AFC Champions League Two

(Redirected from AFC Cup)

The AFC Champions League Two (previously known as the AFC Cup, abbreviated as the ACL Two) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC Champions League Elite and above the AFC Challenge League.

AFC Champions League Two
Organising bodyAFC
Founded2004; 20 years ago (2004) (as AFC Cup)
RegionAsia
Number of teams32 (group stage)
Qualifier forAFC Champions League Elite
Related competitionsAFC Champions League Elite (1st tier)
AFC Challenge League (3rd tier)
Current championsAustralia Central Coast Mariners (1st title)
Most successful club(s)Kuwait Al-Kuwait
Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
(3 titles each)
Websitewww.the-afc.com
2024–25 AFC Champions League Two

The tournament was founded in 2004 as the AFC Cup, which was played primarily among clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying slots to the top-tier AFC Champions League. In 2024, the AFC introduced a revamped second-tier club competition under the name AFC Champions League Two, with the records and statistics of the AFC Cup transferring to the new competition.

Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in national leagues and cup competitions. Participation in the competition is open to clubs from the top 12 nations in the East and the West region based on the AFC club competitions ranking. The participant from each nation ranked 1–6 in each region is the highest-placed club in that nation that did not qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite. The nations ranked 7–12 in each region enter their top club(s) directly to the AFC Champions League Two.

The current champions are Central Coast Mariners, who defeated Al-Ahed in the 2024 final. Al-Kuwait and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya are the most successful clubs in the competition's history, having won three titles each. Clubs from Kuwait have won four titles, making them the most successful nation in the competition.

The winner of the AFC Champions League Two will be allocated an indirect preliminary stage slot for the next AFC Champions League Elite season, if they have not qualified through domestic competition.

History

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Winners
Season Winners
AFC Cup
2004   Al-Jaish
2005   Al-Faisaly
2006   Al-Faisaly (2)
2007   Shabab Al-Ordon
2008   Al-Muharraq
2009   Kuwait SC
2010   Al-Ittihad
2011   Nasaf Qarshi
2012   Kuwait SC (2)
2013   Kuwait SC (3)
2014   Al-Qadsia
2015   Johor Darul Ta'zim
2016   Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
2017   Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (2)
2018   Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (3)
2019   Al Ahed
2020 Cancelled
2021   Al-Muharraq (2)
2022   Al-Seeb
2023–24   Central Coast Mariners
AFC Champions League Two
2024–25

The AFC Cup began in 2004 as a second-tier competition to relate back to the AFC Champions League, as 14 countries that had developing status competed in the first competition, with 18 teams being nominated. The winners and three runners-up would then head to the knock-out stage. Al-Jaish took the first AFC Cup after they defeated fellow Syrian opponents Al-Wahda on away goals.

In 2005, 18 teams competed from nine nations with the nations still being allowed to choose from one or two teams entering. After Syrian teams left the AFC Cup to try at the AFC Champions League for four years, Al-Faisaly defeated Nejmeh in the final. With it, Jordanian teams would win the next two AFC Cup seasons with Bahrain joining the league while Bangladesh was relegated to the AFC President's Cup until the tournament's abolition in 2014.

Al-Muharraq would break the trend in 2008 as they competed in the last two-legged final before it headed back into a one-leg system, a rule that was never changed till the termination of this tournament.

On 23 December 2022, it was announced that the AFC competition structure would change from the established formats from the 2024–25 season. A new second-tier tournament called the AFC Champions League Two would be introduced.[1] Meanwhile, a new third-tier competition was also launched under the name AFC Challenge League.[2][3][4]

On 24 May 2024, AFC announced that the records and statistics of the preceding AFC club competitions will be recognised and integrated within the revamped club competitions, with the data from the AFC Cup transferring to the AFC Champions League Two.[5]

Format

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Map of AFC countries whose teams reached the group stage of the AFC Cup/ACL Two
  AFC member country that has been represented in the group stage
  AFC member country that has not been represented in the group stage

Some changes were applied in terms of teams and format for the 2017 AFC Cup. A total of 36 teams participated in the group stage (12 each from West Asia and ASEAN, and 4 each from East Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia). The final is played as a one-off match.

Allocation

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The allocation of group stage teams by member country was listed below; asterisks represent occasions where at least one team was eliminated in qualification for the group stage. Those who had not reached the group stage but had only played in qualification are not bolded.

