2020 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs

The 2020 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs were played from 14 to 28 January 2020. ^[1] A total of 28 teams competed in the qualifying play-offs to decide the remaining eight of the 32 places in the group stage of the 2020 AFC Champions League. ^[2]

Teams

The following 28 teams, split into two regions (West Region and East Region), entered the qualifying play-offs, consisting of three rounds:

• 8 teams entered in the preliminary round 1.
• 12 teams entered in the preliminary round 2.
• 8 teams entered in the play-off round.

Region	Teams entering in play-off round	Teams entering in preliminary round 2	Teams entering in preliminary round 1
West Region	Al-Ain Al-Ahli Al-Sailiya Al-Rayyan	Esteghlal Shahr Khodro Lokomotiv Tashkent Bunyodkor Al-Zawraa Istiklol	Chennai City Al-Faisaly Al-Kuwait Al-Riffa
East Region	FC Seoul Shanghai SIPG FC Tokyo Kashima Antlers [note 1]	Melbourne Victory Port Buriram United Kedah Tai Po Ho Chi Minh City	Ceres–Negros Tampines Rovers Bali United Shan United

Format

In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 9.2). ^[2]

Schedule

The schedule of each round was as follows. ^{[1] [3]}

Round	Match date
Preliminary round 1	14 January 2020
Preliminary round 2	21 January 2020
Play-off round	28 January 2020

Bracket

The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each region was determined based on the association ranking of each team, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. ^[4] Teams from the same association could not be placed into the same tie. The eight winners of the play-off round (four each from both West Region and East Region) advanced to the group stage to join the 24 direct entrants. All losers in each round from associations with only play-off slots entered the AFC Cup group stage.

Play-off West 1

• Al-Ain advanced to Group D.

Preliminary round 1

Preliminary round 2

Play-off round

Al-Ain

1

Bunyodkor

0

Bunyodkor

4

Al-Zawraa

1

Play-off West 2

• Al-Ahli advanced to Group A.

Preliminary round 1

Preliminary round 2

Play-off round

Al-Ahli

1

Istiklol

0

Lokomotiv Tashkent

0

Istiklol

1

Play-off West 3

• Shahr Khodro advanced to Group B.

	Preliminary round 1					Preliminary round 2					Play-off round
											Al-Sailiya		0 (4)
											Shahr Khodro (p)		0 (5)
						Shahr Khodro		2
	Chennai City		0			Al-Riffa		1
	Al-Riffa		1

Play-off West 4

• Esteghlal advanced to Group A.

	Preliminary round 1					Preliminary round 2					Play-off round
											Al-Rayyan		0
											Esteghlal		5
						Esteghlal		3
	Al-Faisaly		1			Al-Kuwait		0
	Al-Kuwait (a.e.t.)		2

Play-off East 1

• FC Seoul advanced to Group E.

Preliminary round 1

Preliminary round 2

Play-off round

FC Seoul

4

Kedah

1

Kedah

5

Tai Po

1

Play-off East 2

• Shanghai SIPG advanced to Group H.

Preliminary round 1

Preliminary round 2

Play-off round

Shanghai SIPG

3

Buriram United

0

Buriram United

2

Ho Chi Minh City

1

Play-off East 3

• FC Tokyo advanced to Group F.

	Preliminary round 1					Preliminary round 2					Play-off round
											FC Tokyo		2
											Ceres–Negros		0
						Port		0
	Ceres–Negros		3			Ceres–Negros		1
	Shan United		2

Play-off East 4

• Melbourne Victory advanced to Group E.

	Preliminary round 1					Preliminary round 2					Play-off round
											Kashima Antlers		0
											Melbourne Victory		1
						Melbourne Victory		5
	Tampines Rovers		3			Bali United		0
	Bali United (a.e.t.)		5

Preliminary round 1

Summary

A total of eight teams played in the preliminary round 1.

West Region

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Chennai City	0–1	Al-Riffa
Al-Faisaly	1–2 (a.e.t.)	Al-Kuwait

East Region

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Ceres–Negros	3–2	Shan United
Tampines Rovers	3–5 (a.e.t.)	Bali United

West Region

14 January 2020 (2020-1-14)

18:00  UTC+5:30

Chennai City	0–1	Al-Riffa
	Live Report Stats Report	Abduljabbar 41'

The Arena, Ahmedabad ^{[note 2]}

Attendance: 1,227

Referee: Sherzod Kasimov (Uzbekistan)

---

14 January 2020 (2020-1-14)

18:00  UTC+2

Al-Faisaly	1–2 (a.e.t.)	Al-Kuwait
Al-Jbarat 10'	Live Report Stats Report	Nasser 34' Al Hajeri 119'

