2019 AFC Cup

Summary

The 2019 AFC Cup was the 16th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).[1]

2019 AFC Cup
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
5 February – 13 March 2019
Competition proper:
25 February – 4 November 2019
TeamsCompetition proper: 36
Total: 43 (from 26 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsLebanon Al-Ahed (1st title)
Runners-upNorth Korea April 25
Tournament statistics
Matches played127
Goals scored386 (3.04 per match)
Attendance428,416 (3,373 per match)
Top scorer(s)Spain Bienvenido Marañón
(10 goals)
Best player(s)Lebanon Mehdi Khalil
Fair play awardLebanon Al-Ahed
2018
2020

Al-Ahed from Lebanon won the title for the first time, defeating April 25 from North Korea in the final. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya were the title holders, having won the previous three editions of the tournament. However, they were unable to defend the title as Iraqi teams played in the AFC Champions League instead of the AFC Cup in the 2019 edition.

Association team allocation edit

The 46 AFC member associations (excluding the associate member Northern Mariana Islands) are 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):[2]

  • The associations are split into five zones:
  • All associations which do not receive direct slots in the AFC Champions League group stage are eligible to enter the AFC Cup.
  • In each zone, the number of groups in the group stage is 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 are 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 is 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 get 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 get two direct slots.
      • The associations ranked 4th to 6th each get one direct slot and one play-off slot.
      • The associations ranked 7th or below each get 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 get one direct slot and one play-off slot.
      • The associations ranked 4th or below each get one play-off slot.
  • The maximum number of slots for each association is one-third of the total number of eligible teams in the top division.
  • If any association gives up its direct slots, they are redistributed to the highest eligible association, with each association limited to a maximum of two direct slots.
  • If any association gives up 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 is fewer than twice the number of group stage slots filled through play-offs, the play-off teams of the highest eligible associations are given byes to the group stage.

Association ranking edit

For the 2019 AFC Cup, the associations are allocated slots according to their association ranking which was published on 15 December 2017,[3] which takes into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, as well as their national team's FIFA World Rankings, between 2014 and 2017.[2][4]

Participation for 2019 AFC Cup
Participating
Not participating
Notes
  1. ^
    Afghanistan (AFG): Afghanistan did not implement the AFC Cup club licensing system.[5]
  2. ^
    Bangladesh (BAN): The 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League was not completed in time for the 2019 AFC Cup, so Bangladesh could only get one total slot, where they were represented by the 2018 Bangladesh Federation Cup winners.[6]
  3. ^
    Brunei (BRU): Brunei did not implement the AFC Cup club licensing system.[5]
  4. ^
    Chinese Taipei (TPE): Chinese Taipei had only one team which had an AFC Cup license.[5]
  5. ^
    Guam (GUM): Guam did not implement the AFC Cup club licensing system.[5]
  6. ^
    Laos (LAO): Laos had only one team which had an AFC Cup license and finished in the top half of the league to meet the sporting criteria (Entry Manual 12.6).[2][5]
  7. ^
    Macau (MAC): Macau did not have any teams which had an AFC Cup license.[5]
  8. ^
    Maldives (MDV): Maldives did not submit the list of licensed teams to the AFC.[7][5]
  9. ^
    Pakistan (PAK): Pakistan did not implement the AFC Cup club licensing system.[8][5]
  10. ^
    Timor-Leste (TLS): Timor-Leste did not submit the list of licensed teams to the AFC.[5]
  11. ^
    Yemen (YEM): Yemen did not implement the AFC Cup club licensing system.[5]

Teams edit

The following 43 teams from 26 associations entered the competition.

