Saudi Arabia lead the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Men’s Club Competitions Mid-Season Ranking 2025/26, released today with Cambodia in 22nd spot.
The Kingdom is ahead of countries like India, Philippines and Tajikistan in the list that comprises of 47 countries.
Having ended the 2024/25 rankings on top, the West Asians have retained their position in the latest update, which factors in the latest results from the AFC Champions League Elite (ACL Elite), AFC Champions League Two (ACL Two) and the AFC Challenge League (ACGL).
Japan, Korea and the United Arab Emirates follow in second, third and fourth respectively, with no changes from their 2024/25 positions; Iran come in at fifth, displacing Qatar down to sixth, while Indonesia registered the biggest leap among all Member Associations (MAs) after moving seven places from 25th to 18th.
Saudi Arabia, who have amassed 122.195 points, were bolstered by the stellar performances of their clubs this season: Al Hilal SFC, Al Ahli Saudi FC and Al Ittihad Club finished first, second and fourth respectively in the League Stage of the ACL Elite to progress to the next round, while Al Nassr Club—their sole representative in the ACL Two—have won all eight of their matches in the competition, comprising six Group Stage and both Round of 16 matches.
With 108.952 points, Japan have benefitted from their ACL Elite trio in the League Stage after FC Machida Zelvia, Vissel Kobe and Sanfrecce Hiroshima claimed the top three positions, while Gamba Osaka have advanced to the Quarter-finals in the ACL Two.
Korea have 85.584 points, aided by two of their three ACL Elite representatives—FC Seoul and Gangwon FC—progressing from the League Stage, while UAE’s total of 74.253 points was boosted by the similar advancement of Al Wahda FC and Shabab Al Ahli from the League Stage.
Tractor FC’s third-place finish in the ACL Elite League Stage, coupled with the performances of Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan SC and Esteghlal FC in the ACL Two, have taken IR Iran’s tally to 68.918 points, enough to overtake Qatar.
For Indonesia, the table-topping exploits of Persib Bandung and Dewa United FC respectively in the ACL Two and ACGL Group Stages contributed greatly to their rise up the rankings.
In all, 24 MAs saw changes in their rankings, with 12 climbing and 12 moving down—the biggest fall being India’s six places from 18th to 24th.
