ADELAIDE United may be given a chance to be part of the 2012 AFC Champions League.

The Reds may be joining 2011 A-League champion Brisbane Roar and runner-up Central Coast Mariners in the international club competition.

But Adelaide may be locked in a dogfight with Gold Coast United - the club that knocked the Reds out of the 2011 playoffs to reach the preliminary final from fourth place - before it can contest Asian football.

Adelaide ended its home-and-away season in third place, four points clear of Gold Coast, with the AFC seemingly giving preference to the premiership table in this instance.

The Asian Football Confederation's executive committee was yesterday finalising next year's Champions League with Australia set to be awarded 2.5 positions, giving the Reds, the 2008 Champions League runner-up, another opportunity to make greater inroads into Asia.

Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley was part of the competition's committee meeting yesterday, which could see Adelaide contest its fourth Champions League.

A spokesperson from the FFA confirmed Buckley and A-League chief Lyall Gorman - a member of the AFC's professional football committee - were in separate meetings with the AFC officials.

"We've been lobbying for more spots in Asia," the FFA spokesperson said. "But it must be ratified by the AFC's executive committee."

There is a catch for Adelaide if the AFC executive awards the extra half spot, which may unwittingly summon a giant financial windfall for the Reds.

Adelaide will only enter the lucrative Champions League group stage competition via a playoff to win a berth, facing clubs from nations including Thailand or Indonesia.

If it loses the aggregate clash, Adelaide would be dropped into the AFC Cup, which would be a financial burden on the Reds given the AFC does not offer fiscal support in that competition - which sees clubs travel to exotic locations across Asia and the Middle East.

An Asian Football Confederation spokesperson yesterday said the executive committee was in lockdown at AFC House at Kuala Lumpur before a decision was to be made public last night.

Adelaide chief executive Glenn Elliott said he was waiting on further news with regards to the Reds' pending 2012 Champions League spot before commenting.