2020 AFC Cup

The 2020 AFC Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).[1]

2020 AFC Cup
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
21 January – 26 February 2020
Competition proper:
10 February – 11 March 2020
(Remaining matches cancelled)
TeamsCompetition proper: 36
Total: 48 (from 28 associations)
Final positions
Championsnot awarded
Tournament statistics
Matches played32
Goals scored91 (2.84 per match)
Attendance52,237 (1,632 per match)
Top scorer(s) Bienvenido Marañón
(5 goals)

The competition was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic after group stage matches on 11 March 2020,[2] and was originally to restart on 23 September 2020.[3] However, the season was eventually cancelled by the AFC on 10 September 2020.[4][5]

Al-Ahed of Lebanon were the defending champions.

Association team allocation

The 46 AFC member associations (excluding the associate member Northern Mariana Islands) were ranked based on their national team's and clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions, with the allocation of slots for the 2019 and 2020 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2017 AFC rankings (Entry Manual Article 2.3):[6]

  • The associations were split into five zones:
  • All associations which did not receive direct slots in the AFC Champions League group stage were eligible to enter the AFC Cup.
  • In each zone, the number of groups in the group stage was determined based on the number of entries, with the number of slots filled through play-offs same as the number of groups:
    • In the West Asia Zone and the ASEAN Zone, there were three groups in the group stage, including a total of 9 direct slots, with the 3 remaining slots filled through play-offs.
    • In the Central Asia Zone, the South Asia Zone, and the East Asia Zone, there was one group in the group stage, including a total of 3 direct slots, with the 1 remaining slot filled through play-offs.
  • The top associations participating in the AFC Cup in each zone as per the AFC rankings received at least one direct slot in the group stage (including losers of the AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs), while the remaining associations get only play-off slots:
    • For the West Asia Zone and the ASEAN zone:
      • The associations ranked 1st to 3rd each received two direct slots.
      • The associations ranked 4th to 6th each received one direct slot and one play-off slot.
      • The associations ranked 7th or below each received one play-off slot.
    • For the Central Asia Zone, the South Asia Zone, and the East Asia zone:
      • The associations ranked 1st to 3rd each received one direct slot and one play-off slot.
      • The associations ranked 4th or below each received one play-off slot.
  • The maximum number of slots for each association was one-third of the total number of eligible teams in the top division.
  • If any association did not use its direct slots, they would be redistributed to the highest eligible association, with each association limited to a maximum of two direct slots.
  • If any association did not use its play-off slots, they are annulled and not redistributed to any other association.
  • If the number of teams in the play-offs in any zone was fewer than twice the number of group stage slots filled through play-offs, the play-off teams of the highest eligible associations would be given byes to the group stage.

Association ranking

For the 2020 AFC Cup, the associations were allocated slots according to their association ranking as at 15 December 2017.[7] This took into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, as well as their national team's FIFA World Rankings, during the period between 2014 and 2017.[6][8]

Participation for 2020 AFC Cup
Participating
Not participating
Notes
  1. ^
    Yemen (YEM): Yemen did not implement the AFC Cup club licensing system.[9]
  2. ^
    Afghanistan (AFG): Afghanistan did not implement the AFC Cup club licensing system.[9]
  3. ^
    Nepal (NEP): Nepal did not have any teams which had an AFC Cup license.[9]
  4. ^
    Pakistan (PAK): Pakistan did not implement the AFC Cup club licensing system.[9]
  5. ^
    North Korea (PRK): North Korea did not have any teams entering the competition.
  6. ^
    Guam (GUM): Guam did not submit any list of licensed teams.[9]

Teams

The following 48 teams from 28 associations entered the competition. Teams from Brunei and Timor-Leste entered the AFC Cup for the first time.[10]

