KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, September 16, 2026: Asia’s expanded club championship needed only two nights to produce a seven-goal demolition, a 10-goal shootout, a 4-0 statement against Al Nassr and a stoppage-time escape for the defending champions.
The opening phase of the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite delivered 49 goals across the first 14 completed matches, immediately putting the competition’s new 32-club format under the spotlight.
Al Ain supplied the biggest result in West Asia by dismantling Al Nassr 4-0 at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. Kashima Antlers went even further in the East, crushing Newcastle Jets 7-1 on their return to the continental stage. Shanghai Port survived a remarkable 10-goal match against Ratchaburi, while back-to-back champions Al Ahli needed Firas Al Brikan’s stoppage-time equalizer to avoid an opening defeat against Pakhtakor.
The scale of the first two days matters because this is the first 32-team edition since the competition adopted the AFC Champions League Elite identity. The Asian Football Confederation confirmed the expanded league stage features 16 clubs in the West and 16 in the East, with the strongest eight teams from each region progressing.
The Sports Encounter had already broken down the new structure, leading contenders and schedule in our AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 draw analysis. Matchday 1 has now supplied the first evidence of just how unpredictable the expanded field could become.
AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27: Results Through September 15
| Region | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|
| West | Shabab Al Ahli vs Tractor | 1-0 |
| West | Al Qadsiah vs Al Wasl | 2-1 |
| West | Al Ahli vs Pakhtakor | 1-1 |
| West | Esteghlal vs Al Sadd | 3-0 |
| West | Neftchi vs Air Force | 1-0 |
| West | Al Shamal vs Al Ittihad | 1-1 |
| West | Al Ain vs Al Nassr | 4-0 |
| West | Al Hilal vs Al Gharafa | 2-1 |
| East | Kashima Antlers vs Newcastle Jets | 7-1 |
| East | Daejeon Hana Citizen vs Kyoto Sanga | 1-0 |
| East | Gamba Osaka vs Cong An Ha Noi | 4-1 |
| East | Ratchaburi vs Shanghai Port | 4-6 |
| East | Johor Darul Ta’zim vs Buriram United | 1-1 |
| East | Beijing FC vs Pohang Steelers | 3-1 |
Those 14 matches produced 11 winners, three draws and 49 goals. The Eastern section accounted for 30 goals from only six matches, while the eight completed Western fixtures produced 19.
Al Ain 4-0 Al Nassr: The Result Nobody Can Ignore
No opening result changed the early continental conversation more dramatically than Al Ain’s 4-0 victory over Al Nassr.
Houssine Rahimi scored twice, in the 25th and 63rd minutes, before Soufiane Rahimi made it 3-0 in the 72nd. Giorgos Giakoumakis completed the rout five minutes from time.
Al Nassr actually controlled more possession and produced comparable overall shot volume, yet Al Ain were substantially more dangerous when the match reached decisive areas.
That distinction becomes important when placed against Al Nassr’s recent domestic form.
Only days earlier, The Sports Encounter reported how Al Nassr’s record scoring streak survived despite a frustrating 1-1 draw with Al Khaleej. Their attack had rarely been shut down completely.
Their continental return produced exactly that.
The club began the season with Cristiano Ronaldo still central to its international profile after his scoring return in Al Nassr’s 4-0 league victory over Al Riyadh. At Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, the four-goal margin went in the opposite direction.
Al Ain’s result looks even stronger because the UAE champions had just seen their perfect domestic start interrupted. Their 2-2 draw with Al Wasl four days earlier required a late Valentino Lazaro equalizer.
The continental response was emphatic.
Kashima Antlers Return With Seven
If Al Ain delivered the shock of the West, Kashima Antlers delivered the most overwhelming performance anywhere in the competition.
The 2018 Asian champions beat Newcastle Jets 7-1, marking their first appearance on the continental stage since 2019 with seven goals.
Aleksandar Cavric scored a hat trick and Homare Tokuda added two as the Japanese club immediately positioned itself among the early teams to watch.
The AFC’s official match report described it as a statement return, and that description fits the scale of the performance.
One match cannot settle the balance of power in the Eastern region, especially with seven league-stage fixtures still ahead for each club. It can establish a standard.
Kashima have established one immediately.
Shanghai Port and Ratchaburi Produce a 10-Goal Match
The most chaotic contest came in Thailand.
Shanghai Port beat Ratchaburi 6-4 in a match that shifted repeatedly and produced two individual hat tricks.
Prince Ampen scored three times before halftime for Shanghai Port, striking in the 31st, 36th and 45+1st minutes. Wu Lei extended the advantage after the interval.
Ratchaburi then turned what looked like a comfortable defeat into a genuine contest.
Substitute Njiva Rakotoharimalala scored a hat trick of his own, while Ekanit Panya also found the net. Shanghai Port needed late goals from Jaume Grau and Leonardo to make certain of the points.
