At the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Season, fans of the AFC will be reminded of how much they love the game of football during this difficult and exciting period. Fans, players and coaches are faced with an ever-changing landscape, as teams rise from obscurity to contender status, veterans find themselves in a dogfight to preserve their legacies, and large segments of communities across the United States experience a rollercoaster of emotions each week as their team continues to push through the final week of the regular season toward the playoffs. The level of excitement surrounding the competition among the AFC teams is creating a new kind of competition within the league — one with a heightened sense of emotion, and unprecedented levels of passion and drama.
| Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
12 |
9 |
2 |
1 |
24 |
6 |
18 |
29 |
|
2
|
12 |
7 |
2 |
3 |
23 |
11 |
12 |
23 |
|
3
|
12 |
7 |
1 |
4 |
24 |
10 |
14 |
22 |
|
4
|
12 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
15 |
11 |
4 |
21 |
|
5
|
12 |
5 |
5 |
2 |
16 |
9 |
7 |
20 |
|
6
|
12 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
19 |
16 |
3 |
19 |
|
7
|
12 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
14 |
11 |
3 |
19 |
|
8
|
12 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
19 |
20 |
-1 |
19 |
|
9
|
12 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
20 |
14 |
6 |
18 |
|
10
|
12 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
19 |
19 |
0 |
18 |
|
11
|
12 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
13 |
13 |
0 |
18 |
|
12
|
12 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
18 |
20 |
-2 |
18 |
|
13
|
12 |
5 |
1 |
6 |
18 |
19 |
-1 |
16 |
|
14
|
12 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
13 |
15 |
-2 |
15 |
|
15
|
12 |
4 |
2 |
6 |
13 |
16 |
-3 |
14 |
|
16
|
12 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
13 |
20 |
-7 |
12 |
|
17
|
12 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
15 |
25 |
-10 |
11 |
|
18
|
12 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
11 |
22 |
-11 |
11 |
|
19
|
12 |
3 |
1 |
8 |
14 |
24 |
-10 |
10 |
|
20
|
12 |
0 |
2 |
10 |
7 |
27 |
-20 |
2 |
Arsenal FC
Chelsea FC
Manchester City
Aston Villa
Crystal Palace
Brighton & Hove Albion
Sunderland AFC
AFC Bournemouth
Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester United
Everton FC
Liverpool FC
Brentford FC
Newcastle United
Fulham FC
Nottingham Forest
West Ham United
Leeds United
Burnley FC
Wolverhampton Wanderers📰 Here's what is going on.
The standings for the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite Group Stage have been released, and the race for a place in the knockout rounds is hotly contested.
The AFC Champions League is broken down into a two-region format - East and West - with twelve teams competing in each region. Teams earn points from group-stage matches to advance through the knockout round.
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🔍 Who is in first place in the standings?
In the East Region, Vissel Kobe, who have won four out of five matches and lost only once, are the current leaders with 12 points.
Melbourne City FC have nine points after a strong start but still trail the leader.
Due to very similar records, Machida Zelvia, FC Seoul, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and Ulsan HD are a tightly contested bunch in mid-table vying for a narrow qualifying position.
In the West Region, Al-Hilal is dominating with 15 points, winning all five of their matches, scoring over 14 goals, and maintaining a differentials of +9 goals.
Al-Wahda is also performing well with 13 points only two points shy of Al-Hilal.
Bracketed near each other with eleven points are Tractor Sazi FC and then both Al-Ahli and Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai can both be at ten points. The battle between the larger teams is still open in the bracket of the West Region.
Takeaways– Key Storylines to Watch
While Vissel Kobe and Al-Hilal lead their respective Regions and have some room for error (they will likely qualify for Knockout Stage), qualified teams must be vigilant because there will be more Knockout Stage spots available than teams allowed to enter the tournament. Even though the League Table mid-table had so much chaos, teams near or at the bottom such as Machida Zelvia, FC Seoul, Ulsan Hd, etc… are still in striking distance of advancing. Every match from now until the end of the tournament will have a significant effect on team probabilities to qualify for the Knockout Stage.
As with Fans & Clubs alike, the unpredictability of the tournament has created immense excitement, because any one team could make an incredible run to qualify and/or shock other clubs. The teams of the West Region (ex.: Al Wahda, Al Ahli, Traktor Sazi, etc.) appear to have all seized the opportunity to continue to improve and solidify their chances of place in the Knockout Stage.
Things to Look Ahead To
Coming Group Stage Fixtures will be very critical! Teams win or lose will create a drastically different table position — particularly among teams in the middle of the table.
Teams that ultimately finish level on points will be differentiated by teams that finished with higher goal differences. Therefore, scoring more goals in matches and winning matches will be critical to qualify, especially for teams competing against established teams, however, teams who have more favorable fixtures remaining should take advantage of those fixtures to qualify while established teams must remain serious to avoid being complacent!