Notes
  1. ^
    Title holders (TH): Al-Ahed are the title holders.
  2. ^
    AFC Champions League (ACL): Teams played in the AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs, but failed to advance to the AFC Champions League group stage. Had they advanced to the AFC Champions League group stage, they would not play in the AFC Cup, and would be replaced by the standby team from the same association if such team were available.
  3. ^
    Brunei (BRU): MS ABDB, the 2018–19 Brunei Super League champions, failed to obtain an AFC license. As a result, Indera, the league 4th place (only team with an AFC license), enter the qualifying play-offs.[11]
  4. ^
    East Asia Zone (EAZ): Tai Po (Hong Kong) withdrew from the group stage after the draw (originally drawn in Group I).[12] As a result, Kitchee (Hong Kong) entered the group stage instead of the play-off round to replace Tai Po, and Taipower (Chinese Taipei) and Ulaanbaatar City (Mongolia) entered the play-off round instead of the preliminary round 2, which was cancelled.[13]
  5. ^
    Philippines (PHI): Ceres–Negros underwent a management change mid-competition in July 2020 while the AFC Cup was still suspended due to the pandemic, with MMC Sportz Asia taking over. The club renamed as United City. It is uncertain if the club would have been allowed by the AFC to continue their campaign in the AFC Cup under the new name and management had the tournament not been cancelled.[14]
  6. ^
    Singapore (SIN): DPMM, the 2019 Singapore Premier League champions, is a team from Brunei and thus ineligible to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions. As a result, Hougang United, the league 3rd place, enter the group stage.
  7. ^
    Vietnam (VIE): Hà Nội, the 2019 V.League 1 champions and 2019 Vietnamese Cup winners, failed to obtain an AFC license (as their U15 team did not participate in Vietnam National U15 Youth League).[15] As a result, Than Quảng Ninh, the league 3rd place, enter the group stage.
Location of teams of the 2020 AFC Cup group stage.
Brown: Group A; Red: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D; Green: Group E;
Blue: Group F; Cyan: Group G; Purple: Group H; Pink: Group I; Qualifying play-offs
Withdrawn teams

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[16] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only some of the group stage matches on matchdays 1–3 in February and March were played as scheduled, and all matches in the East Asia Zone, on matchdays 2–6 in the Central Asia Zone and the South Asia Zone, and on matchdays 4–6 in the West Asia Zone and the ASEAN Zone, were postponed until further notice.[2] The West Asia Zonal semi-finals were also initially moved to 24–25 August and 14–15 September.[17]

The AFC announced the calendar of the remaining matches on 9 July 2020, with all group stage matches played at centralised venues, and all knockout ties played as a single match.[18] The AFC announced the cancellation of the remainder of the competition on 10 September 2020, due to logistics in coordinating the five zones.[4]

Notes:

  • W: West Asia Zone
  • C: Central Asia Zone
  • S: South Asia Zone
  • A: ASEAN Zone
  • E: East Asia Zone
  • Italics: planned new dates after restart, before the cancellation of the tournament
Stage Round Draw date Match dates
First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 No draw 22 January 2020 (S) 29 January 2020 (S)
Preliminary round 2 5 February 2020 (C, S) 12 February 2020 (C, S)
Play-off stage Play-off round 21–22 January 2020 (W, A),
19 February 2020 (C, S)		 28–29 January 2020 (W, A),
26 February 2020 (C, S)
16 October 2020 (E)
Group stage Matchday 1 10 December 2019 10–12 February 2020 (W, A), 11 March 2020 (C, S), 20 October 2020 (C, E)
Matchday 2 24–26 February 2020 (W, A), 23 October 2020 (W, C, S, E)
Matchday 3 9–11 March 2020 (A), 26 October 2020 (W, C, S, E)
Matchday 4 23 September 2020 (A), 29 October 2020 (W, C, S, E)
Matchday 5 26 September 2020 (A), 1 November 2020 (W, C, S, E)
Matchday 6 29 September 2020 (A), 4 November 2020 (W, C, S, E)
Knockout stage Zonal semi-finals 20–21 October 2020 (A), 23–24 November 2020 (W)
Zonal finals Cancelled 4 November 2020 (A), 1 December 2020 (W)
Inter-zone play-off semi-finals 24–25 November 2020
Inter-zone play-off final 2 December 2020
Final 12 December 2020

The original schedule of the competition, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows.