The final 6-4 score accounted for more than one-fifth of all goals scored across the six Eastern matches played on Tuesday.
Al Ahli Discover How Hard a Three-Peat Could Be
Defending champions Al Ahli entered the season with the clearest target attached to any club in the competition.
They have won the last two continental titles and are chasing a third consecutive crown.
Pakhtakor almost gave that campaign the worst possible start.
Vladimir Nazarov repeatedly frustrated the Saudi champions before Flamarion put the Uzbek side ahead in the 85th minute. Al Ahli were heading toward defeat until Firas Al Brikan equalized in the third minute of stoppage time.
Head coach Marino Pusic acknowledged the frustration afterward, saying, We created many chances and the only thing missing was scoring.
His assessment matched the larger story of the match. Al Ahli controlled long stretches but came within minutes of receiving nothing from them.
The result matters because their continental position has become an important part of the broader Saudi football story. The Sports Encounter’s analysis of the Saudi football ownership transformation identified Al Ahli’s back-to-back Asian titles as one of the assets separating the club from its domestic rivals.
That reputation is now being defended under a new coach and a changed squad.
Al Qadsiah Turn Continental Debut Into Three Points
Al Qadsiah’s first AFC Champions League Elite match ended exactly as Brendan Rodgers would have wanted.
The Saudi club beat Al Wasl 2-1 after Julian Quiñones and Mateo Retegui scored in the second half.
Leandro Spadacio’s late goal reduced the margin but did not alter the outcome.
The performance followed an uneven domestic period for Al Qadsiah. Their recent 3-3 draw against Al Ettifaq saw them surrender multiple advantages despite Quiñones scoring twice.
Against Al Wasl, they managed the decisive phase far more effectively.
Rodgers praised the resilience of a side that had to work through difficult conditions before turning control into goals.
Esteghlal Punish Al Sadd 3-0 Despite Giving Up Control
Esteghlal’s 3-0 victory over Al Sadd provided one of the clearest examples of why possession alone cannot explain a football match.
Al Sadd controlled large stretches of the game but were repeatedly punished for defensive mistakes and poor finishing.
Jasir Asani gave Esteghlal the lead in the ninth minute. Saeid Saharkhizan made it 2-0 shortly after halftime before Esmaeil Gholizadeh completed the scoring in stoppage time.
Al Sadd managed only one effort on target and also had a goal overturned after VAR intervention.
For a club that had entered the continental season in strong domestic form, the three-goal defeat represents an immediate warning.
Shabab Al Ahli Give the UAE Another Winning Start
Shabab Al Ahli joined Al Ain among the UAE winners by beating Tractor 1-0 in Dubai.
Yuri Cesar scored the decisive goal in the 22nd minute at Rashid Stadium.
The narrow margin disguises the importance of the result. Shabab Al Ahli reached the semifinals last season and entered this campaign trying to convert that progress into a first continental title.
The Sports Encounter had already highlighted how the continental calendar would test the country’s strongest clubs in our UAE Pro League title-race analysis.
That test has now started.
Al Ain and Shabab Al Ahli won. Al Wasl lost narrowly at Al Qadsiah.
The UAE therefore closed the first two days with six points from its three representatives.
Al Hilal Take Three Points While Saudi Rivals Stumble
Al Hilal opened with a 2-1 victory over Al Gharafa in Riyadh.
The result extends a strong response from Simone Inzaghi’s side after their first domestic defeat of the season.
Three days earlier, Gabriel Martinelli scored a hat trick and Ollie Watkins added two goals as Al Hilal destroyed Al Taawoun 6-0.
That domestic performance restored some momentum after NEOM had beaten them 2-0 at the Kingdom Arena.
The Asian opener now adds another victory.
Saudi Arabia’s five representatives produced a mixed opening picture overall. Al Hilal and Al Qadsiah won, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad drew, while Al Nassr suffered the heaviest defeat of any Western club.
Al Ittihad Need the Last Kick to Deny Al Shamal
Al Ittihad came extraordinarily close to opening their continental campaign with defeat.
Baghdad Bounedjah put tournament newcomers Al Shamal ahead in the 63rd minute in Al Khor.
The Qatari club defended that advantage almost all the way to the final whistle.
Georginio Wijnaldum then equalized virtually with the last kick of the match.
The 1-1 draw extends Al Ittihad’s strong domestic run without giving them the continental opening they wanted. Their league form had included a 3-1 victory at Al Faisaly, where Youssef En-Nesyri scored twice.
Al Shamal gave them a very different problem.
Gamba Osaka Make Their Return Count
Gamba Osaka beat Cong An Ha Noi 4-1 after overcoming an uncomfortable first half hour.
