April 14 (Reuters) - The ⁠Asian Football Confederation on Tuesday recommended the expansion ⁠of its premier club competition, proposing the AFC ‌Champions League Elite move to a 32-team tournament from 24 starting from the 2026-27 season.

Expansion would see the competition split with ​16 teams each in the East ⁠and West regions, which ⁠the AFC said would boost competitiveness and inclusion across ⁠Asian club ‌football.

The continental governing body proposed revising progression criteria following the league stage to raise ⁠the stakes of the opening phase.

Under the ​proposal, clubs finishing ‌first to sixth in each of the two ⁠regions will ​qualify directly for the round of 16.

Unlike previous formats, teams finishing seventh to 10th would remain in contention, ⁠advancing to a newly introduced knockout ​stage playoff for the remaining last-16 spots.

Teams finishing seventh and eighth would have home advantage with the winners of ⁠those ties claiming the final places in the round of 16.

However, a knockout stage playoff would not be introduced in the 2026–27 due to a congested ​global football calendar. The AFC plans ⁠to implement it in subsequent campaigns.