2022 AFC Cup

18th secondary club football tournament organized by the AFC
2022 AFC Cup
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
5 – 19 April
Competition proper:
18 May – 22 October
TeamsCompetition proper: 38 (originally)
Total: 44 (from 27 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsOman Al-Seeb (1st title)
Runners-upMalaysia Kuala Lumpur City
Tournament statistics
Matches played62
Goals scored204 (3.29 per match)
Attendance268,576 (4,332 per match)
Top scorer(s)Brazil Paulo Josué
Brazil Pedro Paulo
Uzbekistan Jasur Hasanov (5 goals each)
Best player(s)Oman Eid Al-Farsi[1]
← 2021
2023–24 →
(Note: All statistics do not include qualifying play-offs)
International football competition

The 2022 AFC Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

This season was the last in an all-year-round (spring-to-autumn) schedule; from 2023 the competition was switched to an autumn-to-spring schedule.[2]

Bahraini club Al-Muharraq were the title holders, having won their second AFC Cup title in 2021. As they failed to obtain the AFC license, they did not defend their title. Al-Seeb of Oman won its first continental title. They automatically qualified for the 2023–24 AFC Champions League and entered the qualifying play-offs, since Omani teams were unable to qualify through domestic performance.[3]

Association team allocation

The 47 AFC member associations were ranked based on their clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions (their national team's FIFA World Rankings no longer considered).[4] The slots were allocated according to the following criteria according to the Entry Manual:[5]

  • The associations were split into five zones (Article 5.1):
  • Excluding the top five associations in each region for AFC Champions League slot allocation, all other associations were eligible to enter the AFC Cup.
  • The teams from associations ranked 6th, 11th and 12th which were eliminated in the AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs, entered the AFC Cup group stage (Article 3.2). The following rules were applied:
    • The associations ranked 6th in both the West Region and the East Region, while allocated one direct slot in the AFC Cup group stage without taking away any direct slot from other associations, were not ranked in each zone for AFC Cup slot allocation (Article 5.3).[6]
    • If they advanced to the AFC Champions League group stage, the AFC Cup group stage slot would be filled by the standby team from their association if such team would be available (Article 5.12).
    • The rules above dud not apply to the AFC Champions League title holders and AFC Cup title holders, which were allocated AFC Champions League play-off slots if they did not qualify for the tournament through domestic performance.
  • In the West Asia Zone and the ASEAN Zone, there are three groups in the group stage, including 9 direct slots, with the 3 remaining slots filled through qualifying play-offs (Article 5.2). The slots in each zone are distributed as follows:
    • The associations ranked 1st to 3rd were each allocated two direct slots.
    • The associations ranked 4th to 6th were each allocated one direct slot and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 7th or below were each allocated one play-off slot.
    • If any zone had an association ranked 6th for AFC Champions League slot allocation, they were allocated one direct slot in the AFC Cup group stage. There were 10 direct slots, with the 2 remaining slots filled through qualifying play-offs.
  • In the South Asia Zone, the Central Asia Zone, and the East Asia Zone, there was a single group in the group stage, including 3 direct slots, with the 1 remaining slot filled through qualifying play-offs (Article 5.2). The slots in each zone were distributed as follows:[7]
    • The associations ranked 1st to 3rd were each allocated one direct slot and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 4th or below were each allocated one play-off slot.
    • If any zone has an association ranked 6th for AFC Champions League slot allocation, they were allocated one direct slot in the AFC Cup group stage. There were 4 direct slots, and to ensure equal opportunity in each zone, another group was added to this zone in the group stage, with the 4 remaining slots filled through qualifying play-offs (Article 5.4.1).
    • If any zone had at least 7 play-off slots, to ensure equal opportunity in each zone, another group was added to this zone in the group stage, with the 5 remaining slots filled through qualifying play-offs (Article 5.4.2).
  • If any association with direct slots did not fulfill any one of the AFC Cup criteria, they had all their direct slots converted into play-off slots. The direct slots would be redistributed to the highest eligible association by the following criteria (Articles 5.7 and 5.8):
    • For each association, the maximum number of total slots would be two (Articles 3.4 and 3.5).
    • If any association was allocated one additional direct slot, one play-off slot was annulled and not redistributed.
  • If any association with only play-off slot(s), including those mentioned above, did not fulfill the minimum AFC Cup criteria, the play-off slot(s) would be annulled and not redistributed (Articles 5.10 and 5.11).
  • For each association, the maximum number of total slots was one-third of the total number of eligible teams (excluding foreign teams) in the top division (Article 5.6). Based on this rule, any direct slots given up would be redistributed by the same criteria as mentioned above, and play-off slots annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.10).
  • All participating teams had to be granted an AFC Champions League or AFC Cup license, and (apart from cup winners) finish in the top half of their top division (Articles 7.1 and 9.5). If any association did not have enough teams which satisfied these criteria, any direct slots given up would be redistributed by the same criteria as mentioned above, and play-off slots annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.9).
  • If any team granted a license refused to participate, their slot, either direct or play-off, is annulled and not redistributed (Article 9.11).

