The AFC Challenge League offers emerging football nations a path to continental glory

Countries & Cities · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The AFC Challenge League is the third-tier continental club competition for Asian football, designed for nations that do not qualify for the elite Champions League. Rebranded from the former President's Cup, this tournament provides a vital platform for clubs from emerging countries to compete and climb the continental rankings.

The competition began in 2005 as the AFC President's Cup, a tournament created to give clubs from lower-ranked member nations a chance to participate in continental football. Initially, the tournament was dominated by teams from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, who together won the first five editions. Kyrgyz side Dordoi-Dynamo was a particularly consistent force, appearing in the final for six consecutive years between 2005 and 2010.

By 2013, the AFC decided to dissolve the President's Cup, with the final edition occurring in 2014 when Turkmenistan's HTTU Aşgabat defeated North Korea's Rimyongsu. For a period, the league champions of emerging nations were funneled into the AFC Cup qualifying play-offs instead. However, in 2022, the AFC announced a major restructuring of its club competitions, leading to the launch of the AFC Challenge League in the 2024–25 season.

The modern iteration of the tournament has seen significant growth in scale. While the early President's Cup editions typically featured between 8 and 12 clubs, the inaugural 2024–25 Challenge League season included 18 clubs, expanding to 20 teams by the 2025–26 season. The tournament now serves as a gateway to higher levels, with the winner qualifying for the group stage of the second-tier AFC Champions League Two.

Success in the new era has been swift for some. Arkadag, a club founded in 2023, won the inaugural Challenge League title in 2025. They were followed by Kuwait SC, who secured the 2026 title in a dramatic 4–3 victory over Svay Rieng at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. As the AFC has grandfathered in all historical records from the President's Cup, the competition maintains a continuous legacy of providing a stage for football development across Asia.

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