The 2020 AFC Cup group stage was played from 10 February to 11 March 2020,[1] before the remaining matches were initially suspended, and eventually cancelled by the AFC on 10 September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Under the original competition format, a total of 36 teams would compete in the group stage to decide the 11 places in the knockout stage of the 2020 AFC Cup.[3]
Draw edit
The draw for the group stage was held on 10 December 2019, 14:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[4] 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.
The mechanism of the draw was as follows:[5]
- For the West Asia Zone, a draw was held for the five associations with two direct entrants (Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon) to determine the order of associations occupying the following group positions (higher-seeded team of each association allocated to first position, lower-seeded team of each association allocated to second position): A1 and B2, B1 and C2, C1 and A2, A3 and B4, B3 and C4. The direct entrant from Oman and the play-off winners were allocated to positions C3 and A4 respectively.
- For the ASEAN Zone, a draw was held for the three associations with two direct entrants (Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore) to determine the order of associations occupying the following group positions (higher-seeded team of each association allocated to first position, lower-seeded team of each association allocated to second position): F1 and G2, G1 and H2, H1 and F2; another draw was held for the three associations with one direct entrant (Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos) to determine the order of associations occupying the following group positions (direct entrant of each association allocated to first position, play-off winners which the play-off team of each association may advance from allocated to second position): F3 and G4, G3 and H4, H3 and F4.
- For the Central Asia Zone, the South Asia Zone, and the East Asia Zone, no draw was held. The direct entrants were allocated to group positions 1, 2 and 3 according to their association ranking (Central Asia Zone: Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan; South Asia Zone: India, Maldives, Bangladesh; East Asia Zone: Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Macau), and the play-off winners were allocated to group positions 4.
The following 36 teams entered into the group stage draw, which included the 29 direct entrants and the seven winners of the play-off round of the qualifying play-offs, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw.
| Zone | Groups | Teams | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Asia Zone | A–C |  Al-Jaish
|
Al-Wathba
|
 Al-Riffa
|
Manama
|
 Al-Faisaly
|
Al-Jazeera
|
 Al-Ahed
|
Al-Ansar
| ||
 Al-Kuwait
|
Al-Qadsia
|
 Dhofar
|
 Hilal Al-Quds (Winners of Play-off West Asia)
| ||
| Central Asia Zone | D |  Istiklol
|
 Altyn Asyr
|
 Dordoi
|
Khujand (Winners of Play-off Central Asia)
|
| South Asia Zone | E |  Chennai City
|
 TC Sports
|
 Bashundhara Kings
|
Maziya (Winners of Play-off South Asia)
|
| ASEAN Zone | F–H |  Hồ Chí Minh City
|
Than Quảng Ninh
|
 Bali United
|
PSM Makassar (Winners of Play-off ASEAN 1)
|
 Ceres–Negros
|
Kaya–Iloilo
|
 Shan United
|
Yangon United (Winners of Play-off ASEAN 2)
| ||
 Tampines Rovers
|
Hougang United
|
 Lao Toyota
|
 Svay Rieng (Winners of Play-off ASEAN 3)
| ||
| East Asia Zone | I |  Tai Po[note 1]
|
 Tatung
|
 MUST CPK
|
TBD (Winners of Play-off East Asia) |
- Standby teams[note 2]
Al-Wehdat (for Al-Faisaly)
Al-Salmiya (for Al-Kuwait)
Al-Muharraq (for Al-Riffa)
Regar-TadAZ (for Istiklol)
FC Goa (for Chennai City)
Geylang International (for Tampines Rovers)
Persebaya Surabaya (for Bali United)[note 3]
Ayeyawady United (for Shan United)
Format edit
In the group stage, each group was played on a double round-robin basis, with matches played home-and-away before the suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but to be moved to centralised venues after restart which was eventually cancelled. The following teams would have advanced to the knockout stage:
- The winners of each group and the best runners-up in the West Asia Zone and the ASEAN Zone would have 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 would have advanced to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.
Tiebreakers edit
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):[3]
- 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;(this tiebreaker was removed since the matches were played in centralised venues after restart)- If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were 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 playing each other in the last round of the group were tied;
- 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);
- Association ranking;
- Drawing of lots.