Takashi Usami opened the scoring in the 29th minute and later added his second. Yusei Toshida and Koshiro Sumi also scored as the Japanese side turned the match decisively after the interval.
Gamba entered the Elite level as the reigning AFC Champions League Two winners and were making their first appearance at this stage since 2021.
Like Kashima, their return immediately produced three points.
Daejeon Dominate Kyoto but Need a Late Winner
Daejeon Hana Citizen’s 1-0 victory over Kyoto Sanga looks routine in the results column.
The match itself was anything but.
Daejeon generated 17 attempts while limiting Kyoto to only one, yet the breakthrough did not arrive until Victor Bobsin scored late.
That performance gives Daejeon three points and one of the strongest underlying statistical displays of the opening round.
Beijing FC Punish Pohang Early
Beijing FC beat Pohang Steelers 3-1 after a frantic opening 12 minutes.
Chadrac Akolo scored after only two minutes before Jakob Tranziska converted a sixth-minute penalty for Pohang.
Zhang Xizhe restored Beijing’s lead in the 12th minute and Jeremy Dudziak struck immediately after halftime to secure the victory.
For Beijing, it was exactly the kind of home result required in a league-stage format where every dropped point can become expensive by February.
JDT and Buriram Trade Goals, Red Cards and a Missed Penalty
Johor Darul Ta’zim and Buriram United produced the opening round’s most combustible draw.
Oscar Arribas put JDT ahead in the 26th minute before Stefan Schimmer equalized shortly before halftime.
Buriram captain Ken Dougall was sent off in the 57th minute, yet JDT failed to turn the numerical advantage into a winner.
The hosts then missed an even bigger opportunity when Neil Etheridge saved Bergson’s 87th-minute penalty.
JDT’s Eddy Israfilov was also dismissed in stoppage time, leaving both clubs with a point from a match in which either could argue it left something behind.
Neftchi Need 83 Minutes to Break Air Force Resistance
Neftchi made their opening victory wait until the final stages.
Zoran Marusic headed home in the 83rd minute to give the Uzbek club a 1-0 win over Iraq’s Air Force.
The goal rewarded a performance in which Neftchi had carried the larger attacking threat but repeatedly struggled to turn that control into the breakthrough.
The result adds another layer to a Western region that already looks capable of punishing slow starts.
What 49 Goals Tell Us About the Expanded Competition
The tournament’s expansion created a natural question before kickoff: would adding eight clubs dilute the level or deepen the variety?
The first two days offered encouraging evidence for the second possibility.
There were heavy defeats. There were also narrow games, late goals, debutant victories, former champions returning with force and clubs from Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Uzbekistan and Qatar pushing more established names into difficult situations.
The East produced 30 goals from six matches.
The West produced 19 from eight.
Kashima scored seven.
Shanghai Port needed six.
Al Ain scored four against one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest clubs.
Al Ahli, the team everyone is chasing, needed stoppage time simply to avoid defeat.
That is a useful opening for a tournament designed to place more of Asia’s strongest clubs into meaningful cross-border games.
The Sports Encounter’s broader soccer coverage will continue tracking the competition alongside the domestic Saudi, UAE and Asian leagues feeding into it.
Matchday 1 Is Not Finished Yet
The opening round still has two Eastern fixtures scheduled for September 16.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are due to face Kashiwa Reysol, while Port FC meet Vissel Kobe.
Those results will complete the first full matchday of the expanded league stage.
For schedules, standings and official tournament updates, readers can follow the AFC Champions League Elite competition hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many teams are in the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite?
The expanded 2026/27 competition includes 32 clubs, divided into 16-team West and East league-stage regions.
How many AFC Champions League Elite matches had been completed through September 15?
Fourteen opening-round matches had been completed across the West and East regions.
How many goals were scored in those 14 matches?
The first 14 completed matches produced 49 goals.
What was the biggest result of AFC Champions League Matchday 1?
Kashima Antlers recorded the largest winning margin through September 15 by beating Newcastle Jets 7-1.
What was the Al Ain vs Al Nassr score?
Al Ain beat Al Nassr 4-0 at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
Who scored for Al Ain against Al Nassr?
Houssine Rahimi scored twice, Soufiane Rahimi added the third and Giorgos Giakoumakis completed the 4-0 victory.
Did defending champions Al Ahli win their opening match?
No. Al Ahli drew 1-1 with Pakhtakor after Firas Al Brikan scored a stoppage-time equalizer.
Which match had the most goals?
Shanghai Port’s 6-4 victory over Ratchaburi produced 10 goals, the highest total from the first 14 completed matches.
Which Saudi clubs won their opening matches?
Al Hilal and Al Qadsiah won. Al Ahli and Al Ittihad drew, while Al Nassr lost 4-0 to Al Ain.
When will Matchday 1 be complete?
The remaining Eastern fixtures on September 16 will complete the first matchday of the 2026/27 league stage.