| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan[1] |
| Dates | Qualifying round: TBD 2026 Group stage: TBD 2026 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 8 (from 6 associations) |
The 2026 CAFA Silk Way Cup is the inaugural edition of Central Asia's premier club football tournament, organized by the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA). It will be the first club competition organized by regional associations since its establishment in 2015.[2][3] It was originally planned to take place in March-April 2025. Later on 9 March 2025, it was announced that the competition had been postponed due to insufficient sponsorship, with the possibility of rescheduling for 2026.[4]
Association team allocation
[edit]The slot allocation for the tournament is based on the performance of each association's top club in international Asian competitions. Iran and Uzbekistan, whose top clubs qualified directly for the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite and 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two, were each granted one slot. Meanwhile, the remaining four associations received two slots each.[5]
| Member association |
slots | |
|---|---|---|
| Group stage |
Qualifying round | |
 Iran
|
1 | 0 |
| Uzbekistan
|
1 | 0 |
 Turkmenistan
|
1 | 1 |
 Tajikistan
|
1 | 1 |
| Kyrgyzstan
|
1 | 1 |
 Afghanistan
|
1 | 1 |
| Participating associations: 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 10 | ||
Teams
[edit]Eligibility for the tournament is limited to clubs that finished among the top teams in their respective national leagues or won their domestic cups in the previous season excluding the ones that are participating in Asian competition during the 2025–26 season.
| Team | Association | Qualifying method | App. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Muslim | Afghanistan
|
2025–26 Afghanistan Champions League champion | 1st
|
| Nassaji Mazandaran | Iran
|
2025–26 Persian Gulf Pro League third place | 1st
|
| Muras United | Kyrgyz Republic
|
2025 Kyrgyz Premier League runners-up | 1st
|
| Khujand | Tajikistan
|
2025 Tajikistan Higher League third place | 1st
|
| Şagadam | Turkmenistan
|
2025 Ýokary Liga third place | 1st
|
| Qizilqum | Uzbekistan
|
2025 Uzbekistan Super League third place | 1st
|
| Team | Association | Qualifying method | App. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sorkh Poshan | Afghanistan
|
2025–26 Afghanistan Champions League runners-up | 1st
|
| Asiagoal Bishkek | Kyrgyz Republic
|
2025 Kyrgyz Premier League third place | 1st
|
| Ravshan Kulob | Tajikistan
|
2025 Tajikistan Higher League fourth place | 1st
|
| Arkadag | Turkmenistan
|
2025 Ýokary Liga fourth place | 1st
|
Qualifying round
[edit]Four teams from four member associations will compete for two of the eight berths in the competition proper. The qualifying round is scheduled to take place in 2026.
Group stage
[edit]In the main tournament, the eight participating clubs will be split into two groups of four. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "The new CAFA club tournament has been postponed due to a lack of sponsors". dialog.tj. 7 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
The tournament will take place in March-April in two countries, presumably Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
- ^ "Under the auspices of CAFA, the Silk Way Cup club tournament will be held for the first time". fergana.agency (in Russian). Fergana Agency. 25 December 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "The addition of the "CAFA Club League" to Asian football from 2025". tasnimnews.com (in Persian). 29 October 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ Dedi Irie, Samuel (9 March 2025). "Silk Way Cup postponed until 2026 due to lack of sponsors". vb.kg (in Russian). Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "Uzbekistan will compete in the group stage of the inaugural club tournament organized by the Central Asian Football Federation". toshkent24.com. 26 December 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
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