Association ranking

For the 2022 AFC Cup, the associations were allocated slots according to their AFC Club Competitions Ranking which was published on 29 November 2019,[8][9] which takes into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup during the period between 2016 and 2019.

Participation for 2022 AFC Cup
Participating
Not participating
(N) Number of teams/associations originally entered, before withdrawal of teams from the competition after the draw
West Asia Zone (3 groups)
Rank Member
Association 		Points[8] Slots
Group
stage 		Play-off
Zone AFC Play-off
round 		Prelim.
round 2 		Prelim.
round 1
1 12  Jordan[JOR] 33.852 0 0 0 0
2 21  Lebanon 24.746 2 0 0 0
3 22  Syria 22.505 2 0 0 0
4 24  Bahrain 17.749 2 0 0 0
5 29  Oman 8.531 2 0 0 0
6 30  Palestine 7.297 2 0 0 0
7 34  Kuwait[KUW] 4.711 2 0 0 0
8 42  Yemen[AFC1] 0.000 0 0 0 0
Total Participating associations: 6 12 0 0 0
0
12
Central Asia Zone (2 groups)
Rank Member
Association 		Points[8] Slots
Group
stage 		Play-off
Zone AFC Play-off
round 		Prelim.
round 2 		Prelim.
round 1
1 10  Uzbekistan[UZB] 45.562 1 0 0 0
2 17  Tajikistan 28.361 2 0 0 0
3 20  Turkmenistan 26.532 2 0 0 0
4 33  Kyrgyzstan 5.466 2 0 0 0
5 41  Afghanistan[AFC1] 0.206 0 0 0 0
Total Participating associations: 4 7 0 0 0
0
7
South Asia Zone (1 group)
Rank Member
Association 		Points[8] Slots
Group
stage 		Play-off
Zone AFC Play-off
round 		Prelim.
round 2 		Prelim.
round 1
1 15  India 23.888 1 0 1 0
2 25  Bangladesh[BAN] 16.690 1 1 (0) 0 (1) 0
3 26  Maldives 14.798 1 0 0 1
4 36    Nepal 1.148 0 0 0 1
5 37  Sri Lanka 0.774 0 0 0 1
6 38  Bhutan 0.688 0 0 0 1
7 42  Pakistan[AFC1] 0.000 0 0 0 0
Total Participating associations: 6 3 1 1 4
6
9
ASEAN Zone (3 groups)
Rank Member
Association 		Points[8] Slots
Group
stage 		Play-off
Zone AFC Play-off
round 		Prelim.
round 2 		Prelim.
round 1
1 13  Philippines[PHI] 32.130 1 0 0 0
2 16  Vietnam[VIE] 28.571 1 0 0 0
3 18  Malaysia 26.960 2 0 0 0
4 19  Singapore 26.607 2 0 0 0
5 27  Myanmar[MYA] 12.756 0 (2) 0 0 0
6 28  Indonesia 12.550 2 0 0 0
7 31  Cambodia 6.770 2 (1) 0 (1) 0 0
8 35  Laos 2.241 1 (0) 0 (1) 0 0
9 42  Brunei[AFC2] 0.000 0 0 0 0
10 42  East Timor[AFC2] 0.000 0 0 0 0
Total Participating associations: 7 (8) 11 0 (2) 0 0
0 (2)
11 (13)
East Asia Zone (1 group)
Rank Member
Association 		Points[8] Slots
Group
stage 		Play-off
Zone AFC Play-off
round 		Prelim.
round 2 		Prelim.
round 1
1 14  North Korea[AFC1] 30.100 0 0 0 0
2 23  Hong Kong 19.945 1 1 0 0
3 32  Macau[MAC] 5.489 0(1) 0 0 0
4 39  Chinese Taipei 0.457 1 0 0 0
5 40  Mongolia 0.274 0 1 0 0
6 42  Guam[AFC1] 0.000 0 0 0 0
7 42  Northern Mariana Islands[AFC1] 0.000 0 0 0 0
Total Participating associations: 4 2(3) 2 0 0
2
4(5)