Schedule edit
The original schedule of each matchday was as follows.[8]
- Matches in the West Asia Zone were played on Mondays and Tuesdays. One or two groups were played on each day, with the following groups played on Mondays:
- Matchdays 1 and 2: Groups A and B
- Matchday 3: Groups A and C
- Matchday 4: Group B
- Matchdays 5 and 6: Group C
- Matches in the ASEAN Zone were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. One or two groups were played on each day, with the following groups played on Tuesdays:
- Matchdays 1 and 2: Groups F and G
- Matchday 3: Groups F and H
- Matchday 4: Group G
- Matchdays 5 and 6: Group H
- Matches in the Central Asia Zone, the South Asia Zone, and the East Asia Zone were played on Wednesdays. If two teams from the same association were scheduled to play at home on the same matchday, the home match of the lower-seeded team was moved to Tuesday.
| Matchday | Original dates | Original scheduled matches | |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Asia, ASEAN | Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia | ||
| Matchday 1 | 10–12 February 2020 (all 12 matches played) | 11 March 2020 (3 matches played, 3 cancelled) | Team 1 vs. Team 4, Team 3 vs. Team 2 |
| Matchday 2 | 24–26 February 2020 (11 matches played, 1 cancelled) | 15 April 2020 (all 6 matches cancelled) | Team 4 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 1 |
| Matchday 3 | 9–11 March 2020 (6 matches played, 6 cancelled) | 29 April 2020 (all 6 matches cancelled) | Team 4 vs. Team 2, Team 1 vs. Team 3 |
| Matchday 4 | 13–15 April 2020 (all 12 matches cancelled) | 13 May 2020 (all 6 matches cancelled) | Team 2 vs. Team 4, Team 3 vs. Team 1 |
| Matchday 5 | 27–29 April 2020 (all 12 matches cancelled) | 27 May 2020 (all 6 matches cancelled) | Team 4 vs. Team 1, Team 2 vs. Team 3 |
| Matchday 6 | 11–13 May 2020 (all 12 matches cancelled) | 17 June 2020 (all 6 matches cancelled) | Team 1 vs. Team 2, Team 3 vs. Team 4 |
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic edit
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia, the AFC announced on 11 February 2020 that the East Asia Zone group stage matches would be postponed to 6 May, 13 May, 20 May, 27 May, 17 June and 24 June.[9]
The following matches were postponed to a later date between late February and early March, prior to AFC's announcement to postpone all matches:[10][11]
- Group A: Hilal Al-Quds v Manama and Al-Ahed v Al-Jaish (9 March)
- Group B: Al-Wathba v Al-Ansar and Al-Faisaly v Al-Kuwait (10 March)
- Group C: Al-Qadsia v Dhofar (25 February),[12] Al-Qadsia v Al-Jazeera and Al-Riffa v Dhofar (9 March)
- Group D: Dordoi v Altyn Asyr (11 March)
The AFC announced on 12 March 2020 that all remaining West Asia Zone group stage matches would be postponed to new dates yet to be confirmed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.[13]
The AFC announced on 18 March 2020 that all matches would be postponed until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14][15] Only 32 group stage matches out of the 108 scheduled had been played by then.