Associations Spots
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023–24 2024–25
EAFF
  China 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
  Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 1 1 1* 1 1 2* 0
  Guam 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Hong Kong 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 2 1 2 2 0 2
  Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
  Macau 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0 1 0 1 0 0 1* 0
  Mongolia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 1 0* 0* 0* 1 0* 1 0
  North Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1* 0 0 0 0 0
  South Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 5
AFF
  Australia Part of OFC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
  Brunei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0 0* 0
  Cambodia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1* 1 1 1 2 2 1* 0
  Indonesia 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 1 2 2 2 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2* 1
  Laos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0* 0* 1 1* 0* 1 0* 0
  Malaysia 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 2 2 2 1
  Myanmar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 1* 0
  Philippines 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1* 2 2 2 2 2 0 1 2 2
  Singapore 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1* 2
  Thailand 0 0 1 0 2 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3*
  Timor-Leste 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 1 0 0 0
  Vietnam 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1
Total 4 4 4 6 4 8 8 7 10 10 10 10 9 11 12 12 12 11 11 12 11
SAFF
  Bangladesh 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 1 1* 1* 1 1* 1* 1* 1* 0
  Bhutan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0* 0
  India 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1* 2 2 2* 1*
  Maldives 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1* 2 2 2 2 1* 1* 0 2 1* 1* 1* 0
  Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0 0* 0 1 0 0* 0* 0* 0
  Pakistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Sri Lanka 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0 0* 0* 0* 0* 0 0
Total 5 6 6 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 1
CAFA
  Afghanistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Iran 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2*
  Kyrgyzstan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0* 0* 2 1* 1* 2 2 2 1* 0
  Tajikistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1* 1* 1* 1* 2 2 2 2 1* 2
  Turkmenistan 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1* 1* 1* 2 1* 2 2 2 2* 1*
  Uzbekistan 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1
Total 2 2 2 2 0 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 7 7 7 4 6
WAFF
  Bahrain 0 0 1 1 2 2 1 0 0 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1* 1*
  Iraq 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 1
  Jordan 0 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 1 2
  Kuwait 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 0 0 0 2 2 1 2 2 1*
  Lebanon 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0
  Oman 1 0 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1* 2 2 2 1* 1* 0 2 1* 0
  Palestine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 1* 2 0* 0* 1 1 2 2 1* 0
  Qatar 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
  Saudi Arabia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
  Syria 2 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 2 1* 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2* 0
  United Arab Emirates 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2*
  Yemen 1 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0* 0* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 6 4 6 10 10 17 16 17 16 14 14 14 14 12 12 12 12 11 12 12 9
Total
Finals 18 18 20 24 20 32 31 32 32 32 32 32 32 34 36 36 39 37 37 36 32
Qualifying 18 18 20 24 20 32 31 32 33 33 34 41 40 50 44 43 48 43 43 49 36

Prize money

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The prize money for the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two is as follows:[6]

Round Teams Amount
Per team Total
Final (Champions) 1 $2.5m $2,500,000
Final (Runners-up) 1 $1m $1,000,000
Semi-finals 4 $240k $960,000
Quarter-finals 8 $160k $1,280,000
Round of 16 16 $80k $1,280,000
Group stage 32 $300k $9,600,000
Total 32 $16,620,000

Marketing

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Sponsorship

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The tournament has been sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to the single main sponsor typically found in national top-flight leagues.