Notes
  1. ^
    AFC Licensing (AFC1): Association did not implement the club licensing system.[10]
  2. ^
    AFC Licensing (AFC2): Association did not have a licensed club.[10]
  3. ^
    Bangladesh (BAN): Maldives' representative Valencia withdrew from the competition after the preliminary round 1. As a result, Bangladesh's representative Abahani Limited Dhaka directly advanced to the play-off round.[11]
  4. ^
    Jordan (JOR): Jordan's only team granted a license are playing in the 2022 AFC Champions League.
  5. ^
    Kuwait (KUW): Kuwait is given an additional slot due to unallocated slots in West Zone (Entry Manual Article 5.2).
  6. ^
    Macau (MAC): Macau's indirect slot is annulled as Benfica Macau, the Liga de Elite runners-up, refuses to enter the AFC Cup (Entry Manual Article 9.11).
  7. ^
    Myanmar (MYA): The teams from Myanmar which originally entered the AFC Cup, Shan United and Hantharwady United, withdrew from the competition after the draw.[12]
  8. ^
    Philippines (PHI): Philippines are ranked 6th in the East Region for AFC Champions League allocation, and thus are allocated one direct slot in the AFC Cup group stage without taking away any direct slot from other associations.
  9. ^
    Uzbekistan (UZB): Uzbekistan are ranked 6th in the West Region for AFC Champions League allocation, and thus are allocated one direct slot in the AFC Cup group stage without taking away any direct slot from other associations.
  10. ^
    Vietnam (VIE): Vietnam had only one entry as Nam Dinh, the 2021 V.League 1 fourth place, refuses to enter the AFC Cup (Entry Manual Article 9.11).

Teams

class=notpageimage|
Location of teams of the 2021 AFC Cup.
Brown: Group A; Red: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D; Pink: Group E;
Green: Group F; Blue: Group G; Cyan: Group H; Turquoise: Group I; Purple: Group J;
(H) Group stage hosts
Qualifying play-offs
Withdrawn teams
West Asia Zone Group stage direct entrants (Groups A–C)
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
Lebanon Al-Ansar 2020–21 Lebanese Premier League champions and 2020–21 Lebanese FA Cup winners 8th (2021)
Lebanon Nejmeh 2020–21 Lebanese Premier League runners-up 10th (2019)
Syria Tishreen 2020–21 Syrian Premier League champions 2nd (2021)
Syria Jableh 2020–21 Syrian Cup winners 1st
Bahrain Al-Riffa 2020–21 Bahraini Premier League champions and 2020–21 Bahraini King's Cup winners 6th (2020)
Bahrain East Riffa 2020–21 Bahraini Premier League runners-up 1st
Oman Al-Seeb 2019–20 Oman Professional League champions[Note OMA] 1st
Oman Dhofar 2020–21 Sultan Qaboos Cup winners 6th (2020)
State of Palestine Shabab Al-Khalil 2020–21 West Bank Premier League champions 2nd (2017)
State of Palestine Hilal Al-Quds 2020–21 West Bank Premier League third place[Note PLE] 5th (2020)
Kuwait Al-Arabi 2020–21 Kuwaiti Premier League champions 2nd (2009)
Kuwait Al-Kuwait 2020–21 Kuwait Emir Cup winners 11th (2021)
South Asia Zone Group stage direct entrants (Group D)
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
India Gokulam Kerala 2020–21 I-League champions 1st
Bangladesh Bashundhara Kings 2021 Bangladesh Premier League champions and 2020–21 Bangladesh Federation Cup winners 3rd (2021)
Maldives Maziya 2020–21 Dhivehi Premier League champions 8th (2021)
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in play-off round
Team Qualifying method App (Last)
Bangladesh Dhaka Abahani 2021 Bangladesh Premier League third place[Note BAN] 5th (2020)
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in preliminary round 2
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
India ATK Mohun Bagan 2020–21 Indian Super League regular season runners-up[Note IND] 6th (2021)[13]
Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in preliminary round 1
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
Maldives Valencia 2020–21 Dhivehi Premier League runners-up[Note MDV] 5th (2017)
Nepal Machhindra 2021 Martyr's Memorial A-Division League Matchday 7 leaders[Note NEP] 1st
Sri Lanka Blue Star 2021 Sri Lanka Super League champions 1st
Bhutan Paro 2021 Bhutan Premier League champions 2nd (2020)
Central Asia Zone Group stage direct entrants (Groups E–F)
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
Uzbekistan Sogdiana Jizzakh 2021 Uzbekistan Super League runners-up[Note ACL] 1st
Tajikistan Khujand 2021 Tajikistan Cup winners 6th (2021)
Tajikistan CSKA Pamir Dushanbe 2021 Tajikistan Higher League third place 1st
Turkmenistan Altyn Asyr 2021 Ýokary Liga champions[Note TKM1] 8th (2021)
Turkmenistan Köpetdag Aşgabat 2021 Ýokary Liga fourth place[Note TKM2] 1st
Kyrgyzstan Dordoi Bishkek 2021 Kyrgyz Premier League champions 7th (2021)
Kyrgyzstan Neftchi Kochkor-Ata 2021 Kyrgyzstan Cup winners 2nd (2020)
ASEAN Zone Group stage direct entrants (Groups G–I)
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
Philippines Kaya F.C.–Iloilo 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara winners[Note PHI] 4th (2020)
Vietnam Viettel 2021 V.League 1 second place[Note VIE] 1st
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur City 2021 Malaysia Cup winners[Note MAS] 1st
Malaysia Kedah Darul Aman 2021 Malaysia Super League runners-up 4th (2021)
Singapore Hougang United 2021 Singapore Premier League third place[Note SIN] 2nd (2020)
Singapore Tampines Rovers 2021 Singapore Premier League fourth place[Note SIN] 13th (2020)
Indonesia Bali United 2019 Liga 1 champions[Note IDN] 4th (2021)
Indonesia PSM Makassar 2018–19 Piala Indonesia winners[Note IDN] 3rd (2020)
Cambodia Phnom Penh Crown 2021 C-League champions 2nd (2017)
Cambodia Visakha FC 2021 Hun Sen Cup winners 2nd (2021)
Laos Young Elephants 2020 Lao Premier League third place 1st
Withdrawn teams
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
Myanmar Shan United 2020 Myanmar National League champions[Note MYA] 4th (2020)
Myanmar Hantharwady United 2020 Myanmar National League runners-up[Note MYA] 1st
East Asia Zone Group stage direct entrants (Group J)
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
Hong Kong Eastern 2020–21 Hong Kong Premier League runners-up[Note HKG] 3rd (2021)
Chinese Taipei Tainan City 2021 Taiwan Premier League champions 2nd (2021)
Qualifying play-off participants
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
Hong Kong Lee Man 2020–21 Hong Kong Premier League third place[Note HKG] 2nd (2021)
Mongolia Athletic 220 2021 Mongolian Premier League champions 2nd (2021)
Withdrawn teams
Team Qualifying method App. (last)
Macau MUST CPK 2021 Liga de Elite champions and 2021 Taça de Macau winners[Note MAC] 2nd (2020)

