2020 AFC Cup

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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)Spain Bienvenido Marañón
(5 goals)
← 2019
2021 →
(Note: All statistics do not include qualifying play-offs)

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]

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 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

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. ^
    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. Than Quảng Ninh
    , the league 3rd place, enter the group stage.
Lao Toyota
Master 7
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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