On 9 July 2020, the AFC announced the new schedule for the remaining matches, with all group stage matches played at centralised venues.[16][17]
| Matchday | West Asia | Central Asia | South Asia | ASEAN | East Asia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | — | 20 October 2020 (1 match) | — | — | 20 October 2020 |
| Matchday 2 | 23 October 2020 (1 match) | 23 October 2020 | 23 October 2020 | — | 23 October 2020 |
| Matchday 3 | 26 October 2020 | 26 October 2020 | 26 October 2020 | — | 26 October 2020 |
| Matchday 4 | 29 October 2020 | 29 October 2020 | 29 October 2020 | 23 September 2020 | 29 October 2020 |
| Matchday 5 | 1 November 2020 | 1 November 2020 | 1 November 2020 | 26 September 2020 | 1 November 2020 |
| Matchday 6 | 4 November 2020 | 4 November 2020 | 4 November 2020 | 29 September 2020 | 4 November 2020 |
The AFC announced the cancellation of the remainder of the competition on 10 September 2020, due to logistics in coordinating the five zones.[2]
Centralized venues after restart edit
On 30 July 2020, AFC announced that the ASEAN Zone matches of Groups F and G would be played at the Thống Nhất Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City and Cẩm Phả Stadium, Cẩm Phả, both in Vietnam. Moreover, AFC had earlier confirmed Maldives as the host for the South Asia Zone matches of Group E, which would be played at the National Football Stadium, Malé.[18] On 5 August 2020, AFC announced that Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan had been confirmed as the hosts for the West Asia Zone matches of Groups A, B and C respectively.[19]
Groups edit
Group A edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | JAI | MAN | AHE | HQU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Jaish
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4[a] | — | 0–0 | |||
| 2 | Manama
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4[a] | — | 1–0 | |||
| 3 | Al-Ahed
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | — | 2–1 | |||
| 4 | Hilal Al-Quds
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 | 0–1 | — |
| Al-Jaish | 0–0 | Manama |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
Attendance: 120
Referee: Sivakorn Pu-udom (Thailand)
| Manama | 1–0 | Al-Ahed |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
| Hilal Al-Quds | 0–1 | Al-Jaish |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
|
Attendance: 162
Referee: Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
| Hilal Al-Quds | Cancelled | Manama |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Ahed | Cancelled | Al-Jaish |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Manama | Cancelled | Hilal Al-Quds |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Jaish | Cancelled | Al-Ahed |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Hilal Al-Quds | Cancelled | Al-Ahed |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Manama | Cancelled | Al-Jaish |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Ahed | Cancelled | Manama |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Jaish | Cancelled | Hilal Al-Quds |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
Group B edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | KWT | ANS | WAT | FAI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Kuwait
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | — | 1–0 | |||
| 2 | Al-Ansar
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | — | 4–3 | |||
| 3 | Al-Wathba
|
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0–0 | — | |||
| 4 | Al-Faisaly
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 1 | 0–0 | — |
| Al-Wathba | 0–0 | Al-Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
Attendance: 203
Referee: Sadullo Gulmurodi (Tajikistan)
| Al-Wathba | Cancelled | Al-Ansar |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Faisaly | Cancelled | Al-Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Ansar | Cancelled | Al-Wathba |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Kuwait | Cancelled | Al-Faisaly |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Wathba | Cancelled | Al-Faisaly |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Ansar | Cancelled | Al-Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Faisaly | Cancelled | Al-Ansar |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Kuwait | Cancelled | Al-Wathba |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
Group C edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | QAD | DHO | RIF | JAZ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Qadsia
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3[a] | — | ||||
| 2 | Dhofar
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3[a] | — | 1–0 | |||
| 3 | Al-Riffa
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3[a] | 1–2 | — | |||
| 4 | Al-Jazeera
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0 | 0–2 | — |
| Al-Riffa | 1–2 | Al-Qadsia |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
|
| Dhofar | 1–0 | Al-Jazeera |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Qadsia | Cancelled | Dhofar |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Qadsia | Cancelled | Al-Jazeera |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Riffa | Cancelled | Dhofar |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Jazeera | Cancelled | Al-Qadsia |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Dhofar | Cancelled | Al-Riffa |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Qadsia | Cancelled | Al-Riffa |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Jazeera | Cancelled | Dhofar |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Al-Riffa | Cancelled | Al-Jazeera |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Dhofar | Cancelled | Al-Qadsia |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
Group D edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | IST | ALT | DOR | KHU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Istiklol
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 | — | 2–0 | |||
| 2 | Altyn Asyr
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | ||||
| 3 | Dordoi
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | ||||
| 4 | Khujand
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 | — |
| Istiklol | 2–0 | Khujand |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
| Dordoi | Cancelled | Altyn Asyr |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Khujand | Cancelled | Dordoi |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Altyn Asyr | Cancelled | Istiklol |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Khujand | Cancelled | Altyn Asyr |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Istiklol | Cancelled | Dordoi |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Altyn Asyr | Cancelled | Khujand |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Dordoi | Cancelled | Istiklol |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Khujand | Cancelled | Istiklol |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Altyn Asyr | Cancelled | Dordoi |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Istiklol | Cancelled | Altyn Asyr |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Dordoi | Cancelled | Khujand |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