Notes
  1. ^
    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.
  2. ^
    Bahrain (BAH): Al-Muharraq, the 2017–18 Bahraini Premier League champions, did not have an AFC Cup license. As a result, Malkiya, the league 4th place, entered the group stage.[9]
  3. ^
    Chinese Taipei (TPE): Tatung and Taipower, the 2018 Taiwan Premier League champions and runners-up, did not have an AFC Cup license. As a result, Hang Yuen, the league 3rd place, entered the group stage.[10]
  4. ^
    Singapore (SIN): Albirex Niigata Singapore, the 2018 Singapore Premier League champions and 2018 Singapore Cup winners, is a satellite team of Japanese club Albirex Niigata and thus ineligible to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions. Moreover, DPMM, the 2018 Singapore Premier League 3rd place, is a team from Brunei and thus ineligible to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions. As a result, Home United and Tampines Rovers, the league runners-up and 4th place respectively, entered the group stage.
  5. ^
    Turkmenistan (TKM): Köpetdag, the 2018 Turkmenistan Cup winners, did not have an AFC Cup license. As a result, Ahal, the 2018 Ýokary Liga runners-up, entered the qualifying play-offs.[11]
class=notpageimage|
Location of teams of the 2019 AFC Cup.
  West Asia Zone
  Central Asia Zone
  South Asia Zone
  ASEAN Zone
  East Asia Zone
(p) Qualifying play-off participants

Schedule edit

The schedule of the competition is as follows (W: West Asia Zone; C: Central Asia Zone; S: South Asia Zone; A: ASEAN Zone; E: East Asia Zone).[12]

Stage Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary stage Preliminary round No draw 20 February 2019 (C, S, E) 27 February 2019 (C, S, E)
Play-off stage Play-off round 5 February 2019 (W),
6 March 2019 (C, S, E)
12 February 2019 (W),
13 March 2019 (C, S, E)
Group stage Matchday 1 22 November 2018 25–27 February 2019 (W, A), 3 April 2019 (C, S, E)
Matchday 2 11–13 March 2019 (W, A), 17 April 2019 (C, S, E)
Matchday 3 1–3 April & 3 May 2019 (W, A), 30 April – 1 May 2019 (C, S, E)
Matchday 4 15–17 & 23 April & 6 May 2019 (W, A), 15 May 2019 (C, S, E)
Matchday 5 29 April – 1 May 2019 (W, A), 19 June 2019 (C, S, E)
Matchday 6 13–15 May 2019 (W, A), 26 June 2019 (C, S, E)
Knockout stage Zonal semi-finals 17–19 June 2019 (W, A) 24–26 June 2019 (W, A)
Zonal finals 2 July 2019 31 July 2019 (A),
24 September 2019 (W)
7 August 2019 (A),
1 October 2019 (W)
Inter-zone play-off semi-finals 20–21 August 2019 27–28 August 2019
Inter-zone play-off final 25 September 2019 2 October 2019
Final 2 November 2019

Qualifying play-offs edit

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 do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 9.3). The four winners of the play-off round (one each from West Asia Zone, Central Asia Zone, South Asia Zone, East Asia Zone) advanced to the group stage to join the 32 direct entrants.[1]

The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each zone, determined based on the association ranking of each team, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the second leg, was officially announced by the AFC prior to the group stage draw on 22 November 2018.[13]

Preliminary round edit

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Central Asia Zone
Alay   1–3   Ahal 1–2 0–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
South Asia Zone
Colombo   9–2   Transport United 7–1 2–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Asia Zone
Erchim   0–6   Ryomyong 0–3 0–3

Play-off round edit

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Asia Zone
Hilal Al-Quds   3–1   Al-Nasr 2–1 1–0
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Central Asia Zone
Ahal   1–1 (a)   Khujand 1–1 0–0
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
South Asia Zone
Colombo   0–1   Chennaiyin 0–0 0–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
East Asia Zone
Ryomyong   0–0 (3–5 p)   Tai Po 0–0 0–0 (a.e.t.)

Group stage edit

The draw for the group stage was held on 22 November 2018, 14:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[13] 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 cannot be drawn into the same group.

In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The following teams advanced to the knockout stage:

  • The winners of each group and the best runners-up in the West Asia Zone and the ASEAN Zone 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 advanced to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.