Amman International Stadium, Amman

Attendance: 54

Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

East Region

14 January 2020 (2020-1-14)

19:30  UTC+8

Ceres–Negros	3–2	Shan United
Lopez 5' Marañón 40' Porteria 79'	Live Report Stats Report	Zin Min Tun 73' Djawa 87'

Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

Attendance: 3,704

Referee: Ali Al-Samahiji (Bahrain)

---

14 January 2020 (2020-1-14)

19:30  UTC+8

Tampines Rovers	3–5 (a.e.t.)	Bali United
Kopitović 43' Webb 53' Rahmat 67' (o.g.)	Live Report Stats Report	Platje 8', 13' Rahmat 82' Lilipaly 100' Saimima 115'

Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore

Attendance: 1,400

Referee: Ahmad Yacoub Ibrahim (Jordan)

Preliminary round 2

Summary

A total of 16 teams played in the preliminary round 2: twelve teams which entered in this round, and the four winners of the preliminary round 1.

West Region

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Bunyodkor	4–1	Al-Zawraa
Lokomotiv Tashkent	0–1	Istiklol
Shahr Khodro	2–1	Al-Riffa
Esteghlal	3–0	Al-Kuwait

East Region

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Kedah	5–1	Tai Po
Buriram United	2–1	Ho Chi Minh City
Port	0–1	Ceres–Negros
Melbourne Victory	5–0	Bali United

West Region

22 January 2020 (2020-1-22) ^{[note 3]}

14:00  UTC+5

Bunyodkor	4–1	Al-Zawraa
Kholmukhamedov 8' (pen.) Murtazoev 46', 85' Farkhodov 80'	Live Report Stats Report	Qasim 89'

JAR Stadium, Tashkent

Attendance: 594

Referee: Yudai Yamamoto (Japan)

---

21 January 2020 (2020-1-21)

15:00  UTC+5

Lokomotiv Tashkent	0–1	Istiklol
	Live Report Stats Report	A. Dzhalilov 60'

Lokomotiv Stadium, Tashkent

Attendance: 4,256

Referee: Hussein Abo Yehia (Lebanon)

---

25 January 2020 (2020-1-25) ^{[note 4]}

18:20  UTC+4

Shahr Khodro	2–1	Al-Riffa
Khalatbari 19' Ghaseminejad 83'	Live Report Stats Report	Saeid 35'

Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) ^{[note 4]}

Attendance: 50

Referee: Kim Dae-yong (South Korea)

---

25 January 2020 (2020-1-25) ^{[note 4]}

18:20  UTC+4

Esteghlal	3–0	Al-Kuwait
Diabaté 27', 54' Ghafouri 59'	Live Report Stats Report

Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai (United Arab Emirates) ^{[note 4]}

Attendance: 3,420

Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)

East Region

21 January 2020 (2020-1-21)

21:00  UTC+8

Kedah	5–1	Tai Po
Tchétché 3', 21', 90+2' Hadin 47', 66'	Live Report Stats Report	Chan Man Fai 68'

Darul Aman Stadium, Alor Setar

Attendance: 19,803

Referee: Saoud Al-Adba (Qatar)

---

21 January 2020 (2020-1-21)

18:30  UTC+7

Buriram United	2–1	Ho Chi Minh City
Cuesta 53' Bueno 74'	Live Report Stats Report	Diakité 77'

Chang Arena, Buriram

Attendance: 14,190

Referee: Nivon Robesh Gamini (Sri Lanka)

---

21 January 2020 (2020-1-21)

19:00  UTC+7

Port	0–1	Ceres–Negros
	Live Report Stats Report	Schröck 51'

PAT Stadium, Bangkok

Attendance: 6,234

Referee: Yu Ming-hsun (Chinese Taipei)

---

21 January 2020 (2020-1-21)

19:35  UTC+11

Melbourne Victory	5–0	Bali United
Basha 14' Hope 37' Kruse 59' Toivonen 81' Kamsoba 90'	Live Report Stats Report

AAMI Park, Melbourne

Attendance: 5,387

Referee: Mohammed Al-Hoish (Saudi Arabia)

Play-off round

Summary

A total of 16 teams played in the play-off round: eight teams which entered in this round, and the eight winners of the preliminary round 2.

West Region

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Al-Ain	1–0	Bunyodkor
Al-Ahli	1–0	Istiklol
Al-Sailiya	0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p)	Shahr Khodro
Al-Rayyan	0–5	Esteghlal

East Region

Team 1	Score	Team 2
FC Seoul	4–1	Kedah
Shanghai SIPG	3–0	Buriram United
FC Tokyo	2–0	Ceres–Negros
Kashima Antlers	0–1	Melbourne Victory

West Region

28 January 2020 (2020-1-28)

18:40  UTC+4

Al-Ain	1–0	Bunyodkor
Saeed 78'	Live Report Stats Report

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 4,424

Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

---

28 January 2020 (2020-1-28)

20:30  UTC+3

Al-Ahli	1–0	Istiklol
Belaïli 90+1' (pen.)	Live Report Stats Report

King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah

Attendance: 10,942

Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom (Thailand)