Original schedule for 2020 AFC Cup
Stage Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 No draw 22 January 2020 (S) 29 January 2020 (S)
Preliminary round 2 4–5 February 2020 (C, S, E) 11–12 February 2020 (C, S, E)
Play-off stage Play-off round 21–22 January 2020 (W, A),
18–19 February 2020 (C, S, E)		 28–29 January 2020 (W, A),
25–26 February 2020 (C, S, E)
Group stage Matchday 1 10 December 2019 10–12 February 2020 (W, A), 10–11 March 2020 (C, S, E)
Matchday 2 24–26 February 2020 (W, A), 14–15 April 2020 (C, S, E)
Matchday 3 9–11 March 2020 (W, A), 28–29 April 2020 (C, S, E)
Matchday 4 13–15 April 2020 (W, A), 12–13 May 2020 (C, S, E)
Matchday 5 27–29 April 2020 (W, A), 26–27 May 2020 (C, S, E)
Matchday 6 11–13 May 2020 (W, A), 16–17 June 2020 (C, S, E)
Knockout stage Zonal semi-finals 25–27 May 2020 (W, A) 15–17 June 2020 (W, A)
Zonal finals TBD 4–5 August 2020 (A),
29 September 2020 (W)		 11–12 August 2020 (A),
20 October 2020 (W)
Inter-zone play-off semi-finals 25–26 August 2020 15–16 September 2020
Inter-zone play-off final 30 September 2020 21 October 2020
Final 7 November 2020

Qualifying play-offs
Main article: 2020 AFC Cup qualifying play-offs

In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals would not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out would be used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 9.3).[1] The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each zone was determined based on the association ranking of each team, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the second leg.[19] The seven winners of the play-off round (one each from West Asia Zone, Central Asia Zone, South Asia Zone, East Asia Zone, and three from ASEAN Zone) would advance to the group stage to join the 29 direct entrants.

Preliminary round 1
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
South Asia Zone
Defenders 5–5 (a) Paro 3–3 2–2

Preliminary round 2
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Central Asia Zone
Neftchi w/o[†] Ahal — —
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
South Asia Zone
Paro 1–10 Bengaluru 0–1 1–9
Abahani Limited Dhaka 2–2 (a) Maziya 2–2 0–0
Notes
  1. † Neftchi won on walkover after Ahal were disqualified by the AFC for failing to appear for the first leg.[20][21]

Play-off round
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Asia Zone
Hilal Al-Quds 2–0 Sur 2–0 0–0
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Central Asia Zone
Neftchi 1–3 Khujand 1–0 0–3 (a.e.t.)
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
South Asia Zone
Maziya 4–4 (4–3 p) Bengaluru 2–1 2–3 (a.e.t.)
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
ASEAN Zone
Lalenok United 2–7 PSM Makassar 1–4 1–3
Indera 2–9 Yangon United 1–6 1–3
Svay Rieng 7–1 Master 7 4–1 3–0
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Asia Zone
Taipower 16 Oct Ulaanbaatar City

Group stage
Main article: 2020 AFC Cup group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 10 December 2019, 14:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[22] The 36 teams were drawn into nine groups of four: three groups each in the West Asia Zone (Groups A–C) and the ASEAN Zone (Groups F–H), and one group each in the Central Asia Zone (Group D), the South Asia Zone (Group E), and the East Asia Zone (Group I). Teams from the same association in the West Asia Zone and ASEAN Zone could not be drawn into the same group. In the group stage, each group was played on a double round-robin basis, with matches played home-and-away before the suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but to be moved to centralised venues after restart which was eventually cancelled. The following teams would have advanced to the knockout stage:

  • The winners of each group and the best runners-up in the West Asia Zone and the ASEAN Zone would have advanced to the Zonal semi-finals.
  • The winners of each group in the Central Asia Zone, the South Asia Zone, and the East Asia Zone would have advanced to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts JAI MAN AHE HQU
1 Al-Jaish 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 4[lower-alpha 1] — 0–0 29 Oct 4 Nov
2 Manama 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 4[lower-alpha 1] 1 Nov — 1–0 29 Oct
3 Al-Ahed 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3 26 Oct 4 Nov — 2–1
4 Hilal Al-Quds 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 0 0–1 26 Oct 1 Nov —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. 2019 AFC association ranking: Syria (Al-Jaish) 22nd, Bahrain (Manama) 27th.

