction</b> Scope of application and responsibilities (Articles 1 and 2).</li>
<li><b class="t">Section Two — General regulations for all items</b> General principles, manufacturing considerations, colours, name and number, team identifiers, badges and commemorative emblems, decorative elements, manufacturer identification and sponsor advertising (Articles 3 to 11).</li>
<li><b class="t">Section Three — Compulsory playing items</b> Shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and shinguards, and the ball (Articles 12 to 16).</li>
<li><b class="t">Section Four — Optional items</b> Gloves, head covers, wristbands and headbands, undergarments and special equipment (Articles 17 to 21).</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Common point of dispute</h2>
<p>Article 11 on sponsor advertising and Article 10 on manufacturer identification are where breaches most often arise: the dimensions, number and placement of each marking are restricted, and departure from those limits attracts a financial penalty.</p>
</div>

AFC Equipment Regulations (Edition 2025)

<p class="reg-lead">Bidding Regulations for the AFC Asian Cup 2031 and 2035 — the bidding procedure, evaluation criteria and the undertakings required of a bidding federation.</p>
<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Editions</td><td><b>2031 and 2035</b> — in a single document</td></tr>
<tr><td>Length</td><td>75 pages</td></tr>
</table>
<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Subject matter</h2>
<p>The Bidding Regulations determine the stages and deadlines of the bidding process, the documents and guarantees a bidding federation must submit, the government undertakings required, the criteria for evaluating infrastructure and hosting capacity, and the rules of conduct applicable to bidders during the competitive phase. A breach of the rules of conduct may lead to a bidder's exclusion.</p>
</div>
<p class="reg-note">The bidding documents for the 2027 edition — including Iran's bid document — are available on the Confederation's website.</p>