The 2021 AFC Cup qualifying play-offs were played from 7 April to 15 August 2021. [1] A total of seven teams competed in the qualifying play-offs to decide three of the 38 places in the group stage of the 2021 AFC Cup. [2]
The following 7 teams, split into five zones (West Asia Zone, Central Asia Zone, South Asia Zone, ASEAN Zone, East Asia Zone), entered the qualifying play-offs, consisting of three rounds:
Zone | Teams entering in play-off round | Teams entering in preliminary round 2 | Teams entering in preliminary round 1 |
---|---|---|---|
West Asia Zone | |||
South Asia Zone | |||
Central Asia Zone | None | ||
ASEAN Zone | |||
East Asia Zone | None |
In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. [2]
The schedule of each round was as follows. [1] [3] [4]
Round | West Asia Zone | South Asia Zone | ASEAN Zone |
---|---|---|---|
Preliminary round 1 | Not played | 7 April 2021 | Not played |
Preliminary round 2 | Not played | 14 April 2021 | Cancelled [note 3] |
Play-off round | Cancelled [note 1] | 15 August 2021 | Cancelled [note 3] |
The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each zone was determined based on each team's association ranking, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. The one winner of preliminary round 2 (from ASEAN Zone) and one winner of the play-off round (from South Zone) advanced to the group stage to join the 35 direct entrants. [5]
Play-off round | ||
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Preliminary round 1 | Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | ||||||||
14 April | ||||||||||
![]() | 5 | |||||||||
7 April | ||||||||||
![]() | 0 | |||||||||
![]() | 5 | |||||||||
15 August | ||||||||||
![]() | 1 | |||||||||
![]() | 1 | |||||||||
![]() | 0 | |||||||||
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7 April | ||||||||||
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![]() | 2 | |||||||||
![]() | 0 | |||||||||
Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | |||||
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Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | |||||
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A total of four teams played in the preliminary round 1.
Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
---|---|---|
Nepal Army Club ![]() | 5–1 | ![]() |
Eagles ![]() | 2–0 | ![]() |
Nepal Army Club ![]() | 5–1 | ![]() |
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Report |
|
Eagles ![]() | 2–0 | ![]() |
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Report |
A total of eight teams played in the preliminary round 2: six teams which entered in this round, and two winners of the preliminary round 1.
Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
---|---|---|
Bengaluru ![]() | 5–0 | ![]() |
Abahani Limited Dhaka ![]() | Cancelled [note 2] | ![]() |
Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
---|---|---|
Chanthabouly ![]() | Cancelled [note 3] | ![]() |
Visakha ![]() | Cancelled [note 3] | ![]() |
Abahani Limited Dhaka ![]() | Cancelled [note 2] | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Report |
Chanthabouly ![]() | Cancelled | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Report |
Visakha ![]() | Cancelled | ![]() |
---|---|---|
Report |
A total of eight teams played in the play-off round: four teams which entered in this round, and four winners of the preliminary round 2.
Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
---|---|---|
Markaz Shabab Al-Am'ari ![]() | Cancelled [note 1] | ![]() |
Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
---|---|---|
Bengaluru ![]() | 1–0 | ![]() |
Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
---|---|---|
Hanthawady United ![]() | Cancelled [note 3] | Winners of ASEAN 2.1 |
Persipura Jayapura ![]() | Cancelled [note 3] | Winners of ASEAN 2.2 |
Markaz Shabab Al-Am'ari ![]() | Cancelled [note 1] | ![]() |
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Report |
Hanthawady United ![]() | Cancelled [note 3] | ![]() |
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Report |
Persipura Jayapura ![]() | Cancelled [note 3] | ![]() |
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Report |