Group E edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | BAS | MAZ | CHE | TCS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bashundhara Kings
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 3 | — | 5–1 | |||
| 2 | Maziya
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | — | ||||
| 3 | Chennai City
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 2–2 | — | |||
| 4 | TC Sports
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 | — |
| Chennai City | 2–2 | Maziya |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
Group F edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | HCM | YAN | HOU | LTO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hồ Chí Minh City
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 7[a] | — | ||||
| 2 | Yangon United
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 7[a] | 2–2 | — | 1–0 | 3–2 | |
| 3 | Hougang United
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2–3 | — | |||
| 4 | Lao Toyota
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | — |
| Yangon United | 2–2 | Hồ Chí Minh City |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
|
| Yangon United | 3–2 | Lao Toyota |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
| Hougang United | 2–3 | Hồ Chí Minh City |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
|
| Lao Toyota | 0–2 | Hồ Chí Minh City |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
|
Group G edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | CER | TQN | SVR | BAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ceres–Negros
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 | — | 2–2 | 4–0 | 4–0 | |
| 2 | Than Quảng Ninh
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 | — | ||||
| 3 | Svay Rieng
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 3[a] | 1–4 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Bali United
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 3[a] | 4–1 | — |
| Bali United | 4–1 | Than Quảng Ninh |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
|
| Ceres–Negros | 2–2 | Than Quảng Ninh |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
|
Attendance: 5,078
Referee: Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia)
| Svay Rieng | 1–4 | Than Quảng Ninh |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
|
| Ceres–Negros | 4–0 | Bali United |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
Attendance: 1[note 15]
Referee: Sadullo Gulmurodi (Tajikistan)
Group H edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | TAM | KAY | PSM | SHA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampines Rovers
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | ||
| 2 | Kaya–Iloilo
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 5 | 0–0 | — | |||
| 3 | PSM Makassar
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | ||
| 4 | Shan United
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 | 0–2 | — |
| PSM Makassar | 1–1 | Kaya–Iloilo |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
|
Attendance: 0[note 19]
Referee: C. R. Srikrishna (India)
| Kaya–Iloilo | Cancelled | PSM Makassar |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Kaya–Iloilo | Cancelled | Shan United |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Shan United | Cancelled | PSM Makassar |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
Group I edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | KIT | TAT | CPK | I4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kitchee
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | ||||
| 2 | Tatung
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | ||||
| 3 | MUST CPK
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | ||||
| 4 |  Winners of Play-off East Asia
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Kitchee | Cancelled | Winners of Play-off East Asia |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| MUST CPK | Cancelled | Tatung |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Winners of Play-off East Asia | Cancelled | MUST CPK |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Tatung | Cancelled | Kitchee |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Winners of Play-off East Asia | Cancelled | Tatung |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Kitchee | Cancelled | MUST CPK |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Tatung | Cancelled | Winners of Play-off East Asia |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| MUST CPK | Cancelled | Kitchee |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Winners of Play-off East Asia | Cancelled | Kitchee |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Tatung | Cancelled | MUST CPK |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| Kitchee | Cancelled | Tatung |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
| MUST CPK | Cancelled | Winners of Play-off East Asia |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
Notes edit
- ^ Tai Po (Hong Kong) withdrew from the group stage after the draw (originally drawn in Group I).[6] As a result, Kitchee (Hong Kong) entered the group stage instead of the play-off round to replace Tai Po.[7]
- ^ The standby teams would replace a team from the same association which played in the AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs and advanced to the AFC Champions League group stage. There were no standby teams from Vietnam (for Hồ Chí Minh City), Philippines (for Ceres–Negros), and Hong Kong (for Tai Po).
- ^ The identity of the standby team from Indonesia was not known at the time of the group stage draw.
- ^ a b Teams from Syria are not allowed to host their home matches in their country due to security concerns.
- ^ Teams from Palestine play their home matches against teams from Lebanon and Syria on neutral venues due to the refusal of the governments of Lebanon and Syria to allow their citizens to pass through Israeli-controlled crossings into the Palestinian territories.
- ^ Due to concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tajikistan, the match between Istiklol and Khujand was played behind closed doors.[20]
- ^ Bashundhara Kings play their home matches at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, instead of their regular home stadium Sheikh Kamal Stadium, Nilphamari.
- ^ Chennai City play their home matches at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai, instead of their regular home stadium Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Coimbatore.
