2018 AFC Cup

2018 AFC Cup

Tournament details
Dates	22 January – 27 October 2018
Teams	44 (from 26 associations)
Final positions
Champions	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (3rd title)
Runners-up	Altyn Asyr
Tournament statistics
Matches played	143
Goals scored	452 (3.16 per match)
Attendance	827,013 (5,783 per match)
Top scorer(s)	An Il-bom (12 goals)
Best player(s)	Hammadi Ahmad
← 2017 2019 →

The 2018 AFC Cup was the 15th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). ^[1]

Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won the title for the third consecutive year, defeating Altyn Asyr in the final.

Association team allocation

The AFC Competitions Committee recommended a new format for the AFC Cup starting from 2017 which was played in the AFC's five zones: West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, ASEAN, and East Asia, with the winner of the West Asia Zone and the winner of an inter-zone play-off between the other four zones playing in the final, hosted on a rotational basis at venues in the East and West. ^[2] 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 2017 and 2018 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2016 AFC rankings (Entry Manual Article 2.2): ^[3]

• The associations were split into five zones:
  • West Asia Zone consists of the associations from the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF).
  • Central Asia Zone consists of the associations from Central Asian Football Association (CAFA).
  • South Asia Zone consists of the associations from the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
  • ASEAN Zone consists of the associations from the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF).
  • East Asia Zone consists of the associations from the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF).
• 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 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 got 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 got two direct slots.
    • The associations ranked 4th to 6th each got one direct slot and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 7th or below each got 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 got one direct slot and one play-off slot.
    • The associations ranked 4th or below each got 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 gives up its direct slots, they were 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 were 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 were given byes to the group stage.

For the 2018 AFC Cup, the associations were allocated slots according to their association ranking published on 30 November 2016, ^[4] which took into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, as well as their national team's FIFA World Rankings between 2013 and 2016. ^{[3] [5]}

Participation for 2018 AFC Cup
	Participated
	Not participated

West Asia Zone Rank Member Association Points [4] Slots Group stage Play-off Zone AFC Play-off round Prelim. round 1 10 Iraq [IRQ] 37.240 2 0 0 — 11 Kuwait [KUW] 36.457 0 0 0 2 13 Syria 34.257 2 0 0 3 15 Jordan 31.213 2 0 0 4 19 Bahrain 27.353 2 0 0 5 20 Lebanon 22.077 2 0 0 6 22 Oman 19.313 1 1 0 7 28 Palestine 12.342 0 1 0 — 33 Yemen [YEM] 6.926 0 0 0 Total 11 2 0 2 13 Central Asia Zone Rank Member Association Points [4] Slots Group stage Play-off Zone AFC Play-off round Prelim. round 1 23 Tajikistan 18.328 1 1 0 2 29 Turkmenistan 11.514 1 0 1 3 31 Kyrgyzstan 10.307 1 0 1 — 32 Afghanistan [AFG] 7.114 0 0 0 Total 3 1 2 3 6 South Asia Zone Rank Member Association Points [4] Slots Group stage Play-off Zone AFC Play-off round Prelim. round 1 18 India 27.930 1 0 1 2 26 Maldives 15.345 1 0 1 3 37 Bangladesh 4.158 1 0 1 4 38 Bhutan 3.877 0 0 1 — 39 Nepal [NEP] 3.388 0 0 0 — 44 Sri Lanka [SRI] 1.656 0 0 0 — 45 Pakistan [PAK] 1.506 0 0 0 Total 3 0 4 4 7

ASEAN Zone Rank Member Association Points [4] Slots Group stage Play-off Zone AFC Play-off round Prelim. round 1 16 Vietnam 29.273 2 0 0 2 17 Malaysia [MAS] 28.865 1 0 0 3 21 Indonesia 20.372 2 0 0 4 24 Myanmar 17.220 2 0 0 5 25 Philippines 17.188 2 0 0 6 27 Singapore 13.664 2 0 0 7 34 Laos [LAO] 6.886 0 1 0 8 36 Cambodia 4.856 0 1 0 — 42 Brunei [BRU] 2.785 0 0 0 — 43 East Timor [TLS] 2.409 0 0 0 Total 11 2 0 0 13 East Asia Zone Rank Member Association Points [4] Slots Group stage Play-off Zone AFC Play-off round Prelim. round 1 30 North Korea 10.314 1 1 0 2 35 Chinese Taipei [TPE] 5.609 1 0 0 3 40 Macau [MAC] 3.087 1 0 0 — 41 Guam [GUM] 3.049 0 0 0 4 46 Mongolia 1.430 0 1 0 Total 3 2 0 2 5