Group A edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification WEH JAI HAQ NEJ
1   Al-Wehdat 6 4 1 1 12 4 +8 13 Zonal semi-finals 1–1 2–0 1–0
2   Al-Jaish 6 2 4 0 6 4 +2 10 1–0 1–1 2–2
3   Hilal Al-Quds 6 2 2 2 7 11 −4 8 2–6 0–0 2–1
4   Nejmeh 6 0 1 5 4 10 −6 1 0–2 0–1 1–2
Source: AFC

Group B edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JAZ KUW NAJ ITH
1   Al-Jazeera 6 5 1 0 13 2 +11 16 Zonal semi-finals 1–0 3–0 4–0
2   Al-Kuwait 6 3 1 2 6 4 +2 10 1–2 2–1 0–0
3   Al-Najma 6 2 1 3 6 9 −3 7 1–1 0–1 2–1
4   Al-Ittihad 6 0 1 5 2 12 −10 1 0–2 0–2 1–2
Source: AFC

Group C edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AHE MAL QAD SUW
1   Al-Ahed 6 4 2 0 8 3 +5 14 Zonal semi-finals 2–1 0–0 4–2
2   Malkiya 6 2 2 2 8 8 0 8 0–0 1–2 2–2
3   Al-Qadsia 6 2 1 3 6 6 0 7 0–1 1–2 2–0
4   Al-Suwaiq 6 1 1 4 7 12 −5 4 0–1 1–2 2–1
Source: AFC

Group D edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ALT IST DOR KHU
1   Altyn Asyr 6 2 4 0 7 4 +3 10 Inter-zone play-off semi-finals 1–1 3–1 1–0
2   Istiklol 6 2 2 2 12 8 +4 8 1–1 4–1 3–0
3   Dordoi 6 2 1 3 9 12 −3 7[a] 1–1 2–1 3–0
4   Khujand 6 2 1 3 6 10 −4 7[a] 0–0 3–2 3–1
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head results: Khujand 3–1 Dordoi, Dordoi 3–0 Khujand.

Group E edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ABD CFC MIN MMC
1   Abahani Limited Dhaka 6 4 1 1 12 5 +7 13 Inter-zone play-off semi-finals 3–2 2–2 5–0
2   Chennaiyin 6 3 2 1 9 6 +3 11 1–0 0–0 2–0
3   Minerva Punjab 6 0 5 1 6 7 −1 5 0–1 1–1 2–2
4   Manang Marshyangdi Club 6 0 2 4 5 14 −9 2 0–1 2–3 1–1
Source: AFC

Group F edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification HAN TAM YAN NAG
1   Hà Nội 6 4 1 1 23 5 +18 13[a] Zonal semi-finals 2–0 0–1 10–0
2   Tampines Rovers 6 4 1 1 17 10 +7 13[a] 1–1 4–3 4–2
3   Yangon United 6 2 0 4 10 14 −4 6 2–5 1–3 2–0
4   Nagaworld 6 1 0 5 6 27 −21 3 1–5 1–5 2–1
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head results: Tampines Rovers 1–1 Hà Nội, Hà Nội 2–0 Tampines Rovers.

Group G edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification CER BBD PSJ SHA
1   Ceres–Negros 6 5 0 1 15 6 +9 15 Zonal semi-finals 0–1 1–0 3–2
2   Becamex Bình Dương 6 4 1 1 13 5 +8 13 1–3 3–1 6–0
3   Persija Jakarta 6 2 1 3 12 9 +3 7 2–3 0–0 6–1
4   Shan United 6 0 0 6 5 25 −20 0 0–5 1–2 1–3
Source: AFC

Group H edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PSM HOM KAY LAO
1   PSM Makassar 6 4 2 0 17 8 +9 14 Zonal semi-finals 3–2 1–1 7–3
2   Home United 6 3 1 2 9 11 −2 10 1–1 2–0 1–0
3   Kaya–Iloilo 6 2 2 2 13 7 +6 8 1–2 5–0 5–1
4   Lao Toyota 6 0 1 5 7 20 −13 1 0–3 2–3 1–1
Source: AFC