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts KWT ANS WAT FAI
1 Al-Kuwait 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 4 — 1–0 4 Nov 29 Oct
2 Al-Ansar 2 1 0 1 4 4 0 3 1 Nov — 29 Oct 4–3
3 Al-Wathba 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0–0 26 Oct — 1 Nov
4 Al-Faisaly 2 0 1 1 3 4 −1 1 26 Oct 4 Nov 0–0 —
Source: AFC

Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts QAD DHO RIF JAZ
1 Al-Qadsia 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 3[lower-alpha 1] — 23 Oct 1 Nov 26 Oct
2 Dhofar 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3[lower-alpha 1] 4 Nov — 29 Oct 1–0
3 Al-Riffa 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 3[lower-alpha 1] 1–2 26 Oct — 4 Nov
4 Al-Jazeera 2 0 0 2 0 3 −3 0 29 Oct 1 Nov 0–2 —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head points (GD): Al-Qadsia 3 (+1), Dhofar 0 (0), Al-Riffa 0 (–1).

Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts IST ALT DOR KHU
1 Istiklol 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 3 — 4 Nov 26 Oct 2–0
2 Altyn Asyr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 Oct — 1 Nov 29 Oct
3 Dordoi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 Oct 20 Oct — 4 Nov
4 Khujand 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 0 1 Nov 26 Oct 23 Oct —
Source: AFC

Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts BAS MAZ CHE TCS
1 Bashundhara Kings 1 1 0 0 5 1 +4 3 — 4 Nov 29 Oct 5–1
2 Maziya 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 1[lower-alpha 1] 23 Oct — 1 Nov 26 Oct
3 Chennai City 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 1[lower-alpha 1] 26 Oct 2–2 — 4 Nov
4 TC Sports 1 0 0 1 1 5 −4 0 1 Nov 29 Oct 23 Oct —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head away goals: Maziya 2, Chennai City 0.

Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts HCM YAN HOU LTO
1 Hồ Chí Minh City 3 2 1 0 7 4 +3 7[lower-alpha 1] — 26 Sep 29 Sep 23 Sep
2 Yangon United 3 2 1 0 6 4 +2 7[lower-alpha 1] 2–2 — 1–0 3–2
3 Hougang United 3 1 0 2 5 5 0 3 2–3 23 Sep — 26 Sep
4 Lao Toyota 3 0 0 3 3 8 −5 0 0–2 29 Sep 1–3 —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head away goals: Hồ Chí Minh City 2, Yangon United 0.

Group G
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts CER TQN SVR BAL
1 Ceres–Negros 3 2 1 0 10 2 +8 7 — 2–2 4–0 4–0
2 Than Quảng Ninh 3 1 1 1 7 7 0 4 29 Sep — 23 Sep 26 Sep
3 Svay Rieng 3 1 0 2 3 9 −6 3[lower-alpha 1] 26 Sep 1–4 — 2–1
4 Bali United 3 1 0 2 5 7 −2 3[lower-alpha 1] 23 Sep 4–1 29 Sep —
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head points: Svay Rieng 3, Bali United 0.

Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts TAM KAY PSM SHA
1 Tampines Rovers 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7 — 29 Sep 2–1 2–1
2 Kaya–Iloilo 3 1 2 0 3 1 +2 5 0–0 — 23 Sep 26 Sep
3 PSM Makassar 3 1 1 1 5 4 +1 4 26 Sep 1–1 — 3–1
4 Shan United 3 0 0 3 2 7 −5 0 23 Sep 0–2 29 Sep —
Source: AFC

Group I
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts KIT TAT CPK I4
1 Kitchee 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 4 Nov 26 Oct 20 Oct
2 Tatung 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 Oct — 1 Nov 29 Oct
3 MUST CPK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 Oct 20 Oct — 4 Nov
4 Winners of Play-off East Asia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Nov 26 Oct 23 Oct —
Source: AFC

Knockout stage

Zonal semi-finals
Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Asia Zone
TBD 23 Nov TBD
TBD 24 Nov TBD
Team 1  Score  Team 2
ASEAN Zone
TBD 20 Oct TBD
TBD 21 Oct TBD