Notes

1. ^
   Afghanistan (AFG): Afghanistan did not implement the club licensing system. ^[6]
2. ^
   Brunei (BRU): Brunei did not implement the club licensing system. ^[6]
3. ^
   Chinese Taipei (TPE): Chinese Taipei had only one entry, as only one team obtained an AFC licence. ^[6]
4. ^
   Guam (GUM): Guam did not comply with the AFC Cup club licensing system. ^[6]
5. ^
   Iraq (IRQ): Iraq entered the AFC Cup instead of the AFC Champions League as they did not implement the AFC Champions League club licensing system. ^[7]
6. ^
   Kuwait (KUW): Kuwait could not enter due to FIFA's suspension of the Kuwait Football Association at the entry deadline. ^[8]
7. ^
   Laos (LAO): Laos originally had one entry: Lao Toyota, the 2017 Lao Premier League champions. However, on 14 December 2017, the AFC announced that they were ruled ineligible to play in the 2018 AFC Cup due to match manipulation during the 2015 and 2016 AFC Cup. ^[9] As they were the only team from Laos which obtained an AFC licence, no other teams were eligible to replace them. ^[6] Lao Toyota appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and on 17 January 2018, CAS ruled Lao Toyota would be eligible to participate. ^[10]
8. ^
   Macau (MAC): Macau had only one entry, as only one team obtained an AFC licence. ^[6]
9. ^
   Malaysia (MAS): Malaysia had only one entry as Pahang, the 2017 Malaysia Super League runners-up, which would have entered the group stage, decided not to participate in the AFC Cup after obtaining an AFC licence, and as a result, the second group stage slot for Malaysia was annulled and could not be filled by any other team from Malaysia (Entry Manual 12.12). ^{[3] [7] [11] [12] [13]}
10. ^
    Nepal (NEP): Nepal did not comply with the AFC Cup club licensing system. ^[6]
11. ^
    Pakistan (PAK): Pakistan could not enter due to FIFA's suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation at the entry deadline. ^[14]
12. ^
    Sri Lanka (SRI): Sri Lanka did not comply with the AFC Cup club licensing system. ^[6]
13. ^
    Timor-Leste (TLS): Timor-Leste did not implement the club licensing system. ^[6]
14. ^
    Yemen (YEM): Yemen did not implement the club licensing system. ^[6]

Teams

The following 44 teams from 26 associations entered the competition.

West Asia Zone Group stage direct entrants (Groups A–C) Team Qualifying method App (Last) Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2016–17 Iraqi Premier League champions 3rd (2017) Al-Zawraa 2016–17 Iraq FA Cup winners 4th (2017) Al-Jaish 2016–17 Syrian Premier League champions 8th (2017) Al-Wahda 2017 Syrian Cup winners 7th (2017) Al-Faisaly 2016–17 Jordan League champions [Note ACL] 2016–17 Jordan FA Cup winners 9th (2016) Al-Jazeera 2016–17 Jordan League runners-up 2nd (2015) Malkiya 2016–17 Bahrain First Division League champions [Note ACL] 1st Manama 2016–17 Bahraini King's Cup winners 1st Al-Ahed 2016–17 Lebanese Premier League champions 8th (2016) Al-Ansar 2016–17 Lebanese FA Cup winners 5th (2013) Dhofar 2016–17 Oman Professional League champions 4th (2013) Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in play-off round Team Qualifying method App (Last) Al-Suwaiq 2016–17 Sultan Qaboos Cup winners 6th (2017) Hilal Al-Quds 2016–17 West Bank Premier League champions 2nd (2015) Central Asia Zone Group stage direct entrants (Group D) Team Qualifying method App (Last) Istiklol 2017 Tajik League champions 4th (2017) Altyn Asyr 2017 Ýokary Liga champions 4th (2017) Alay Osh 2017 Kyrgyzstan League champions 4th (2017) Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in play-off round Team Qualifying method App (Last) Khujand 2017 Tajik Cup winners 2nd (2016) Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in preliminary round Team Qualifying method App (Last) Ahal 2017 Turkmenistan Cup winners 2nd (2015) Dordoi 2017 Kyrgyzstan Cup winners 3rd (2017) South Asia Zone Group stage direct entrants (Group E) Team Qualifying method App (Last) Aizawl 2016–17 I-League champions [Note ACL] 1st New Radiant 2017 Dhivehi Premier League champions 2017 Maldives FA Cup winners 9th (2016) Abahani Limited Dhaka 2017–18 Bangladesh Premier League champions 2017 Bangladesh Federation Cup winners 2nd (2017) Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in preliminary round Team Qualifying method App (Last) Bengaluru 2016–17 Indian Federation Cup winners 4th (2017) TC Sports 2017 Dhivehi Premier League runners-up 1st Saif 2017–18 Bangladesh Premier League 4th place [Note BAN] 1st Transport United 2017 Bhutan National League champions 1st