Group I edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification APR KIT TAI HYU
1   April 25 6 5 0 1 17 2 +15 15 Inter-zone play-off semi-finals 2–0 4–0 5–0
2   Kitchee 6 3 1 2 11 10 +1 10 1–0 2–4 3–0
3   Tai Po 6 2 2 2 13 15 −2 8 1–3 3–3 4–2
4   Hang Yuen 6 0 1 5 4 18 −14 1 0–3 1–2 1–1
Source: AFC

Ranking of second-placed teams edit

West Asia Zone edit

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A   Al-Jaish 6 2 4 0 6 4 +2 10[a] Zonal semi-finals
2 B   Al-Kuwait 6 3 1 2 6 4 +2 10[a]
3 C   Malkiya 6 2 2 2 8 8 0 8
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Disciplinary points: Al-Jaish −6, Al-Kuwait −11.

ASEAN Zone edit

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 G   Becamex Bình Dương 6 4 1 1 13 5 +8 13 Zonal semi-finals
2 F   Tampines Rovers 6 4 1 1 17 10 +7 13
3 H   Home United 6 3 1 2 9 11 −2 10
Source: AFC

Knockout stage edit

In the knockout stage, the 11 teams played a single-elimination tournament. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, except the final which was played as a single match. The away goals rule (for two-legged ties), extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winners if necessary (Regulations Article 11.3).

Bracket edit

The bracket was decided after the draw for the Zonal finals and the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals, which was held on 2 July 2019, 15:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[14][15]

Zonal semi-finals edit

In the Zonal semi-finals, the four qualified teams from the West Asia Zone (Groups A–C) played in two ties, and the four qualified teams from the ASEAN Zone (Groups F–H) played in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs determined by the group stage draw and the identity of the best runners-up.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Asia Zone
Al-Wehdat   0–1   Al-Ahed 0–1 0–0
Al-Jaish   3–4   Al-Jazeera 3–0 0–4
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
ASEAN Zone
Ceres–Negros   2–3   Hà Nội 1–1 1–2
Becamex Bình Dương   2–2 (a)   PSM Makassar 1–0 1–2

Zonal finals edit

The draw for the Zonal finals was held on 2 July 2019.[15] In the Zonal finals, the two winners of West Asia Zonal semi-finals play each other, and the two winners of ASEAN Zonal semi-finals play each other, with the order of legs decided by draw. The winners of the West Asia Zonal final advanced to the final, while the winners of the ASEAN Zonal final advanced to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
West Asia Zone
Al-Jazeera   0–1   Al-Ahed 0–0 0–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
ASEAN Zone
Becamex Bình Dương   0–2   Hà Nội 0–1 0–1

Inter-zone play-off semi-finals edit

The draw for the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals was held on 2 July 2019.[15] In the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals, the four zonal winners other than the West Asia Zone play in two ties, i.e., the winners of the Central Asia Zone (Group D), the winners of the South Asia Zone (Group E), the winners of the East Asia Zone (Group I), and the winners of the ASEAN Zonal final (whose identity was not known at the time of the draw), with the matchups and order of legs decided by draw, without any seeding.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Hà Nội   5–4   Altyn Asyr 3–2 2–2
Abahani Limited Dhaka   4–5   April 25 4–3 0–2

Inter-zone play-off final edit

In the Inter-zone play-off final, the two winners of the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals play each other, with the order of legs determined by the Inter-zone play-off semi-final draw. The winners of the Inter-zone play-off final advance to the final.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Hà Nội   2–2 (a)   April 25 2–2 0–0

Final edit

In the final, the winners of the West Asia Zonal final and the winners of the Inter-zone play-off final played each other, with the host team (winners of the Inter-zone play-off final) alternated from the previous season's final.[16]

