The men's club competitions ranking (former member association ranking, or MA ranking) is used to rank associations and determine the total number of clubs from each association that will participate in the
AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE),
AFC Champions League Two (ACL2), and
AFC Challenge League (ACGL). The ranking is provisional, as all teams participating in AFC club competition must pass club licensing requirements and be confirmed by the AFC prior to entry. If clubs are unable to meet said requirements, their spot will be redistributed to another club in their member association. If no clubs from a member association are able to meet the necessary licensing requirements, the AFC may redistribute the qualification position to another member association or adjust the structure of its competition to reflect the total number of teams participating. Due to the
2020 AFC Cup being cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Asia and
Australia, the AFC announced that all points from the
2020 AFC Champions League and AFC Cup would be excluded from all ranking calculations. The AFC later reaffirmed this decision in 2022, when the ranking system was adjusted to take into account the results of the previous eight seasons.
Slot allocation The following is the preliminary slot allocation for the 2026–27 season.
History The initial ranking system launched in 2014 took into account the results of clubs from each member association (70%), and their
FIFA Men's World Ranking (30%), with the member association(s) with the most points in each part being given 70 and 30 points respectively. This system was later adopted for the
AFC Women's Champions League in 2025. In 2017 the ratio was adjusted to 90% club points and 10% national team points, the member association with the most points in each part would now be awarded 90 and 10 points. From 2018 onwards the AFC has no longer taken member associations FIFA ranking into account. The ranking until 2021 consisted of the total points of member associations' clubs over the previous four years. From the 2022 season onwards, the ranking has taken into account the points over the previous eight seasons, with earlier editions having a decreasingly smaller contribution through an applied multiplier. Due to the
2020 AFC Cup being cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Asia and
Australia, the AFC announced that all points from the
2020 AFC Champions League and AFC Cup would be excluded from all ranking calculations. • Due to AFC competitions shifting from an all-year-round schedule to an August-to-May schedule for the 2023–24 season, there was no AFC competition ranking for 2023. ==Women's ranking==