Notes
  1. ^
    AFC Champions League (ACL): Standby team replacing another team qualified for the 2022 AFC Champions League group stage.
  2. ^
    Bangladesh (BAN): The second-placed team Sheikh Jamal were ineligible as they failed to obtain an AFC license.
  3. ^
    Hong Kong (HKG): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, the 2020–21 Hong Kong FA Cup was cancelled and declared null and void by the Hong Kong Football Association. The teams from Hong Kong playing in the 2022 AFC Cup are determined only by the results of the 2020–21 Hong Kong Premier League.[14]
  4. ^
    Indonesia (IDN): The 2019 Liga 1 champions, Bali United and 2018–19 Piala Indonesia winners, PSM Makassar were chosen to represent Indonesia in the 2022 AFC Cup because the 2020 Liga 1 and the 2020 Piala Indonesia were cancelled and declared void by the Football Association of Indonesia and 2021–22 Liga 1 is still running and not be finished until April 2022.[15][16]
  5. ^
    India (IND): Since Mumbai City, the 2020–21 Indian Super League regular season premiers, are also the 2020–21 Indian Super League playoffs winners, ATK Mohun Bagan, the 2020–21 Indian Super League regular season runners-up, qualify for the 2022 AFC Cup.
  6. ^
    Macau (MAC): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions, Must CPK withdrew from the competition after the draw.
  7. ^
    Malaysia (MAS): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, the 2021 Malaysia FA Cup was cancelled and not organized by the Football Association of Malaysia. The 2021 Malaysia Cup winners will qualify for the 2022 AFC Cup.[17]
  8. ^
    Maldives (MDV): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Maldives, the 2021 Maldives FA Cup was cancelled and not organized by the Football Association of Maldives. The teams from Maldives playing in the 2022 AFC Cup are determined only by the results of the 2020–21 Dhivehi Premier League.[18]
  9. ^
    Myanmar (MYA): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar plus the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état and protests, the 2021 Myanmar National League was not held by the Myanmar Football Federation.
  10. ^
    Nepal (NEP): Since the 2021–22 Martyr's Memorial A-Division League could not be completed in time, it was agreed that the table toppers after matchday 7 would qualify for the AFC Cup.
  11. ^
    Oman (OMA): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Oman, the 2020–21 Oman Professional League was cancelled and declared null and void by the Oman Football Association.[19] One of the two teams from Oman playing in the 2022 AFC Cup was determined by the results of the previous domestic season (2019–20 Oman Professional League).
  12. ^
    Palestine (PLE): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine, the 2020–21 Palestine Cup was cancelled and not organized by the Palestinian Football Association. The teams from Palestine playing in the 2022 AFC Cup are determined only by the results of the 2020–21 West Bank Premier League. The second-placed team Markaz Balata were ineligible as they failed to obtain an AFC license.
  13. ^
    Philippines (PHI): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, the 2021 Philippines Football League was cancelled, with the 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara used to determine the Philippine club to participate. The Azkals Development Team were the runners-up in the competition, however the club did not own an AFC club license and was thus ineligible to compete in AFC club competitions.[20] Kaya F.C.–Iloilo first played in the 2022 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs and were eliminated, but still qualified to the AFC Cup group stage.
  14. ^
    Singapore (SIN): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, the 2021 Singapore Cup was cancelled and not organized by the Football Association of Singapore.[21] The teams from Singapore playing in the 2022 AFC Cup are determined only by the results of the 2021 Singapore Premier League.
  15. ^
    Turkmenistan (TKM1): Only Ahal (the Ýokary Liga runners-up) were granted an AFC Champions League license; so Altyn Asyr qualified for 2022 AFC Cup instead.[22][10]
  16. ^
    Turkmenistan (TKM2):2021 Turkmenistan Cup winners[23] and 2021 Ýokary Liga 3rd place Şagadam were not granted an AFC Cup license. As a result, Köpetdag, the second best team granted an AFC Cup license and not an AFC Champions League license (2021 Ýokary Liga fourth place), qualified for the 2022 AFC Cup.[22][10]
  17. ^
    Vietnam (VIE): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, the 2021 V.League 1 and 2021 Vietnamese Cup were both abandoned by the Vietnam Football Federation. It was decided that the league's first placed team at the time of abandonment would take the AFC Champions League slot,[24] with the AFC Cup slots to go to the second and third placed teams.[25] Subsequently, third-placed team Than Quang Ninh were omitted from V-League competitions, after loss of their main sponsor and other financial difficulties.[26] Nam Dinh, who were fourth at the time of the suspension, should be given the AFC Cup slot but declined.