ASEAN Zone Group stage direct entrants (Groups F–H) Team Qualifying method App (Last) FLC Thanh Hóa 2017 V.League 1 runners-up [Note ACL] [Note VIE] 1st Sông Lam Nghệ An 2017 Vietnamese Cup winners 3rd (2012) Johor Darul Ta'zim 2017 Malaysia Super League champions [Note ACL] 5th (2017) Bali United 2017 Liga 1 runners-up [Note ACL] 1st Persija Jakarta 2017 Liga 1 4th place [Note IDN] 1st Shan United 2017 Myanmar National League champions [Note ACL] 2017 General Aung San Shield winners 1st Yangon United 2017 Myanmar National League runners-up 5th (2016) Ceres–Negros 2017 Philippines Football League champions [Note ACL] 4th (2017) Global Cebu 2017 Philippines Football League runners-up 3rd (2017) Tampines Rovers 2017 S.League runners-up [Note ACL] 10th (2017) Home United 2017 S.League 3rd place [Note SIN] 9th (2017) Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in play-off round Team Qualifying method App (Last) Lao Toyota 2017 Lao Premier League champions 4th (2017) Boeung Ket Angkor 2017 Cambodian League champions 2nd (2017) East Asia Zone Group stage direct entrants (Group I) Team Qualifying method App (Last) April 25 2017 DPR Korea League champions 2nd (2017) Hang Yuen 2017 Taiwan Premier League 3rd place [Note TPE] 1st Benfica de Macau 2017 Liga de Elite champions 3rd (2017) Qualifying play-off participants: Entering in play-off round Team Qualifying method App (Last) Hwaebul 2017 DPR Korea League runners-up [Note PRK] 1st Erchim 2017 Mongolian Premier League champions 2nd (2017)

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 have played in the AFC Cup and would have been replaced in the AFC Cup group stage by the standby team from the same association if such team was available.
2. ^
   Bangladesh (BAN): Sheikh Jamal, the 2017–18 Bangladesh Premier League runners-up, failed to obtain an AFC license. As a result, Saif, the league 4th place and the highest-placed team with an AFC license not yet qualified, entered the qualifying play-offs. ^[15]
3. ^
   Chinese Taipei (TPE): Tatung and Taipower, the 2017 Taiwan Premier League champions and runners-up, failed to obtain an AFC license. As a result, Hang Yuen, the league 3rd place and the only team with an AFC license, entered the group stage. ^{[16] [6]}
4. ^
   Indonesia (IDN): Bhayangkara and PSM Makassar, the 2017 Liga 1 champions and 3rd place, failed to obtain an AFC license. As a result, Persija Jakarta, the league 4th place, entered the group stage. ^[17]
5. ^
   Singapore (SIN): Albirex Niigata Singapore, the 2017 S.League champions and 2017 Singapore Cup winners, is a satellite team of Japanese club Albirex Niigata and thus ineligible to represent Singapore in AFC club competitions. As a result, Home United, the league 3rd place, entered the group stage.
6. ^
   Vietnam (VIE): Quảng Nam, the 2017 V.League 1 champions, failed to obtain an AFC licence. As a result, FLC Thanh Hóa, the league runners-up, entered the group stage. ^[18]
7. ^
   North Korea (PRK): Sobaeksu, 2017 Hwaebul Cup winners, failed to obtain an AFC licence. As a result, Hwaebul, the league runners-up, entered the group stage.


Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Al-Zawraa

Syria

Teams from Syria:
Al-Jaish
Al-Wahda

Jordan

Teams from Jordan:
Al-Faisaly
Al-Jazeera

Malkiya
Manama

Lebanon

Teams from Lebanon:
Al-Ahed
Al-Ansar

Dhofar

Al-Suwaiq (p)

Hilal Al-Quds (p)

Istiklol

Khujand (p)

Altyn Asyr
Ahal (p)

Alay Osh

Dordoi (p)

Aizawl

Bengaluru (p)

New Radiant
TC Sports (p)

Abahani Limited Dhaka
Saif (p)

Transport U (p)

Thanh Hóa

Sông Lam Nghệ An

Johor DT

Bali U

Persija

Shan U

Yangon U

Ceres–Negros

Global Cebu

Tampines R
Home U

Lao Toyota (p)

Boeung Ket Angkor (p)

April 25

Hwaebul (p)

Hang Yuen

Benfica Macau

Erchim (p)
class=notpageimage|
Location of teams of the 2018 AFC Cup.
West Asia Zone
Central Asia Zone
South Asia Zone
ASEAN Zone
East Asia Zone
(p) Qualifying play-off participants

Schedule

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

Stage	Round	Draw date	First leg	Second leg
Preliminary stage	Preliminary round	No draw	23 January 2018 (C, S)	30 January 2018 (C, S)
Play-off stage	Play-off round		22 January 2018 (W), 29 January 2018 (A), 13 February 2018 (C, S, E)	29 January 2018 (W), 2 February 2018 (A), 20 February 2018 (C, S, E)
Group stage	Matchday 1	6 December 2017	10 & 12–14 February 2018 (W, A), 7 March & 5 April 2018(C, S, E)
	Matchday 2		26–28 February 2018 (W, A), 13–14 March 2018 (C, S, E)
	Matchday 3		5–7 March & 16 April 2018 (W, A), 10–11 April 2018 (C, S, E)
	Matchday 4		12–14 March & 17 April 2018 (W, A), 25 April 2018 (C, S, E)
	Matchday 5		9–11 April 2018 (W, A), 1–2 May 2018 (C, S, E)
	Matchday 6		23–25 April 2018 (W, A), 16 May 2018 (C, S, E)
Knockout stage	Zonal semi-finals		7–9 May 2018 (W, A)	14–16 May 2018 (W, A)
	Zonal finals	23 May 2018	1 August 2018 (A), 18 September 2018 (W)	8 August 2018 (A), 2 October 2018 (W)
	Inter-zone play-off semi-finals		21–22 August 2018	28–29 August 2018
	Inter-zone play-off final		19 September 2018	3 October 2018
	Final		27 October 2018

Qualifying play-offs

Main article: 2018 AFC Cup 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 do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 9.3). The five winners of the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 31 direct entrants. ^[1] The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each zone was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the second leg. ^[19]

Preliminary round

Central Asia Zone

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Dordoi	3–5	Ahal	1–3	2–2

South Asia Zone

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Transport United	0–3	Bengaluru	0–0	0–3
Saif	1–4	TC Sports	0–1	1–3

Play-off round

West Asia Zone

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Hilal Al-Quds	1–2	Al-Suwaiq	0–1	1–1

Central Asia Zone

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Ahal	3–0	Khujand	1–0	2–0

South Asia Zone

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
TC Sports	2–8	Bengaluru	2–3	0–5

ASEAN Zone

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Boeung Ket Angkor	4–3	Lao Toyota	3–3	1–0

East Asia Zone

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Erchim	0–7	Hwaebul	0–4	0–3

Group stage

Main article: 2018 AFC Cup group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 6 December 2017, 14:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ^{[20] [19]} 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 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.

Tiebreakers

The teams were 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 10.5): [1] Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams; Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams; 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; Goal difference in all group matches; Goals scored in all group matches; Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group; 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); Team from the higher-ranked association.

