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 edit
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 | |||
| East Region |
Format edit
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 edit
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 edit
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 edit
| Preliminary round 1 | Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | ||||||||||||
 Al-Ain
| 1 | |||||||||||||
 Bunyodkor
| 0 | |||||||||||||
| Bunyodkor
| 4 | |||||||||||||
 Al-Zawraa
| 1 | |||||||||||||
Play-off West 2 edit
| Preliminary round 1 | Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | ||||||||||||
 Al-Ahli
| 1 | |||||||||||||
 Istiklol
| 0 | |||||||||||||
| Lokomotiv Tashkent
| 0 | |||||||||||||
| Istiklol
| 1 | |||||||||||||
Play-off West 3 edit
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 edit
| 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 edit
| Preliminary round 1 | Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | ||||||||||||
 FC Seoul
| 4 | |||||||||||||
 Kedah
| 1 | |||||||||||||
| Kedah
| 5 | |||||||||||||
 Tai Po
| 1 | |||||||||||||
Play-off East 2 edit
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 edit
| 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 edit
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 edit
Summary edit
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
|
West Region edit
East Region edit
| Ceres–Negros | 3–2 | Shan United |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
|
Preliminary round 2 edit
Summary edit
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
|
West Region edit
| Bunyodkor | 4–1 | Al-Zawraa |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
|
| Shahr Khodro | 2–1 | Al-Riffa |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
|
Attendance: 50
Referee: Kim Dae-yong (South Korea)
| Esteghlal | 3–0 | Al-Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Live Report Stats Report |
Attendance: 3,420
Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)
East Region edit
Play-off round edit
Summary edit
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
|
West Region edit
| Al-Ain | 1–0 | Bunyodkor |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
East Region edit
| FC Seoul | 4–1 | Kedah |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
| Shanghai SIPG | 3–0 | Buriram United |
|---|---|---|
|
Live Report Stats Report |
Notes edit
- ^ The identity of the second play-off team from Japan was not known at the time of the group stage draw.
- ^ Chennai City played their home match at The Arena, Ahmedabad, instead of their regular home stadium Nehru Stadium, Coimbatore.
- ^ 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]
- ^ a b c d 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 concerns.[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]
- ^ The match between Shanghai SIPG and Buriram United was played without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic in China.[12][13]
References edit
- ^ a b "AFC Competitions Calendar 2020". AFC. 6 December 2019.
- ^ a b "2020 AFC Champions League Competition Regulations" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation.
- ^ "AFC Champions League 2020 Official Match Schedule". AFC.
- ^ "AFC Champions League 2020 At A Glance". AFC.
- ^ "«Ал Завра»га қарши ўйин ҳақида". FC Bunyodkor. 11 January 2020.
- ^ "اطلاعیه روابط عمومی". Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Another blow to Iranian sport as AFC ban country from hosting Champions League football". Inside The Games. 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Iranian football teams stand against AFC's decision". Tehran Times. 18 January 2020.
- ^ "Iran: 'Clubs to quit AFC Champions League over home game ban'". BBC Sport. 18 January 2020.
- ^ "AFC Statement". AFC. 22 January 2020.
- ^ "AFC moves Champions League matches out of Iran". Reuters. 22 January 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Shanghai SIPG FC AFC Champions League Preliminary Round match". AFC. 26 January 2020.
External links edit
- AFC Champions League, the-AFC.com
- AFC Champions League 2020, stats.the-AFC.com