---

28 January 2020 (2020-1-28)

18:10  UTC+3

Al-Sailiya	0–0 (a.e.t.)	Shahr Khodro
	Live Report Stats Report
Penalties
Boussoufa Ansarifard Mbodji Siddiq Belhadj	4–5	Seifollahi Sarlak Ghaseminejad Faraji Sadeghi

Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha

Attendance: 465

Referee: Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong)

---

28 January 2020 (2020-1-28)

18:15  UTC+3

Al-Rayyan	0–5	Esteghlal
	Live Report Stats Report	Diabaté 8' Ghaedi 40', 47' Motahari 84', 90+1'

Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan

Attendance: 1,811

Referee: Minoru Tōjō (Japan)

East Region

28 January 2020 (2020-1-28)

19:00  UTC+9

FC Seoul	4–1	Kedah
Park Chu-young 38' (pen.) Park Dong-jin 49' Osmar 63' Alibaev 90+2'	Live Report Stats Report	Osmar 52' (o.g.)

Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul

Attendance: 5,373

Referee: Omar Al-Yaqoubi (Oman)

---

28 January 2020 (2020-1-28)

15:00  UTC+8

Shanghai SIPG	3–0	Buriram United
Li Shenglong 75' Arnautović 90+2' Hulk 90+5' (pen.)	Live Report Stats Report

Yuanshen Sports Centre Stadium, Shanghai

Attendance: 1 ^{[note 5]}

Referee: Aziz Asimov (Uzbekistan)

---

28 January 2020 (2020-1-28)

19:00  UTC+9

FC Tokyo	2–0	Ceres–Negros
Muroya 48' Adaílton 89'	Live Report Stats Report

Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo

Attendance: 6,630

Referee: Masoud Tufayelieh (Syria)

---

28 January 2020 (2020-1-28)

19:00  UTC+9

Kashima Antlers	0–1	Melbourne Victory
	Live Report Stats Report	Nabbout 54'

Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima

Attendance: 4,275

Referee: Mooud Bonyadifar (Iran)

Notes

1. The identity of the second play-off team from Japan was not known at the time of the group stage draw.
2. Chennai City played their home match at The Arena, Ahmedabad, instead of their regular home stadium Nehru Stadium, Coimbatore.
3. The match between Bunyodkor and Al-Zawraa, originally to be played on 21 January 2020, was re-scheduled to 22 January 2020, to avoid a clash with the match between Lokomotiv Tashkent and Istiklol, also to be played in Tashkent, on the same day. ^[5]
4. The Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran received a letter from the Asian Football Confederation on 17 January 2020 announcing that teams from Iran would not be allowed to host their home matches in their country due to security issues after Downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. ^{[6] [7]} The four AFC Champions League teams from Iran announced on 18 January 2020 that they would withdraw from the tournament if the ban was not reversed. ^{[8] [9]} As a result, the two preliminary round 2 matches which the Iranian teams were supposed to host, Shahr Khodro against Al-Riffa and Esteghlal against Al-Kuwait, were not played as scheduled on 21 January 2020 (at 16:20 UTC+3:30 at Imam Reza Stadium, Mashhad and at 18:00 UTC+3:30 at Azadi Stadium, Tehran respectively), and the AFC announced on 22 January 2020 that the matches were re-scheduled to 25 January 2020 in the United Arab Emirates. ^{[10] [11]}
5. The match between Shanghai SIPG and Buriram United was played without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic in China. ^{[12] [13]}

References

1. "AFC Competitions Calendar 2020". AFC. 6 December 2019.
2. "2020 AFC Champions League Competition Regulations" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation.
3. "AFC Champions League 2020 Official Match Schedule". AFC.
4. "AFC Champions League 2020 At A Glance". AFC.
5. "«Ал Завра»га қарши ўйин ҳақида". FC Bunyodkor. 11 January 2020.
6. "اطلاعیه روابط عمومی". Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. 17 January 2020.
7. "Another blow to Iranian sport as AFC ban country from hosting Champions League football". Inside The Games. 17 January 2020.
8. "Iranian football teams stand against AFC's decision". Tehran Times. 18 January 2020.
9. "Iran: 'Clubs to quit AFC Champions League over home game ban'". BBC Sport. 18 January 2020.
10. "AFC Statement". AFC. 22 January 2020.
11. "AFC moves Champions League matches out of Iran". Reuters. 22 January 2020.
12. "官方：上港的亚冠资格赛将在大年初四正常举行，比赛将空场" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 25 January 2020.
13. "Shanghai SIPG FC AFC Champions League Preliminary Round match". AFC. 26 January 2020.

External links

• AFC Champions League , the-AFC.com
• AFC Champions League 2020, stats.the-AFC.com