Schedule

The tournament ran from April to October 2022, so as not to clash with the World Cup.[27]

The final schedule of the competition was as follows:

Stage Round Draw dates Match dates
Preliminary stage Preliminary round 1 17 January 2022 5 April 2022 (S)
Preliminary round 2 12 April 2022 (S)
Play-off stage Play-off round 19 April 2022 (S, E)
Group stage Matchday 1 18 May 2022 (W, S), 24 June 2022 (C, A, E)
Matchday 2 21 May 2022 (W, S), 27 June 2022 (C, A, E)
Matchday 3 24 May 2022 (W, S), 30 June 2022 (C, A, E)
Knockout stage Zonal semi-finals 9–10 August 2022 (A), 5–6 September 2022 (W)
Zonal finals 14 July 2022 17 August 2022 (C)
24 August 2022 (A), 4 October 2022 (W)
Inter-zone play-off semi-finals 6–7 September 2022
Inter-zone play-off final 5 October 2022
Final 22 October 2022 at

Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur

Notes
  • W: West Asia Zone
  • S: South Asia Zone
  • C: Central Asia Zone
  • A: ASEAN Zone
  • E: East Asia Zone

Qualifying play-offs

In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[28] The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each zone was determined based on each team's association ranking, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. The three winners of the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 36 direct entrants.

Preliminary round 1

Team 1  Score  Team 2
South Asia Zone
Machhindra Nepal 1–2 Sri Lanka Blue Star
Valencia Maldives 2–1 (a.e.t.) Bhutan Paro

Preliminary round 2

Team 1  Score  Team 2
South Asia Zone
ATK Mohun Bagan India 5–0 Sri Lanka Blue Star
Abahani Limited Dhaka Bangladesh Cancelled[note 1] Maldives Valencia

Play-off round

Team 1  Score  Team 2
South Asia Zone
ATK Mohun Bagan India 3–1 Bangladesh Abahani Limited Dhaka
Team 1  Score  Team 2
ASEAN Zone
Visakha FC Cambodia Cancelled[note 2] Laos Young Elephants
Team 1  Score  Team 2
East Zone
Lee Man Hong Kong 2–1 Mongolia Athletic 220

Group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 17 January 2022 at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 39 teams were drawn into nine groups of four and one group of three (in the Central Asia Zone): three groups each in the West Asia Zone (Groups A–C) and the ASEAN Zone (Groups G–I), two groups in the Central Asia Zone (Groups E–F), and one group each in the South Asia Zone (Group D) and the East Asia Zone (Group J). For each zone, teams were seeded into four pots and drawn into the relevant positions within each group, based on their association ranking and their seeding within their association, in consideration of technical balance between groups. Teams from the same association in zones with more than one group (West Asia Zone, Central Asia Zone, and ASEAN Zone) could not be drawn into the same group.

In the group stage, each group is played on a single round-robin basis in centralised venues. The following teams will advance to the knockout stage:

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

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations Article 8.3):[28]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams (Not applicable since matches will be played in centralised venues);
  5. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  6. Goal difference in all group matches;
  7. Goals scored in all group matches;
  8. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams playing each other in the last round of the group are tied;
  9. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  10. Association ranking;
  11. Drawing of lots.