Group A

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		JAZ	QUW	MAL	SUW
1	Al-Jazeera	6	4	2	0	13	6	+7	14	Zonal semi-finals		—	1–1	1–0	4–0
2	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	6	3	3	0	11	7	+4	12			2–2	—	1–1	2–0
3	Malkiya	6	2	1	3	11	10	+1	7			1–2	3–4	—	4–1
4	Al-Suwaiq	6	0	0	6	4	16	−12	0			2–3	0–1	1–2	—

Source: AFC

Group B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		AHE	ZAW	JAI	MAN
1	Al-Ahed	6	3	3	0	11	5	+6	12	Zonal semi-finals		—	1–1	1–1	3–1
2	Al-Zawraa	6	2	4	0	8	5	+3	10			1–1	—	0–0	2–1
3	Al-Jaish	6	1	4	1	4	6	−2	7			1–4	1–1	—	1–0
4	Manama	6	0	1	5	3	10	−7	1			0–1	1–3	0–0	—

Source: AFC

Group C

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		FAI	DHO	ANS	WAH
1	Al-Faisaly	6	4	1	1	10	5	+5	13	Zonal semi-finals		—	2–0	1–0	2–2
2	Dhofar	6	2	2	2	4	5	−1	8			1–0	—	0–2	2–0
3	Al-Ansar	6	2	1	3	6	7	−1	7			1–3	1–1	—	1–0
4	Al-Wahda	6	1	2	3	5	8	−3	5			1–2	0–0	2–1	—

Source: AFC

Group D

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		ALT	IST	AHA	ALA
1	Altyn Asyr	6	4	2	0	17	7	+10	14	Inter-zone play-off semi-finals		—	2–2	1–0	5–0
2	Istiklol	6	4	1	1	10	7	+3	13			2–3	—	1–0	1–0
3	Ahal	6	2	1	3	8	5	+3	7			0–0	0–1	—	5–0
4	Alay Osh	6	0	0	6	7	23	−16	0			3–6	2–3	2–3	—

Source: AFC

Group E

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		BFC	RAD	ABD	AIZ
1	Bengaluru	6	5	0	1	14	3	+11	15	Inter-zone play-off semi-finals		—	1–0	1–0	5–0
2	New Radiant	6	4	0	2	12	5	+7	12			2–0	—	5–1	3–1
3	Abahani Limited Dhaka	6	1	1	4	5	12	−7	4			0–4	0–1	—	1–1
4	Aizawl	6	1	1	4	5	16	−11	4 [lower-alpha 1]			1–3	2–1	0–3	—

Source: AFC
Notes:

1. Head-to-head results: Aizawl 0–3 Abahani Limited Dhaka, Abahani Limited Dhaka 1–1 Aizawl.

Group F

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		HOM	CER	BKA	SHA
1	Home United	6	4	1	1	15	6	+9	13 [lower-alpha 1]	Zonal semi-finals		—	1–1	6–0	3–2
2	Ceres–Negros	6	4	1	1	17	3	+14	13 [lower-alpha 1]			0–2	—	9–0	2–0
3	Boeung Ket Angkor	6	2	0	4	8	24	−16	6			3–2	0–4	—	1–2
4	Shan United	6	1	0	5	5	12	−7	3			0–1	0–1	1–4	—

Source: AFC
Notes:

1. Head-to-head results: Home United 1–1 Ceres–Negros, Ceres–Negros 0–2 Home United.

Group G

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		YAN	GLO	THA	BAL
1	Yangon United	6	4	1	1	15	9	+6	13	Zonal semi-finals		—	3–0	2–1	3–2
2	Global Cebu	6	2	2	2	9	10	−1	8			2–1	—	3–3	1–1
3	FLC Thanh Hóa	6	1	3	2	9	11	−2	6			3–3	1–0	—	0–0
4	Bali United	6	1	2	3	8	11	−3	5			1–3	1–3	3–1	—

Source: AFC

Group H

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		PSJ	SLN	JDT	TAM
1	Persija Jakarta	6	4	1	1	13	6	+7	13	Zonal semi-finals		—	1–0	4–0	4–1
2	Sông Lam Nghệ An	6	3	1	2	8	5	+3	10 [lower-alpha 1]			0–0	—	2–0	2–1
3	Johor Darul Ta'zim	6	3	1	2	8	9	−1	10 [lower-alpha 1]			3–0	3–2	—	2–1
4	Tampines Rovers	6	0	1	5	5	14	−9	1			2–4	0–2	0–0	—

