Australia is tipped to gain an extra place in Asia’s expanded continental competitions, according to The Asian Game website.

In a post on X on Tuesday, The Asian Game revealed the new allocations from the Asian Football Confederation for when the competition expands to 32 teams, which adds timely spice to the final round of the A-League Men competition as clubs jostle for final ladder positions.

Not only will it determine the finals for this season, but who qualifies for Asia, which has an added layer of complexity in that Auckland cannot represent Australia in Asia, while Football Australia recently confirmed that National Premier League Victoria club Heidelberg, runners up to Newcastle Jets in the Australia Cup, will get the spot currently allocated for the Australia Cup winners given Mark Milligan’s side have qualified for the AFC Champions League Elite by winning the A-League Premiership.

Heidelberg still need to meet a range of licensing requirements to take their place in Asia.

As it stands, assuming Heidelberg do qualify, then the extra place granted according to this report will go to the next best Australian finisher in the A-League regular season, which is a battle between Adelaide United (40 points), Sydney FC and Melbourne City (38 points) and Melbourne Victory (37).

As it stands, the A-League Grand Final winner does not qualify for Asia due to the AFC’s preference for rewarding season long consistency and performance.

With five indirect slots for three spots, I’m told it is likely that one of the two teams from Saudi & Japan would qualify directly without needing to go through playoffs.

Five slots are allocated in case a team from outside top 6 MAs wins ACL2 and gets additional indirect slot.

— Paul Williams (@PaulWilliams_85) April 20, 2026

Also, from an Australian point of view, it adds extra intrigue to this weekend.

Without knowing what will happen with Heidelberg, there are potentially now two spots up for grabs this weekend, which adds an extra layer of intrigue to the final round of matches.

— Paul Williams (@PaulWilliams_85) April 20, 2026

In a release last week, Asian football’s peak body said its Competitions Committee has ‘recommended a series of strategic enhancements’ to the continent’s premier club competition which will alter its format.

The major headline is an expansion from 24 to 32 teams in the league stage, which will continue to be split between east and west regions.

The Asian Game suggests Australia will gain another indirect spot to the AFC Champions League Elite, while Japan will get two (up to five representatives), with Korea Republic and Vietnam also getting an extra indirect place in the East version of the competition. China and Thailand’s one indirect spot will be upgraded to a direct spot.

🚨 #EXCLUSIVE

Japan & Saudi Arabia would have six clubs qualify for continental competition under the proposed new slot allocation for the AFC Champions League Elite & AFC Champions League Two.

The allocations will be confirmed by the Professional Football Committee on Friday. pic.twitter.com/a8nNxuNK2V

— The Asian Game (@TheAsianGame) April 20, 2026

In the West, Saudi Arabia gain two, with five in total in the ACL Elite, while UAE, Uzbekistan and Jordan gain an entry, with Qatar and Iran’s slots moving from indirect to direct.

It had been reported that the revamped format would include a broader range of countries but this latest report suggests it will just increase the participants of those already participating.

Surely they can’t have 2 countries possibly having 30% of the clubs … horrible for growing the game in Asia

— Stefan Mauk (@StefanMauk) April 20, 2026

“This increase in scale is intended to provide opportunities for elite clubs to compete against the Continent’s best, while simultaneously incentivising higher standards of professionalism and performance within domestic leagues across Asia,” the AFC said in a statement.

Another significant change could see the introduction of a knockout stage playoff, designed to ‘heighten the stakes of the opening round’.

Under the proposed recommendations, clubs ranked first through sixth in each region at the end of the league stage will go straight through to the Round of 16, while teams sitting seventh through 10th will not be eliminated, instead going into a playoff.

Teams who finish 7th and 8th will battle 10th and 9th respectively, with the higher seeded side being handed home ground advantage.

The winners of these playoffs will progress to the Round of 16, with the new format meant to ensure results in the league stage remain consequential until the final matchday.

However, ‘due to the congested global competitions calendar’, the knockout stage playoff will not be implemented from next season, instead being slated for introduction further down the track.

According to the AFC, “This latest expansion reinforces the AFC’s dedication to delivering a more inclusive and commercially viable Continental platform. 

“By broadening the geographical representation of elite football, the AFC ensures that the ACL Elite remains at the forefront of the global footballing landscape, providing fans and stakeholders with a premier sporting spectacle.”

These changes still need to be ratified by the AFC Executive Committee before coming into effect.