Group A

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SEB KSC JAB ANS
1 Oman Al-Seeb (H) 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6 Zonal semi-finals — — 1–0 —
2 Kuwait Al-Kuwait 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1 5 2–1 — — —
3 Syria Jableh 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4 — 0–0 — 1–0
4 Lebanon Al-Ansar 3 0 1 2 1 6 −5 1 0–4 1–1 — —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Group B

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ARA RIF DHO SAK
1 Kuwait Al-Arabi (H) 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 7 Zonal semi-finals — — — 1–0
2 Bahrain Al-Riffa 3 2 0 1 8 6 +2 6 2–3 — — 3–1
3 Oman Dhofar 3 1 1 1 6 4 +2 4 1–1 2–3 — —
4 State of Palestine Shabab Al-Khalil 3 0 0 3 1 7 −6 0 — — 0–3 —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Group C

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification EAR TIS NEJ HAQ
1 Bahrain East Riffa (H) 3 1 2 0 5 3 +2 5 Zonal semi-finals — 2–0 — 2–2
2 Syria Tishreen 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4[a] — — 3–1 0–0
3 Lebanon Nejmeh 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4[a] 1–1 — — —
4 State of Palestine Hilal Al-Quds 3 0 2 1 2 4 −2 2 — — 0–2 —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Tishreen 3, Nejmeh 0.

Group D

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AMB BSK MAZ GOK
1 India ATK Mohun Bagan (H) 3 2 0 1 11 6 +5 6[a] Inter-zone play-off semi-finals — 4–0 — —
2 Bangladesh Bashundhara Kings 3 2 0 1 3 5 −2 6[a] — — 1–0 —
3 Maldives Maziya 3 1 0 2 3 6 −3 3[b] 2–5 — — 1–0
4 India Gokulam Kerala 3 1 0 2 5 5 0 3[b] 4–2 1–2 — —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: ATK Mohun Bagan 3, Bashundhara Kings 0.
  2. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Maziya 3, Gokulam Kerala 0.

Group E

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SOG ALT CPD NEF
1 Uzbekistan Sogdiana Jizzakh 3 3 0 0 8 3 +5 9 Zonal finals — 3–1 — 2–0
2 Turkmenistan Altyn Asyr 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4 — — 1–1 —
3 Tajikistan CSKA Pamir Dushanbe (H) 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2 2–3 — — 0–0
4 Kyrgyzstan Neftchi 3 0 1 2 0 3 −3 1 — 0–1 — —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Group F

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification KHU KPD DOR
1 Tajikistan Khujand 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2 4 Zonal finals — — 0–0
2 Turkmenistan Köpetdag 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1 3 1–3 — —
3 Kyrgyzstan Dordoi (H) 2 0 1 1 0 1 −1 1 — 0–1 —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Group G

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification KED VIS BAL KAY
1 Malaysia Kedah Darul Aman 3 2 0 1 9 4 +5 6[a] Zonal semi-finals — 5–1 — 4–1
2 Cambodia Visakha FC 3 2 0 1 8 8 0 6[a] — — 5–2 —
3 Indonesia Bali United (H) 3 2 0 1 5 5 0 6[a] 2–0 — — —
4 Philippines Kaya F.C.–Iloilo 3 0 0 3 2 7 −5 0 — 1–2 0–1 —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c Head-to-head standings:
    • Tied on head-to-head points.
    • Head-to-head goal difference: Kedah Darul Aman: +2, Visakha FC –1, Bali United –1.
    • Head-to-head goals scored: Visakha FC 6, Bali United 4.

Group H

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PSM KLC TAM
1 Indonesia PSM Makassar 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2 4[a] Zonal semi-finals — 0–0 —
2 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur City (H) 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 4[a] — — 2–1
3 Singapore Tampines Rovers 2 0 0 2 2 5 −3 0 1–3 — —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head results. Overall goal difference used as tiebreaker.

Group I

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification VIE HOU PPC YEL
1 Vietnam Viettel (H) 3 3 0 0 11 3 +8 9 Zonal semi-finals — 5–2 — 5–1
2 Singapore Hougang United 3 2 0 1 9 9 0 6 — — 4–3 —
3 Cambodia Phnom Penh Crown 3 1 0 2 7 7 0 3 0–1 — — 4–2
4 Laos Young Elephants 3 0 0 3 4 12 −8 0 — 1–3 — —
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Group J

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification EAS LEE TNC CPK
1 Hong Kong Eastern 2 2 0 0 6 2 +4 6 Inter-zone play-off semi-finals — — 3–1 Canc.
2 Hong Kong Lee Man 2 1 0 1 4 4 0 3 1–3 — — Canc.
3 Chinese Taipei Tainan City 2 0 0 2 2 6 −4 0 — 1–3 — —
4 Macau MUST CPK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew[32] — — Canc. —
Source: AFC

Ranking of runner-up teams

West Asia Zone

Pos Grp Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 B Bahrain Al-Riffa 3 2 0 1 8 6 +2 6 Zonal semi-finals
2 A Kuwait Al-Kuwait 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1 5
3 C Syria Tishreen 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.