Source: AFC
Notes:

1. Head-to-head results: Sông Lam Nghệ An 2–0 Johor Darul Ta'zim, Johor Darul Ta'zim 3–2 Sông Lam Nghệ An.

Group I

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		APR	BEN	HWA	HAN
1	April 25	6	6	0	0	23	2	+21	18	Inter-zone play-off semi-finals		—	8–0	1–0	5–1
2	Benfica de Macau	6	4	0	2	13	15	−2	12			0–2	—	3–0	3–2
3	Hwaebul	6	2	0	4	9	10	−1	6			0–2	2–3	—	6–1
4	Hang Yuen	6	0	0	6	6	24	−18	0			1–5	1–4	0–1	—

Source: AFC

Ranking of second-placed teams

West Asia Zone

Pos	Grp	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	A	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	6	3	3	0	11	7	+4	12	Zonal semi-finals
2	B	Al-Zawraa	6	2	4	0	8	5	+3	10
3	C	Dhofar	6	2	2	2	4	5	−1	8

Source: AFC

ASEAN Zone

Pos	Grp	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	F	Ceres–Negros	6	4	1	1	17	3	+14	13	Zonal semi-finals
2	H	Sông Lam Nghệ An	6	3	1	2	8	5	+3	10
3	G	Global Cebu	6	2	2	2	9	10	−1	8

Source: AFC

Knockout stage

Main article: 2018 AFC Cup knockout stage

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 winner if necessary (Regulations Article 11.3). ^[1]

Bracket

The bracket was decided after the draw for the Zonal finals and the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals, which was held on 23 May 2018, 15:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ^{[21] [22] [23]}

	Zonal semi-finals							Zonal finals							Inter-zone play-off semi-finals							Inter-zone play-off final							Final
	Al-Jazeera		1	1	2
	Al-Faisaly		1	0	1
								Al-Jazeera		0	1	1
	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya		3	2	5			Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya		1	3	4
	Al-Ahed		1	2	3
	Ceres–Negros		4	2	6																								Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya		2
	Yangon United		2	3	5																								Altyn Asyr		0
								Ceres–Negros		1	0	1
	Home United		3	3	6			Home United		1	2	3			Home United		0	1	1
	Persija Jakarta		2	1	3										April 25		2	9	11
																						April 25		2	1	3
															Bengaluru		2	0	2			Altyn Asyr (a)		2	1	3
															Altyn Asyr		3	2	5

Zonal semi-finals

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.

West Asia Zone

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Al-Jazeera	2–1	Al-Faisaly	1–1	1–0
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	5–3	Al-Ahed	3–1	2–2

ASEAN Zone

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Home United	6–3	Persija Jakarta	3–2	3–1
Ceres–Negros	6–5	Yangon United	4–2	2–3

Zonal finals

The draw for the Zonal finals was held on 23 May 2018. ^[23] In the Zonal finals, the two winners of West Asia Zonal semi-finals played each other, and the two winners of ASEAN Zonal semi-finals played 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.

West Asia Zone

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Al-Jazeera	1–4	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	0–1	1–3

ASEAN Zone

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Ceres–Negros	1–3	Home United	1–1	0–2

Inter-zone play-off semi-finals

The draw for the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals was held on 23 May 2018. ^[23] In the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals, the four zonal winners other than the West Asia Zone played 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.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Home United	1–11	April 25	0–2	1–9
Bengaluru	2–5	Altyn Asyr	2–3	0–2

Inter-zone play-off final

In the Inter-zone play-off final, the two winners of the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals played 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 advanced to the final.

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
April 25	3–3 (a)	Altyn Asyr	2–2	1–1

Final

Main article: 2018 AFC Cup Final

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 West Asia Zonal final) alternated from the previous season's final. ^[24]

27 October 2018 (2018-10-27)

19:00  UTC+3

Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	2–0	Altyn Asyr
Ahmad 22' Bayesh 57'	Live Report Stats Report

Basra Sports City, Basra

Attendance: 24,665

Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Awards

Award	Player	Team
Most Valuable Player [25]	Hammadi Ahmad	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Top Goalscorer [26]	An Il-bom	April 25

Top scorers

  Team eliminated / inactive for this round.

