CAHN meets 5 Japanese teams, will be away to Johor Darul in the AFC Champions League Elite

Hanoi Police FC (CAHN) have confirmed their eight opponents for the League Stage of the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite, with five of them coming from Japan. Under head coach Alexandre Polking, the team will welcome Kashima Antlers, Vissel Kobe, and Kyoto Sanga at home, while traveling to take on Kashiwa Reysol and Gamba Osaka.

The draw for the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite took place on August 18 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, determining the pairings for the East Asia League Stage. CAHN enters the continent's top club competition with a schedule of four home matches and four away matches.

According to the draw results, the four opponents CAHN will host at home are Kashima Antlers, Vissel Kobe, Beijing FC, and Kyoto Sanga.

Meanwhile, in their four away trips, the Vietnamese representative will face Shanghai Port, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Kashiwa Reysol, and Gamba Osaka.

Thus, CAHN will face all five Japanese representatives in the East Asia League Stage: Kashima Antlers, Vissel Kobe, Kashiwa Reysol, Kyoto Sanga, and Gamba Osaka. This scenario was actually predicted before the draw due to the rule that clubs from the same national association do not meet in the League Stage.

Notably, three of CAHN's five matches against Japanese clubs will be at home, against Kashima Antlers, Vissel Kobe, and Kyoto Sanga. The two trips to Japan are the encounters with Kashiwa Reysol and Gamba Osaka.

Besides the challenges from the J.League, CAHN must also face two Chinese representatives. Coach Mano Polking's squad will host Beijing FC at home but must travel to Shanghai Port.

Another away trip expected to be tough is the clash with Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia. The Vietnamese representative will therefore have to endure a challenging journey as opponents span from Japan, China to Malaysia.

The 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite has been expanded from 24 to 32 teams, divided equally into East and West zones with 16 clubs each. Each team in the League Stage faces 8 different opponents, playing 4 home and 4 away matches; the top 8 teams from each zone advance to the knockout stage.

CAHN secured their place in the League Stage after a 2-0 victory over Adelaide United on Australian soil on August 11, with goals from Henen and Koko. This is the first time the police department's team has participated in the main stage of the AFC Champions League Elite.

CAHN's 8 opponents in the League Stage

Home: Kashima Antlers (Japan), Vissel Kobe (Japan), Beijing FC (China), Kyoto Sanga (Japan).

Away: Shanghai Port (China), Johor Darul Ta'zim (Malaysia), Kashiwa Reysol (Japan), Gamba Osaka (Japan).