ASEAN Zone

Since Group H only had three teams, the results against fourth-placed teams in Groups G and I were omitted for this ranking.

Pos Grp Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 H Malaysia Kuala Lumpur City 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 4 Zonal semi-finals
2 G Cambodia Visakha FC 2 1 0 1 6 7 −1 3
3 I Singapore Hougang United 2 1 0 1 6 8 −2 3
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Disciplinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.

Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, the 12 teams played a single-elimination tournament. The extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winners if necessary (Regulations Article 9.3 and 10.1).

Bracket

The draw for the Zonal finals and the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals was held on 14 July 2022.

The bracket of the knockout stage was determined as follows:

Zonal semi-finals

Summary

The Zonal semi-finals were played over one leg, with the home team determined by the following tables based on which group runners-up qualified. The group winner hosts the match against a group runner-up. If two group winners played each other, one of the group winners hosted the match.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Asia Zone
Al-Arabi Kuwait 1–2 (a.e.t.) Oman Al-Seeb
East Riffa Bahrain 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p) 		Bahrain Al-Riffa
Team 1  Score  Team 2
ASEAN Zone
PSM Makassar Indonesia 2–1 Malaysia Kedah Darul Aman
Viettel Vietnam 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(5–6 p) 		Malaysia Kuala Lumpur City

West Asia Zone

Al-Arabi Kuwait1–2 (a.e.t.)Oman Al-Seeb
 Report
East Riffa Bahrain1–1 (a.e.t.)Bahrain Al-Riffa
 Report
Penalties
 4–5
Attendance: 2,554
Referee: Kim Woo-sung (South Korea)

ASEAN Zone

PSM Makassar Indonesia2–1Malaysia Kedah Darul Aman
 Report
Attendance: 368
Referee: Akhrol Risquallev (Uzbekistan)

Zonal finals

Summary

The Zonal finals were played over one leg, with the home team decided by draw. The winners of the West Asia Zonal final advanced to the final, while the winners of the Central Asia Zonal final and ASEAN Zonal final advanced to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
West Asia Zone
Al-Seeb Oman 4–0 Bahrain Al-Riffa
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Central Asia Zone
Khujand Tajikistan 0–4 Uzbekistan Sogdiana Jizzakh
Team 1  Score  Team 2
ASEAN Zone
Kuala Lumpur City Malaysia 5–2 Indonesia PSM Makassar

West Asia Zone

Al-Seeb Oman4–0Bahrain Al-Riffa
Report
Attendance: 11,680
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)

Central Asia Zone

Khujand Tajikistan0–4Uzbekistan Sogdiana Jizzakh
Report
  • Hasanov 13', 21'
  • Norkhonov 29'
  • Kahramonov 78'

ASEAN Zone

Kuala Lumpur City Malaysia5–2Indonesia PSM Makassar
 Report
Attendance: 2,905
Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

Inter-zone play-off semi-finals

Sogdiana Jizzakh Uzbekistan1–0Hong Kong Eastern
Report
Attendance: 7,150
Referee: Ahmed Al Alili (United Arab Emirates)
ATK Mohun Bagan India1–3Malaysia Kuala Lumpur City
  • Fardin Ali Molla 90'
 Report
Attendance: 18,594
Referee: Khalid Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)

Inter-zone play-off final

Summary

In the Inter-zone play-off final, the two winners of the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals played each other, with the home team determined by the Inter-zone play-off semi-final draw. The winners of the Inter-zone play-off final advanced to the final.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Sogdiana Jizzakh Uzbekistan 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–5 p) 		Malaysia Kuala Lumpur City

Match

Sogdiana Jizzakh Uzbekistan0–0 (a.e.t.)Malaysia Kuala Lumpur City
Report
Penalties
 3–5
Attendance: 6,157
Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)

Final

The final was played over one leg at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between the winners of the Inter-zone play-off final, Kuala Lumpur City, and the winners of the West Asia Zonal final, Al-Seeb.

Kuala Lumpur City Malaysia0–3Oman Al-Seeb
Report
Attendance: 27,722
Referee: Australia Shaun Evans (Australia)

Top scorers

  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 ZSF ZF ISF IF F Total
1 Uzbekistan Jasur Hasanov Uzbekistan Sogdiana Jizzakh 1 2 2 5
Malaysia Paulo Josué Malaysia Kuala Lumpur City 2 2 1
Brazil Pedro Paulo Vietnam Viettel 3 2
4 Brazil Pedro Bortoluzo Singapore Hougang United 1 1 2 4
India Liston Colaco India ATK Mohun Bagan 1 3
Jordan Mahmoud Al-Mardi Malaysia Kedah Darul Aman 1 3
Uzbekistan Shokhruz Norkhonov Uzbekistan Sogdiana Jizzakh 2 1 1
Malaysia Fayadh Zulkifli Malaysia Kedah Darul Aman 2 1 1
9 Bahrain Kamil Al-Aswad Bahrain Al-Riffa 2 1 3
Spain Víctor Bertomeu Hong Kong Eastern 2 1
Laos Bounphachan Bounkong Laos Young Elephants 1 1 1
Oman Muhsen Al-Ghassani Oman Al-Seeb 1 1 1
Senegal Ablaye Mbengue Kuwait Al-Arabi 1 1 1