Rank	Player	Team	MD1	MD2	MD3	MD4	MD5	MD6	ZSF1	ZSF2	ZF1	ZF2	ISF1	ISF2	IF1	IF2	F	Total
1	An Il-bom	April 25	1	2	2	2	1						1	2	1			12
2	Bienvenido Marañón	Ceres–Negros	2		1	1	3		2	1								10
	Sekou Sylla	Yangon United	2		2		1	2	2	1
4	Marko Šimić	Persija Jakarta		3			4	1		1								9
	Song Ui-young	Home United	1		1	1	1	1	1	1		1		1
6	Altymyrat Annadurdyýew	Altyn Asyr	3	1			2						1	1				8
	Hammadi Ahmad	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	1		1				1	1	1	2					1
8	Ahmad Zreik	Al-Ahed		1	1	2	1	1		1								7
	Carlos Leonel	Benfica de Macau	2	2				3
10	Ali Ashfaq	New Radiant		3		1	2											6
	Amjad Radhi	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya			2	1		2	1
	Kim Yu-song	April 25			4		1								1
	Musa Al-Taamari	Al-Jazeera	1	1	1			1	1	1

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

Source: AFC ^[27]

See also

• 2018 AFC Champions League

References

1. "2018 AFC Cup Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
2. "AFC Competitions Committee recommends new AFC Cup format". AFC. 25 November 2016.
3. "Entry Manual: AFC Club Competitions 2017–2020" (PDF). AFC.
4. "AFC MA Ranking (as of 30 November 2016)" (PDF). AFC.
5. "AFC Club Competitions Ranking Mechanics (2016 version)" (PDF). AFC.
6. "List of Licensed Clubs for AFC Cup 2018" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
7. "List of Licensed Clubs for AFC Champions League 2018" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
8. "FIFA Congress drives football forward, first female secretary general appointed". FIFA. Archived from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
9. "Lao Toyota FC ineligible for AFC Cup 2018 because of match manipulation". AFC. 14 December 2017.
10. "The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) declares Lao Tractor Football Club eligible to participate in the 2018 AFC Cup" (PDF). CAS. 17 January 2018.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
11. "PAHANG SAH TIDAK SERTAI PIALA AFC 2018". fam.org.my (in Malay). Football Association of Malaysia. 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
12. "Piala AFC: FMLLP bertanggungjawab tentukan pasukan". Stadium Astro (in Malay). 16 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
13. "Pahang tolak slot ke Piala AFC". Astro Awani. 21 November 2017.
14. "FIFA suspends the Pakistan Football Federation". FIFA. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
15. "Abahani get AFC Cup finals ticket". Dhaka Tribune. 6 December 2017.
16. "台甲季軍航源出戰明年亞洲足總盃 宣示台足職業化起步". ETT Today. 7 December 2017.
17. "PSSI Tolak Banding Klub Terkait Lisensi AFC" [PSSI reject club appeals related to AFC license] (in Indonesian). Goal.com. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
18. "AFC: FLC THANH HÓA THAY QUẢNG NAM ĐÁ AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE". Goal.com. 30 November 2017.
19. "AFC Cup 2018 draw confirmed". AFC. 6 December 2017.
20. "AFC Cup 2018 Official Group Stage Draw". YouTube. 6 December 2017.
21. "Exciting ties on the cards". AFC. 22 May 2018.
22. "AFC Cup 2018 Knockout Stage Official Draw". YouTube. 23 May 2018.
23. "AFC Cup 2018 knockout stage draw confirmed". AFC. 23 May 2018.
24. "AFC Competitions Committee recommends new AFC Cup format". AFC. 25 November 2016. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017.
25. "Ahmed wants more". AFC. 27 October 2018.
26. "4.25 SC's An Il-bom takes Top Scorer Award". AFC. 27 October 2018.
27. "Top Goal Scorers (by Stage) – 2018 AFC Cup (Group Stage, Zonal Semi-finals, Knock-out Stage)". the-afc.com. AFC.

External links

• AFC Cup , the-AFC.com
• AFC Cup 2018, stats.the-AFC.com