Cambodia's Clubs Are Turning Heads in Asia: Phnom Penh Crown and Svay Rieng in the AFC Champions League Two
Four matchdays in, both Cambodian sides sit in qualifying places, with wins in Korea and Singapore and a draw against Shanghai Shenhua along the way.
For years, Cambodian clubs went into Asian competition as outsiders. This season they are among the group leaders. Four matchdays into the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Two, both Cambodian representatives are sitting in qualifying positions. Phnom Penh Crown sit on top of their group, and Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng are second behind a Japanese side with a perfect record.
Here is how it happened, game by game.
Phnom Penh Crown: three wins, then a cruel night in Hong Kong
Phnom Penh Crown opened Group H on 17 September with a 2-1 home win over Kuching City of Malaysia. That was a solid result, but nothing to make Asia notice.
Then came 15 October in South Korea. Phnom Penh Crown beat Gangwon FC, a K League club, 2-1 on their own ground. For a Cambodian side to go to Korea and leave with three points is a genuine milestone. It was the result that made people across the region look up.
On 29 October they backed it up at home against Kitchee of Hong Kong. The game looked like it would finish goalless until Sa Ty scored in the 89th minute and Daniel Bares added a second in stoppage time. That made it three wins from three, with Phnom Penh five points clear at the top.
The first defeat arrived on Thursday, 5 November. In the return match in Hong Kong, Kitchee won 2-1 with a goal in the dying seconds against a Phnom Penh side reduced to ten men. It hurt, but the table still looks good. Phnom Penh Crown have 9 points, with Kitchee on 5 and Gangwon and Kuching City on 4 each, after Kuching beat Gangwon 2-0 on the same night.
With two matches left, one more win would put Phnom Penh Crown out of reach of the chasing pack. The last group game is at home against Gangwon on 3 December.
Svay Rieng: a slow start, then an explosion
Svay Rieng's group looked like the toughest draw imaginable: Japan's FC Machida Zelvia, China's Shanghai Shenhua and Singapore's Tampines Rovers. It started as expected. Svay Rieng lost 2-0 away to Machida on 17 September.
But on 15 October they held Shanghai Shenhua, one of China's biggest clubs, to a 0-0 draw. A point against a club with that budget and history is not luck. It is organisation and belief.
Then the goals came. On 29 October in Singapore, Svay Rieng beat Tampines Rovers 5-1: Juninho Maranhense scored after nine minutes, Tiago Alves added two, and Kwame Peprah and Nnamdi Ofufu Ibeh scored the others. A week later, on 5 November, they beat Tampines again, 2-0 at home, with goals from Alves and the substitute Johannes Tartarotti.
That gives Svay Rieng 7 points, second in Group G and three clear of Shanghai Shenhua on 4. Machida have won all four games to reach 12 points and have already booked their place in the round of 16. Svay Rieng host Machida on 26 November in a match that will show how far this team has come.
A Southeast Asian story, not just a Cambodian one
Zoom out and the pattern is striking. In the East region, Southeast Asian clubs now lead three of the four groups. Indonesia's Persib Bandung are unbeaten on 12 points after winning 2-1 in Melbourne. Singapore's Lion City Sailors top their group on 10 points after a 5-0 win over Adelaide United. And Phnom Penh Crown lead Group H.
For a region long seen as behind Japan, Korea and China at club level, the table is significant. It suggests that investment in clubs, coaching and facilities across Southeast Asia is starting to show on the pitch.
What to watch in the last two matchdays
Discipline is one factor: playing with ten men cost Phnom Penh Crown in Hong Kong, and margins are thin at this level. Home support is another. Svay Rieng host Machida on 26 November, and Phnom Penh Crown host Gangwon on 3 December.
Whatever happens next, both clubs have already shown they can compete with established sides from Korea, China and Singapore.