The match was originally to be hosted by April 25 at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea on 2 November 2019. However, on 22 October 2019, due to North Korea's decision to ban television transmission of football games, the AFC announced that the final would be held in Shanghai, China in order for the match to be transmitted.[17][18] On 25 October 2019, the match was rescheduled from 2 November to 4 November and the host city was shifted from Shanghai to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[19]

April 25  0–1  Al-Ahed
Live Report
Stats Report
  • Yakubu   74'

Awards edit

Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player[20]   Mehdi Khalil   Al-Ahed
Top Goalscorer[21]   Bienvenido Marañón   Ceres–Negros
Fair Play Award[20]   Al-Ahed

Top scorers edit

  Team eliminated / inactive for this round.
  Player is not in the team but team still active for this round.
Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 ZSF1 ZSF2 ZF1 ZF2 ISF1 ISF2 IF1 IF2 F Total
1   Bienvenido Marañón   Ceres–Negros 1 3 1 1 3 1 10
2   Ganiyu Oseni   Hà Nội 4 2 2 1 9
  Kim Yu-song   April 25 1 1 2 2 2 1
4   Pape Omar Faye   Hà Nội 1 3 1 1 1 1 8
5   Bruno Matos   Persija Jakarta 2 1 1 3 7
  Nguyễn Văn Quyết   Hà Nội 1 1 1 1 2 1
7   Baha' Faisal   Al-Wehdat 4 1 1 6
  Fernando   Kitchee 1 1 1 2 1
9   Khairul Amri   Tampines Rovers 1 1 3 5
  Mohamad Kdouh   Al-Ahed 3 1 1
  Wander Luiz   Becamex Bình Dương 1 1 1 1 1
  Eero Markkanen   PSM Makassar 1 2 1 1
  Bassel Moustafa   Al-Jaish 1 1 1 2

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

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "2019 AFC Cup Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
  2. ^ a b c "Entry Manual: AFC Club Competitions 2017–2020" (PDF). AFC.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "AFC Club Competitions Ranking (as of 15 December 2017)" (PDF). AFC.
  4. ^ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking Mechanics (2017 version)" (PDF). AFC.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "List of Licensed Clubs for the 2019 AFC Cup" (PDF). AFC.
  6. ^ "Bangladesh to lose one spot?". The Daily Star. 8 August 2018.
  7. ^ "No Maldivian Clubs for AFC Cup 2019". MaldiveSoccer. 23 November 2018. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Ensuring entry in AFC Cup: Pak clubs bound to follow licensing regulations [The News]". The News. 25 November 2018.
  9. ^ "لحضور قرعة "كأس الاتحاد".. وفدا فريقي النجمة والمالكية يطيران لـ"كوالالامبور" الاثنين". alwatannews.net. 14 November 2018.
  10. ^ "台灣唯一國際認證職業隊 航源FC再戰明年亞洲足聯盃". ETtoday運動雲. 22 November 2018.
  11. ^ "Новый сезон Кубка АФК". Football Federation of Turkmenistan. 23 November 2018. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  12. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar 2019". AFC. 28 November 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Draw unveils exciting 2019 challenge". AFC. 22 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Asian clubs continue pursuit for glory". AFC. 1 July 2019.
  15. ^ a b c "AFC Cup 2019 knockout stage draw confirmed". AFC. 2 July 2019.
  16. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee recommends new AFC Cup format". AFC. 25 November 2016.
  17. ^ "نهائي كأس الاتحاد الآسيوي في الصين". lebanonfg.com (in Arabic). 17 October 2019. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  18. ^ "AFC Cup 2019 final to be played in Shanghai". AFC. 22 October 2019.
  19. ^ "AFC Cup 2019 final to be played on November 4 in Kuala Lumpur". AFC. 25 October 2019.
  20. ^ a b "Al Ahed's Khalil named MVP". the-afc.com. AFC. 4 November 2019.
  21. ^ "Ceres' Marañón wins Top Scorer Award". the-afc.com. AFC. 4 November 2019.

External links edit

  • AFC Cup, the-AFC.com
  • AFC Cup 2019, stats.the-AFC.com