2020_AFC_Cup

2020 AFC Cup

2020 AFC Cup

17th secondary club football tournament organized by the


The 2020 AFC Cup was an abandoned season of the AFC Cup which would have been the 17th edition of the competition, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).[1]

Quick Facts Tournament details, Dates ...

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

More information Participation for 2020 AFC Cup ...
More information Rank, Member Association ...
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]

More information Team, Qualifying method ...
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. ^
    Central Asia Zone (CAZ): Ahal were disqualified by the AFC for failing to appear for the first leg of preliminary round 2 matches.[12][13]
  5. ^
    East Asia Zone (EAZ): Tai Po (Hong Kong) withdrew from the group stage after the draw (originally drawn in Group I).[14] 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.[15]
  6. ^
    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.[16]
  7. ^
    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.
  8. ^
    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).[17] 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.[18] 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.[19]

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.[20] 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
More information Stage, Round ...

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

More information Stage, Round ...

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.[21] 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

More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...

Preliminary round 2

More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
Notes
  1. Neftchi won on walkover after Ahal were disqualified by the AFC for failing to appear for the first leg.[12][13]

Play-off round

More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
More information Team 1, Score ...

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.
More information Tiebreakers ...

Group A

More information Pos, Pld ...
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. 2019 AFC association ranking: Syria (Al-Jaish) 22nd, Bahrain (Manama) 27th.

Group B

More information Pos, Pld ...
Source: AFC

Group C

More information Pos, Pld ...
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head points (GD): Al-Qadsia 3 (+1), Dhofar 0 (0), Al-Riffa 0 (–1).

Group D

More information Pos, Pld ...
Source: AFC

Group E

More information Pos, Pld ...
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head away goals: Maziya 2, Chennai City 0.

Group F

More information Pos, Pld ...
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head away goals: Hồ Chí Minh City 2, Yangon United 0.

Group G

More information Pos, Pld ...
Source: AFC
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head points: Svay Rieng 3, Bali United 0.

Group H

More information Pos, Pld ...
Source: AFC

Group I

More information Pos, Pld ...
Source: AFC

Top scorers

  Match cancelled.

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. "Football: Asian Football Confederation cancels second-tier AFC Cup due to Covid-19 pandemic". The Straits Times. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  3. "Entry Manual: AFC Club Competitions 2017–2020" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  4. "AFC Club Competitions Ranking (as of 15 December 2017)" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  5. "AFC Club Competitions Ranking Mechanics (2017 version)" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  6. "List of Licensed Clubs for AFC Cup 2020" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  7. "Stage set for AFC Cup 2020 draw". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 8 December 2019.
  8. "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. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  9. "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.
  10. "AFC Statement on AFC Cup 2020 East Zone". Asian Football Association. 9 June 2020.
  11. del Rosario, Paolo (July 23, 2020). "Ownership transfer official: Ceres Negros to rebrand to United City FC". ESPN5. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  12. "SỐC: Hà Nội FC mất suất tham dự AFC Champions League 2020 và AFC Cup 2020". Fox Sports Vietnam. 8 October 2019. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  13. "AFC Competitions Calendar 2020". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 4 April 2018.
  14. "Teams learn 2020 group stage challenge". Asian Football Confederation. 10 December 2019.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 2020_AFC_Cup, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.