Kashiwa face Jeonbuk without foreign players in AFC Champions League Elite
Kashiwa Reysol were set to face Jeonbuk Hyundai in the first leg of the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite league stage on Wednesday, 16 September. The match was scheduled for 7pm Korean time at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, with Kashiwa travelling to South Korea without a foreign player in their squad. The Japanese club entered the fixture in third place in its domestic league, matching Jeonbuk’s position in K League 1. The sides had met eight times in Asian competition, with Kashiwa holding a five-win, one-draw, two-loss record, although Jeonbuk won their most recent meeting, a 3-2 victory in 2018.
Coach Rodriguez praised the structure of Kashiwa’s Japanese squad ahead of the contest, while the club looked to build momentum after a comeback against Kyoto in the AFC Champions League Elite. Jeonbuk’s familiarity with the competition added weight to the opening league-stage fixture, having qualified as the previous season’s K League 1 champions. The tournament features separate East and West Asian sections, each containing 12 teams, with the top eight in each region progressing to the round of 16. Kashiwa’s latest meeting with Jeonbuk therefore offered an early test of its domestic form and squad model against experienced continental opposition.