Persib Bandung finished matchday three of Group E in the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Two at the top of the standings with nine points from three games. The Indonesian club beat Melbourne Victory 2-0 on 28 October, with Balsa Sekulic scoring both goals in the second half. In the other match that day, FC Seoul defeated The Cong-Viettel 5-0. All four clubs have therefore played three of their scheduled six group matches, but no round-of-16 berth was mathematically secured at this cutoff.
Persib have scored four goals and conceded none. Melbourne Victory are second on four points, ahead of FC Seoul on three and Viettel on one. The table below includes only Group E matches completed by 28 October 2026, not domestic-league results or matches from another stage.
Group E standings after three matchdays
| Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persib Bandung | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 9 |
| Melbourne Victory | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 |
| FC Seoul | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 3 |
| The Cong-Viettel | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 1 |
P means played, W wins, D draws, L losses, GF goals for, GA goals against and GD goal difference. Points are calculated at three for a win and one for a draw. Goal difference is goals scored minus goals conceded. Persib lead Melbourne by five points, but each team still has nine points available.
The six results behind the standings
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16/09/2026 | FC Seoul | 0-1 | Persib Bandung |
| 16/09/2026 | The Cong-Viettel | 1-1 | Melbourne Victory |
| 14/10/2026 | Melbourne Victory | 3-0 | FC Seoul |
| 14/10/2026 | Persib Bandung | 1-0 | The Cong-Viettel |
| 28/10/2026 | The Cong-Viettel | 0-5 | FC Seoul |
| 28/10/2026 | Persib Bandung | 2-0 | Melbourne Victory |
In the opener on 16 September, Persib won 1-0 away to FC Seoul through a Julio Cesar goal. On the same date, Viettel and Melbourne Victory drew 1-1 in Hanoi. On 14 October, Persib beat Viettel 1-0 through a Mariano Peralta penalty, while Melbourne defeated FC Seoul 3-0.
On 28 October, Persib extended their advantage with a 2-0 victory over Melbourne. At the same time, FC Seoul responded to their opening two defeats with a 5-0 away win over Viettel, as reported by Vietnamese media. That result explains why the Korean club now have five goals scored despite holding only three points.
What the campaigns reveal, and their limits
Three wins without conceding support the view that Persib have made an efficient start, particularly as they have already met all three opponents. Yet their run includes two one-goal wins and one two-goal victory. A sample of only three games is insufficient to predict dominance or future results. Their four goals were spread across three matches, not scored in a single round.
Melbourne earned their four points through the draw with Viettel and the win against Seoul. Three of their four goals came in one match, and their first defeat came against the group leaders. FC Seoul went scoreless in their first two fixtures before scoring all five of their goals in the win over Viettel. That distribution matters as much as the totals: Persib's four goals and nine points tell a different story from Seoul's five goals and three points.
Viettel have one draw, two defeats and a goal difference of minus six. Their only goal at the cutoff came in the opening draw against Melbourne. The heavy loss to Seoul worsened their goal difference, but it does not by itself amount to mathematical elimination, with three rounds still to play.
What remains in the qualification race
AFC regulations provide for six group games per club, at home and away, with the top two in each group advancing to the round of 16. When clubs finish level on points, head-to-head results are considered first; overall goal difference only applies after the relevant head-to-head criteria. Nine points cannot therefore be described as a secured berth, and a future tie cannot be settled solely on today's overall goal difference.
Matchday four is scheduled for 4 November 2026: Melbourne Victory host Persib at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, while FC Seoul host The Cong-Viettel. A Persib victory in Australia would take them to 12 points and ensure one of the two qualifying places, given their rivals' maximum remaining totals, although it would not necessarily clinch first place. A draw or defeat would require the scenarios to be recalculated after both fixtures. None of these possibilities is a completed result.
Cutoff: matches completed on 28 October 2026, after matchday three. The standings and qualification scenarios need to be checked again once matchday four is complete; this is not live coverage.
Sources and references
- AFC: Persib vs Melbourne Victory match report (28 Oct)
- AFC: FC Seoul vs Persib opener
- AFC: Persib vs The Cong-Viettel
- AFC: Viettel vs Melbourne Victory
- AFC: Melbourne Victory vs FC Seoul
- Thể Thao & Văn Hóa: Viettel vs FC Seoul (28 Oct)
- AFC: 2026/27 Champions League Two regulations, Articles 8.1-8.4
- Melbourne Victory: Group E match schedule
- DetikSport: standings after 28 Oct