Official Global Partners

Official Global Supporters

Records and statistics

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Results

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List of AFC Cup and AFC Champions League Two finals
Season Nation Winners Score Runners-up Nation Venue Attendance
AFC Cup era (2004–2024)
Two-legged format
2004   Syria Al-Jaish 3–2 Al-Wahda   Syria Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria
0–1 Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria
Aggregate 3–3, Al-Jaish won on away goals.
2005   Jordan Al-Faisaly 1–0 Nejmeh   Lebanon Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan
3–2 Rafic Hariri Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon
Al-Faisaly won 4–2 on aggregate.
2006   Jordan Al-Faisaly 3–0 Al-Muharraq   Bahrain Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan 7,000
2–4 Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain 3,000
Al-Faisaly won 5–4 on aggregate.
2007   Jordan Shabab Al-Ordon 1–0 Al-Faisaly   Jordan Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan 5,500
1–1 Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan 7,500
Shabab Al-Ordon won 2–1 on aggregate.
2008   Bahrain Al-Muharraq 5–1 Safa   Lebanon Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain 6,000
5–4 Sports City Stadium, Beirut, Lebanon 2,000
Al-Muharraq won 10–5 on aggregate.
Single match format
2009   Kuwait Al-Kuwait 2–1 Al-Karamah   Syria Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait 17,400
2010   Syria Al-Ittihad 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)
Al-Qadsia   Kuwait Jaber International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait 58,604
2011   Uzbekistan Nasaf 2–1 Al-Kuwait   Kuwait Markaziy Stadium, Qarshi, Uzbekistan 15,753
2012   Kuwait Al-Kuwait 4–0 Erbil   Iraq Franso Hariri Stadium, Erbil, Iraq 30,000
2013   Kuwait Al-Kuwait 2–0 Al-Qadsia   Kuwait Al-Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait 10,000
2014   Kuwait Al-Qadsia 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)
Erbil   Iraq Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, UAE 5,240
2015   Malaysia Johor Darul Ta'zim 1–0 Istiklol   Tajikistan Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe, Tajikistan 18,000
2016   Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1–0 Bengaluru   India Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar 5,806
2017   Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1–0 Istiklol   Tajikistan Hisor Central Stadium, Hisor, Tajikistan 20,000
2018   Iraq Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2–0 Altyn Asyr   Turkmenistan Basra International Stadium, Basra, Iraq 24,665
2019   Lebanon Al-Ahed 1–0 April 25   North Korea Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 500
2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.[13]
2021   Bahrain Al-Muharraq 3–0 Nasaf   Uzbekistan Al-Muharraq Stadium, Arad, Bahrain 9,060
2022   Oman Al-Seeb 3–0 Kuala Lumpur City   Malaysia Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 27,722
2023–24   Australia Central Coast Mariners 1–0 Al-Ahed   Lebanon Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman 1,930
AFC Champions League Two era (2024–present)
2024–25 v

Performance by clubs

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Performances in the AFC Cup and AFC Champions League Two by club
Club
Winners Runners-up Years won Years runners-up
  Al-Kuwait 3 1 2009, 2012, 2013 2011
  Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 3 0 2016, 2017, 2018
  Al-Faisaly 2 1 2005, 2006 2007
  Al-Muharraq 2 1 2008, 2021 2006
  Al-Qadsia 1 2 2014 2010, 2013
  Nasaf Qarshi 1 1 2011 2021
  Al-Ahed 1 1 2019 2023–24
  Al-Jaish 1 0 2004
  Shabab Al-Ordon 1 0 2007
  Al-Ittihad 1 0 2010
  Johor Darul Ta'zim 1 0 2015
  Al-Seeb 1 0 2022
  Central Coast Mariners 1 0 2023–24
  Erbil 0 2 2012, 2014
  Istiklol 0 2 2015, 2017
  Al-Wahda 0 1 2004
  Nejmeh 0 1 2005
  Safa 0 1 2008
  Al-Karamah 0 1 2009
  Bengaluru 0 1 2016
  Altyn Asyr 0 1 2018
  April 25 0 1 2019
  Kuala Lumpur City 0 1 2022

Performance by nations

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Nation Titles Runners-up Total
  Kuwait 4 3 7
  Iraq 3 2 5
  Jordan 3 1 4
  Syria 2 2 4
  Bahrain 2 1 3
  Lebanon 1 3 4
  Uzbekistan 1 1 2
  Malaysia 1 1 2
  Oman 1 0 1
  Australia 1 0 1
  Tajikistan 0 2 2
  India 0 1 1
  Turkmenistan 0 1 1
  North Korea 0 1 1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "History beckons for AFC Cup 2023/24 contenders as final edition of popular competition kicks off". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  2. ^ "AFC Competitions Committee recommends strategic reforms to elevate Asian club football". theAFC.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  3. ^ "AFC Executive Committee approves biggest prize purse in Asian club football history from 2024/25; announces AFC Women's Champions League". AFC. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  4. ^ "AFC Club Competitions 2024/25 Slot Allocation" (PDF). Football Association of Singapore. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Pivotal reforms approved by AFC Competitions Committee". the-AFC. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
  6. ^ The AFC Hub (2024-06-19). AFC Champions League Two™ 2024/25. Retrieved 2024-06-20 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "AFC and NEOM announce global multi-year partnership extension". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  8. ^ Long, Michael (18 December 2023). "AFC lands six-year Qatar Airways sponsorship deal". SportsPro. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  9. ^ "AFC and Qatar Airways announce global partnership". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 16 December 2023. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  10. ^ "AFC and KONAMI sign new sponsorship and licensing deal". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 25 January 2021. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  11. ^ "AFC appoints world-leading ball manufacturer Molten as official match ball supplier". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 5 May 2018. Archived from the original on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  12. ^ "TECNO becomes Official Global Supporter of AFC Club Competitions". the-AFC. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  13. ^ "AFC Executive Committee announces updates to 2020 competitions calendar". AFC. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  14. ^ "AFC Cup: Marañón leads all-time top scorers". the-afc.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
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