- ^ a b c d Due to the decision of the Vietnamese government to suspend sport activities in February in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, the group stage matches which Vietnamese teams were supposed to host on matchdays 1 and 2 would be switched with the corresponding away matches.[21][22]
- ^ Hougang United play their home matches at Jalan Besar Stadium and Jurong West Stadium, Singapore, instead of their regular home stadium Hougang Stadium, Singapore.
- ^ a b Due to the Lao New Year in mid-April, the home match of Lao Toyota against Hồ Chí Minh City would be switched with the corresponding away match.[23]
- ^ Due to concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic in Laos, the match between Lao Toyota and Hồ Chí Minh City was played behind closed doors.[23]
- ^ a b c Ceres–Negros (United City) play their home matches at Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, instead of their regular home stadium Panaad Stadium, Bacolod.
- ^ a b Svay Rieng play their home matches at Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, instead of their regular home stadium Svay Rieng Stadium, Svay Rieng.
- ^ The match between Ceres–Negros and Bali United in Manila was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.[24]
- ^ a b Tampines Rovers play their home matches at Jalan Besar Stadium and Jurong West Stadium, Singapore, instead of their regular home stadium Our Tampines Hub, Singapore.
- ^ a b PSM Makassar play their home matches at Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium, Jakarta, instead of their regular home stadium Andi Mattalata Stadium, Makassar, since the stadium did not meet AFC regulations.
- ^ Kaya–Iloilo play their home matches at Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, instead of their regular home stadium Iloilo Sports Complex, Iloilo City.
- ^ The match between PSM Makassar and Kaya–Iloilo in Jakarta was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.[25]
References edit
- ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar 2020". AFC. 6 December 2019.
- ^ a b "AFC Executive Committee announces updates to 2020 competitions calendar". AFC. 10 September 2020.
- ^ a b "2020 AFC Cup Competition Regulations" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation.
- ^ "Teams learn 2020 group stage challenge". Asian Football Confederation. 10 December 2019.
- ^ "#ACL2020 & #AFCCup2020 - Preview Show". Asian Football Confederation. 9 December 2019.
- ^ "Reigning champions withdraw from Premier League". offside.hk. 30 May 2020.
- ^ "AFC Statement on AFC Cup 2020 East Zone". Asian Football Association. 9 June 2020.
- ^ "AFC Cup 2020 Official Match Schedule". Asian Football Confederation.
- ^ "Update on AFC Cup Preliminary Stage matches". Asian Football Confederation. 11 February 2020.
- ^ "AFC calls for emergency meetings with National and Club representatives". Asian Football Confederation. 27 February 2020.
- ^ "AFC Competitions update". AFC. 9 March 2020.
- ^ "AFC Statement". Asian Football Confederation. 25 February 2020.
- ^ "AFC Cup West Zone Group Stage matches postponed". AFC. 12 March 2020.
- ^ "AFC Statement on AFC Cup 2020 matches". AFC. 18 March 2020.
- ^ "AFC extends postponement of all matches and competitions". AFC. 14 April 2020.
- ^ "AFC reiterates commitment to complete 2020 competitions with new calendar". AFC. 9 July 2020.
- ^ "AFC Cup revised schedule". AFC. 9 July 2020.
- ^ "AFC Cup ASEAN Zone Groups F and G to be played in Vietnam". AFC. 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Venues for AFC Cup West Zone matches confirmed". AFC. 5 August 2020.
- ^ "КУБОК АФК-2020: МАТЧ "ИСТИКЛОЛ" – "ХУДЖАНД" ПРОЙДЕТ БЕЗ ЗРИТЕЛЕЙ". FC Istiklol. 7 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ "CLB TP. Hồ Chí Minh vỡ kế hoạch ở AFC Cup vì virus corona" (in Vietnamese). thethao247.vn. 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Update on AFC Cup 2020 Matches". Asian Football Confederation. 6 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Trận đấu giữa Lao Toyota và CLB TP.HCM sẽ không có khán giả" (in Vietnamese). VTV. 3 March 2020.
- ^ Tupas, Cedelf (10 March 2020). "Ceres-Negros to play AFC Cup match vs Bali United in empty stadium". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ Ervan Yudhi Tri Atmoko (9 March 2020). "Laga PSM Makassar Vs Kaya FC di Piala AFC Digelar Tanpa Penonton". Kompas.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 11 March 2020.
External links edit
- AFC Cup, the-AFC.com
- AFC Cup 2020, stats.the-AFC.com