See also

Notes

  1. ^ On 11 April 2022, the AFC announced that Valencia withdrew from the preliminary stage of the qualification, citing financial constraints. Abahani Limited Dhaka advanced to the play-off round.[11][29]
  2. ^ On 19 January 2022, the AFC announced that the two teams from Myanmar, Shan United and Hanthawaddy United, withdrew from the group stage after the draw.[30] As a result, on 1 March 2022, the AFC decided to cancel the ASEAN zone play-off round match between Visakha FC and Young Elephants, and promote both the participating teams to the group stage to fill the vacant group stage spots.[31]

References

  1. ^ "Al Seeb's Eid Al Farsi scoops Most Valuable Player Award". AFC. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  2. ^ "AFC Executive Committee unveils dynamic enhancements to the AFC Club Competitions". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  3. ^ "More Member Associations to benefit from inclusive AFC Champions League". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  4. ^ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking Mechanics". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  5. ^ "Entry Manual for AFC Club Competitions (2021 Edition)". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  6. ^ "2021-2022 йилги ОЧЛ ва ОФК кубоги мусобақалари учун йўлланмалар тақсимоти эълон қилинди" (in Russian). Uzbekistan Professional Football League. 29 July 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  7. ^ "ОФИЦИАЛЬНО: ЧЕМПИОН ТАДЖИКИСТАНА-2020 ВЫСТУПИТ В ГРУППОВОМ ЭТАПЕ ЛИГИ ЧЕМПИОНОВ АФК-2021!" (in Russian). Tajikistan Football Federation. 9 December 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "AFC Club Competitions Ranking". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  9. ^ "AFC Country Ranking 2019". FootyRankings. 24 November 2019. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d "List of Licensed Clubs for the 2022 AFC Cup" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  11. ^ a b "Latest update on the AFC Cup 2022". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  12. ^ "AFC confirms the withdrawal of Myanmar clubs". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 19 January 2022.
  13. ^ "AFC Cup 2021: Mohun Bagan to ATK Mohun Bagan - How have the Mariners performed in Asia?". goal.com.
  14. ^ "今屆足總盃及銀牌取消 港足主帥麥柏倫延長合約至6月" (in Chinese). 明報. 4 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Kompetisi Liga 1 dan 2 Musim 2020–2021 Resmi Dibatalkan". PSSI - Football Association of Indonesia (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  16. ^ "BALI UNITED KEMBALI WAKILI INDONESIA DI AJANG PIALA AFC 2022". Bali United Official Website. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  17. ^ "No 2021 Malaysia FA Cup competition". ASEAN Football Federation. 28 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Important decisions taken in the congress for the 2020/21 football season!". facebook.com. Football Association of Maldives. 31 May 2021.
  19. ^ "COVID-19: Oman Football Association cancels all tournaments". thearabianstories.com. 1 April 2021.
  20. ^ Terrado, Jonas (31 October 2021). "United City to skip Copa Paulino Alcantara". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  21. ^ "2021 Singapore Premier League season to resume on 17 July". Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  22. ^ a b "List of Licensed Clubs for the 2022 AFC Champions League" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-12-05. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  23. ^ ""Shagadam" won the Turkmenistan Football Cup for the second time". turkmenistan.gov.tm. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  24. ^ Duc Dong (27 November 2021). "Hoang Anh Gia Lai to represent Vietnam in AFC Champions League 2022". VN Express International. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Following the cancellation of the 2021 #vleague, it's now confirmed: no championship title awarded, no relegation / promotion, the ranking of teams after 12 rounds determines ACL & AFC allocations". twitter.com. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  26. ^ thamnguyen99 (3 December 2021). "Than Quang Ninh Fans Heartbroken by Club's Demise. Here's why". VietReader. Retrieved 1 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar 2022". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 29 November 2019.
  28. ^ a b "AFC Cup 2022 Competition Regulations" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation.
  29. ^ "Uncertainty over Club Valencia's arrival". The Daily Star. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  30. ^ "AFC confirms the withdrawal of Myanmar clubs". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  31. ^ "AFC's decision on withdrawal of Myanmar clubs". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  32. ^ "Latest update on the AFC Cup 2022™". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.

External links

  • Official website
  • AFC Cup on Twitter
  • v
  • t
  • e
AFC Cup
Seasons
Finals
  • History
  • v
  • t
  • e
2022–23 in Asian football (AFC)
« 2021
2023–24 »
Domestic leagues
Domestic cups
League cups
Super Cups
Regional club competitions
AFC club competitions
National team competitions