Adelaide United has been drawn alongside Thailand’s BG Pathum United, Singapore’s Lion City Sailors and Hong Kong, China’s Tai Po FC in Group F of the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Two.
The Group Stage draw was conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday, with the Reds entering the East Region draw from Pot 1.
United will play each of its three Group F opponents home and away across six matches between September and December, with the top two sides progressing to the Round of 16.
BG Pathum United – Thailand
BG Pathum United will make their second consecutive appearance in the AFC Champions League Two, having competed in the 2025/26 Group Stage. The Pathum Thani-based club are one-time Thai League 1 champions, claiming their maiden league title in the 2020/21 season.
There is also a strong Adelaide United connection through former Reds Head Coach Aurelio Vidmar, who previously coached the Thai club both when it was known as Bangkok Glass and later as BG Pathum United. Vidmar famously led Adelaide to the 2008 AFC Champions League final.
Lion City Sailors – Singapore
Lion City Sailors will feature in the AFC Champions League Two for a third consecutive season, having competed in each edition of the revamped competition.
The Sailors made history in 2024/25 by becoming the first club from Singapore to reach an Asian club competition final, eventually finishing runners-up after a 2-1 defeat to Sharjah FC in the AFC Champions League Two decider.
Lion City also share an Adelaide connection through Aurelio Vidmar, who coached the Singaporean side before later taking charge of BG Pathum United.
Tai Po FC – Hong Kong, China
Tai Po are two-time Hong Kong Premier League champions, lifting their first title in 2018/19 before returning to the summit in 2024/25.
They also competed in last season’s AFC Champions League Two, finishing third in Group E and narrowly missing progression to the Round of 16. Their campaign included a 2-1 home victory over Australian side Macarthur FC and a 1-0 win over Công An Hà Nội on the final matchday.
AFC Champions League Two Group F
Adelaide United – Australia
BG Pathum United – Thailand
Lion City Sailors – Singapore
Tai Po FC – Hong Kong, China
Group Stage match windows
Adelaide United’s six Group Stage fixtures will be played across the following match windows:
16–17 September 2026
14–15 October 2026
28–29 October 2026
4–5 November 2026
25–26 November 2026
2–3 December 2026
The Group Stage will be played in a home-and-away round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the Round of 16.
Full fixture details, including Adelaide United’s home and away matches, venues and kick-off times, will be communicated following confirmation from the Asian Football Confederation.
Adelaide United Football Director, Mitch van Gellekom said:
“We’re really looking forward to the AFC Champions League Two and to seeing what the draw brings us. For Adelaide United, competing in Asia is something we value enormously. It gives our players, particularly our young players, the opportunity to experience different football cultures, different styles of play and a level of international competition that is difficult to replicate domestically.
“At the same time, we’re not entering this tournament simply for the experience. We want to be competitive and see how far we can go. We believe strongly in the direction of our football program and in the talent we have within this group, and testing ourselves against some of the best clubs across the region is an important part of that.
“There’s also something special about bringing Asian football back to Adelaide and representing our city and Australian football on that stage. We’ll embrace the challenge and approach the competition with ambition. We can’t wait to play against BG Pathum United, Lion City Sailors and Tai Po FC.”
