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]
The following 28 teams, split into two regions (West Region and East Region), entered the qualifying play-offs, consisting of three rounds:
| Region | Teams entering in play-off round | Teams entering in preliminary round 2 | Teams entering in preliminary round 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Region | |||
| East Region |
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]
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 |
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.
| Preliminary round 1 | Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | ||||||||||||
 Al-Ain | 1 | |||||||||||||
 Bunyodkor | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Bunyodkor | 4 | |||||||||||||
 Al-Zawraa | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Preliminary round 1 | Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | ||||||||||||
 Al-Ahli | 1 | |||||||||||||
 Istiklol | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Lokomotiv Tashkent | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Istiklol | 1 | |||||||||||||
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 | |||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
| Preliminary round 1 | Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | ||||||||||||
 FC Seoul | 4 | |||||||||||||
 Kedah | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Kedah | 5 | |||||||||||||
 Tai Po | 1 | |||||||||||||
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 | |||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
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 | |||||||||||||
A total of eight teams played in the preliminary round 1.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai City | 0–1 | Al-Riffa |
| Al-Faisaly | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Al-Kuwait |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ceres–Negros | 3–2 | Shan United |
| Tampines Rovers | 3–5 (a.e.t.) | Bali United |
| Al-Faisaly | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Al-Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Ceres–Negros | 3–2 | Shan United |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
|
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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Bunyodkor | 4–1 | Al-Zawraa |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
|
| Shahr Khodro | 2–1 | Al-Riffa |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
|
| Esteghlal | 3–0 | Al-Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Kedah | 5–1 | Tai Po |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
|
| Port | 0–1 | Ceres–Negros |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
|
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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Al-Ain | 1–0 | Bunyodkor |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Sailiya | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Shahr Khodro |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 4–5 | ||
| FC Seoul | 4–1 | Kedah |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Shanghai SIPG | 3–0 | Buriram United |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
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