A total of 16 teams, 10 from West Asia and 6 from East Asia, competed in the 2011 AFC Cup knockout stage. They included the 8 group winners and the 8 group runners-up from the group stage.
Each round of this single-elimination tournament was played over one or two matches. In the round of 16, each tie was played in one match, hosted by the winners of each group against the runners-up of another group. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, each tie was played over two legs on a home-and-away basis. The final was hosted by one of the finalists, decided by draw. The away goals rule (for two-legged ties), extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shootout would be used to decide the winner if necessary. [1]
The matchups for the round of 16 were decided prior to the group stage draw. [2] After the completion of the round of 16, the draw for the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 7 June 2011. [3] In this draw, the "country protection" rule was applied: if there are exactly two clubs from the same country, they may not face each other in the quarter-finals; however, if there are more than two clubs from the same country, they may face each other in the quarter-finals.
| Group | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| A |  Nasaf Qarshi |  Dempo |
| B |  Al-Qadsia | Shurtan Guzar |
| C |  Duhok |  Al-Faisaly |
| D | Al-Wehdat | Al-Kuwait |
| E | Arbil |  Al-Ahed |
| F |  Song Lam Nghe An |  Sriwijaya |
| G |  Muangthong United |  Tampines Rovers |
| H | Chonburi | Persipura Jayapura |
While the bracket below shows the entire knockout stage, the draw for the round of 16 matches was determined at the time of the group draw.
The draw for the quarter-finals and beyond was held separately, after the conclusion of the round of 16.
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| Chonburi | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sriwijaya | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chonburi | 0 | 1 | 1(3) | ||||||||||||||||
| Nasaf Qarshi (p) | 1 | 0 | 1(4) | ||||||||||||||||
| Nasaf Qarshi | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Faisaly | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nasaf Qarshi | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Al-Wehdat | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Al-Wehdat | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Shurtan Guzar | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Wehdat | 5 | 3 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| Duhok | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Duhok | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dempo | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nasaf Qarshi | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Kuwait | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Song Lam Nghe An | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Persipura Jayapura | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Persipura Jayapura | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Arbil | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Arbil (aet) | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tampines Rovers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Arbil | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Al-Kuwait | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Al-Qadsia | 2(2) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Kuwait (p) | 2(3) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Kuwait | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Muangthong United | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| Muangthong United | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Ahed | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
The matches were played 24–25 May 2011. [4] [5]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Nasaf Qarshi | 2–1 | Al-Faisaly |
| Duhok | 1–0 | Dempo |
| Al-Qadsia | 2–2 (aet) (2–3 p) | Al-Kuwait |
| Al-Wehdat | 2–1 | Shurtan Guzar |
| Arbil | 1–0 (aet) | Tampines Rovers |
| Muangthong United | 4–0 | Al-Ahed |
| Song Lam Nghe An | 1–3 | Persipura Jayapura |
| Chonburi | 3–0 | Sriwijaya |
| Nasaf Qarshi | 2–1 | Al-Faisaly |
|---|---|---|
Turaev  28'Shomurodov 56' | Report | Hijah 78' |
| Arbil | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Tampines Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Mubarak 94' | Report |
| Song Lam Nghe An | 1–3 | Persipura Jayapura |
|---|---|---|
| Nguyễn Hồng Việt 58' | Report | B. Solossa 28' (pen.) Bonai 34'O. Solossa 85' |
| Chonburi | 3–0 | Sriwijaya |
|---|---|---|
| Ney Fabiano 18' Therdsak 29' (pen.)Natthaphong 83' | Report |
| Al-Qadsia | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Al-Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| H. Al Enezi 55' Al Mejmed 65' (pen.) | Report | A. Al Kandari 33' Al Ajmi 60' |
| Penalties | ||
Al Mejmed  El Adoua  Fadel F. Al Enezi Al Misha'an | 2–3 | Al Ateeqi Rogério Awadh Al Taher Al Fadhli |
The first legs were played 13 September 2011, and the second legs were played 27–28 September 2011. [4]
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persipura Jayapura | 1–3 | Arbil | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Chonburi | 1–1 (3–4 p) | Nasaf Qarshi | 0–1 | 1–0 (aet) |
| Al-Kuwait | 1–0 | Muangthong United | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Al-Wehdat | 8–1 | Duhok | 5–1 | 3–0 |
| Chonburi | 0–1 | Nasaf Qarshi |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Bošković 47' |
| Al-Kuwait | 1–0 | Muangthong United |
|---|---|---|
| Rogerinho 76' | Report |
| Al-Wehdat | 5–1 | Duhok |
|---|---|---|
| Abdel-Fattah 32' (pen.), 88' Abdullah Deeb 72'Shelbaieh 86', 90+3' | Report | H. Kareem 14' |
Al-Kuwait won 1–0 on aggregate.
| Nasaf Qarshi | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | Chonburi |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Ney Fabiano 54' | |
| Penalties | ||
| Bošković Turaev Djiyamurodov Otakuziyev Gevorkyan | 4–3 | Ney Fabiano Phanuwat Suppasek Phaisan Therdsak |
1–1 on aggregate; Nasaf Qarshi won on penalties.
| Arbil | 1–0 | Persipura Jayapura |
|---|---|---|
| Radhi 60' | Report |
Arbil won 3–1 on aggregate.
| Duhok | 0–3 | Al-Wehdat |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Abdel-Fattah 6', 60' Al-Sabah 44' |
Al-Wehdat won 8–1 on aggregate.
The first legs were played 4 October 2011, and the second legs were played 18 October 2011. [4]
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasaf Qarshi | 2–1 | Al-Wehdat | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Arbil | 3–5 | Al-Kuwait | 0–2 | 3–3 |
| Nasaf Qarshi | 1–0 | Al-Wehdat |
|---|---|---|
| Djiyamurodov 45' (pen.) | Report |
Note: Match delayed from original kickoff at 19:00 due to sandstorm. [6]
| Al-Kuwait | 3–3 | Arbil |
|---|---|---|
| Kabi 6' Rogerinho 74'Al Shammari 79' | Report | Karim 21' (pen.), 84' (pen.) Salah 69' |
Al-Kuwait won 5–3 on aggregate.
| Al-Wehdat | 1–1 | Nasaf Qarshi |
|---|---|---|
| Abdallah Deeb 11' | Report | Bošković 62' |
Nasaf Qarshi won 2–1 on aggregate.
The final was played 29 October 2011 at home of one of the finalists, decided by draw. [1] [4]
| Nasaf Qarshi | 2–1 | Al-Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Shomurodov 62' Perepļotkins 65' | Report | Kabi 68' |