Zonal finals
Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Asia Zone
Winners of West Asia Zonal semi-final 1 Dec Winners of West Asia Zonal semi-final
Team 1  Score  Team 2
ASEAN Zone
Winners of ASEAN Zonal semi-final 4 Nov Winners of ASEAN Zonal semi-final

Inter-zone play-off semi-finals
Team 1  Score  Team 2
TBD 24 Nov TBD
TBD 25 Nov TBD

Inter-zone play-off final
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Winners of Inter-zone play-off semi-final 2 Dec Winners of Inter-zone play-off semi-final

Final
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Winners of West Asia Zonal final 12 Dec Winners of Inter-zone play-off final

Top scorers
  Match cancelled.
Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 Total
1 Bienvenido Marañón Ceres–Negros 212 5
2 Hernán Barcos Bashundhara Kings 4 4
Stipe Plazibat Hougang United 22
4 Amido Baldé Hồ Chí Minh City 12 3
Jeremie Lynch Than Quảng Ninh 111
6 Aung Kyaw Naing Yangon United 2 2
Manuchekhr Dzhalilov Istiklol 2
Fito Chennai City 2
Eric Giganto Kaya–Iloilo 11
Ahmed Hamdouni Al-Faisaly 2
Boris Kopitović Tampines Rovers 11
Jean Befolo Mbarga Svay Rieng 11
Nguyễn Công Phượng Hồ Chí Minh City 11
Nguyễn Hải Huy Than Quảng Ninh 11
Nguyễn Xuân Nam Hồ Chí Minh City 2
Melvin Platje Bali United 2
OJ Porteria Ceres–Negros 11
Ferdinand Sinaga PSM Makassar 11
Ilija Spasojević Bali United 11
El Hadji Malick Tall Al-Ansar 2
Jordan Webb Tampines Rovers 11

Note: Goals scored in the qualifying play-offs are not counted when determining top scorer (Regulations Article 64.4).[1]

See also

References
  1. "2020 AFC Cup Competition Regulations" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  2. "AFC Statement on AFC Cup 2020 matches". AFC. 18 March 2020.
  3. "AFC reiterates commitment to complete 2020 competitions with new calendar". AFC. 9 July 2020.
  4. "AFC Executive Committee announces updates to 2020 competitions calendar". AFC. 10 September 2020.
  5. "Football: Asian Football Confederation cancels second-tier AFC Cup due to Covid-19 pandemic". The Straits Times. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  6. "Entry Manual: AFC Club Competitions 2017–2020" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  7. "AFC Club Competitions Ranking (as of 15 December 2017)" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  8. "AFC Club Competitions Ranking Mechanics (2017 version)" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  9. "List of Licensed Clubs for AFC Cup 2020" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  10. "Stage set for AFC Cup 2020 draw". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 8 December 2019.
  11. "Indera SC to represent the country will be playing against Yangon United FC from Myanmar in AFC Cup 2020, qualifying round 1". National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. 6 December 2019.
  12. "Reigning champions withdraw from Premier League". offside.hk. 30 May 2020.
  13. "AFC Statement on AFC Cup 2020 East Zone". Asian Football Association. 9 June 2020.
  14. del Rosario, Paolo (July 23, 2020). "Ownership transfer official: Ceres Negros to rebrand to United City FC". ESPN5. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  15. "SỐC: Hà Nội FC mất suất tham dự AFC Champions League 2020 và AFC Cup 2020". Fox Sports Vietnam. 8 October 2019.
  16. "AFC Competitions Calendar 2020". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 4 April 2018.
  17. "AFC Cup West Zone Group Stage matches postponed". AFC. 12 March 2020.
  18. "AFC reiterates commitment to complete 2020 competitions with new calendar | Football | News | AFC Champions League 2020". the-AFC. 9 July 2020.
  19. "AFC Cup 2020 At A Glance". AFC.
  20. "АФК Кубогу-2020: "Нефтчи" плей-офф баскычына автоматтык түрдө өттү" [AFC Cup 2020: "Neftchi" automatically enters the playoff stage] (in Kyrgyz). Football Federation of Kyrgyz Republic. 7 February 2020. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  21. "Update on AFC Cup Preliminary Stage matches". AFC. 11 February 2020.
  22. "Teams learn 2020 group stage challenge". Asian Football Confederation. 10 December 2019.
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