The AFC Competitions Committee recommended a new format for the AFC Cup starting from 2017 which is played in the AFC's five zones: West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, ASEAN, and East Asia, with the winner of the West Asia Zone and the winner of an inter-zone play-off among the other four zones playing in the final, hosted on a rotational basis at venues in the East and West. The 46 AFC member associations (excluding the associate member Northern Mariana Islands) are ranked based on their national team's and clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions, with the allocation of slots for the 2017 and 2018 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2016 AFC rankings (Entry Manual Article 2.2):
All associations which do not receive direct slots in the AFC Champions League group stage are eligible to enter the AFC Cup.
In each zone, the number of groups in the group stage is determined based on the number of entries, with the number of slots filled through play-offs same as the number of groups: In the West Asia Zone and the ASEAN Zone, there are three groups in the group stage, including a total of 9 direct slots, with the 3 remaining slots filled through play-offs. In the Central Asia Zone, the South Asia Zone, and the East Asia Zone, there is one group in the group stage, including a total of 3 direct slots, with the 1 remaining slot filled through play-offs.
The top associations participating in the AFC Cup in each zone as per the AFC rankings get at least one direct slot in the group stage (including losers of the AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs), while the remaining associations get only play-off slots: For the West Asia Zone and the ASEAN zone: The associations ranked 1st to 3rd each get two direct slots. The associations ranked 4th to 6th each get one direct slot and one play-off slot. The associations ranked 7th or below each get one play-off slot. For the Central Asia Zone, the South Asia Zone, and the East Asia zone: The associations ranked 1st to 3rd each get one direct slot and one play-off slot. The associations ranked 4th or below each get one play-off slot.
The maximum number of slots for each association is one-third of the total number of eligible teams in the top division.
If any association gives up its direct slots, they are redistributed to the highest eligible association, with each association limited to a maximum of two direct slots.
If any association gives up its play-off slots, they are annulled and not redistributed to any other association.
If the number of teams in the play-offs in any zone is fewer than twice the number of group stage slots filled through play-offs, the play-off teams of the highest eligible associations are given byes to the group stage.
For the 2017 AFC Cup, the associations were allocated slots according to their association ranking published on 30 November 2016, which takes into account their performance in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, as well as their national team's FIFA World Rankings, during the period between 2013 and 2016.
The slot allocation was announced on 7 December 2016. The final slot allocation, after unused slots were redistributed, was announced on 12 December 2016.
Participation for 2017 AFC Cup
Participating in the competition proper only (qualifying play-offs and/or group stage)
Participating in both the qualifying round and the competition proper
Participating in the qualifying round, but not in the competition proper
The following 47 teams from 27 associations entered the competition proper. Only 43 teams from 25 associations competed after the withdrawal of four teams.
Location of teams of the 2017 AFC Cup competition proper. West Asia Zone Central Asia Zone South Asia Zone ASEAN Zone East Asia Zone (p) Qualifying play-off participants Withdrawn teams
Schedule
The schedule of the competition was as follows (W: West Asia Zone; C: Central Asia Zone; S: South Asia Zone; A: ASEAN Zone; E: East Asia Zone). Starting from 2017, matches in the West Asia Zone were played on Mondays and Tuesdays instead of Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Stage
Round
Draw date
First leg
Second leg
Qualifying stage
Qualifying round
17 June 2016
19–25 August 2016
Preliminary stage
Preliminary round
No draw
31 January 2017 (C, S)
7 February 2017 (C, S)
Play-off stage
Play-off round
30–31 January 2017 (W, A), 21 February 2017 (C, S)
6–7 February 2017 (W, A), 28 February 2017 (C, S)
Group stage
Matchday 1
13 December 2016
20–22 February 2017 (W, A), 14 March 2017 (C, S, E)
Matchday 2
6–8 March 2017 (W, A), 4 April 2017 (C, S, E)
Matchday 3
13–15 March 2017 (W, A), 18–19 April 2017 (C, S, E)
Matchday 4
3–5 April 2017 (W, A), 3 May 2017 (C, S, E)
Matchday 5
17–19 April 2017 (W, A), 17 May 2017 (C, S, E)
Matchday 6
1–3 May 2017 (W, A), 31 May 2017 (C, S, E)
Knockout stage
Zonal semi-finals
16–17, 22 May 2017 (W, A)
29–31 May 2017 (W, A)
Zonal finals
6 June 2017
2 August 2017 (A), 12 September 2017 (W)
9 August 2017 (A), 26 September 2017 (W)
Inter-zone play-off semi-finals
22–23 August 2017
12–13 September 2017
Inter-zone play-off final
27 September 2017
18 October 2017
Final
4 November 2017
Qualifying round
The following nine teams from nine associations entered the qualifying round. Teams were not split into zones for the qualifying round.
In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count all those since the 2004 season (including both competition proper and qualifying rounds).
The draw for the qualifying round was held on 17 June 2016, 11:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The nine teams were drawn into three groups of three. In the qualifying round, each group was played on a single round-robin basis at the pre-selected hosts. The winners of each group advanced to the qualifying play-offs.
In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals would not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 9.3). The five winners of the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 29 direct entrants. The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each zone was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the second leg. Teams from the same association in the ASEAN Zone could not be placed into the same play-off.
The draw for the group stage was held on 13 December 2016, 14:30 MYT (UTC+8), at the Hilton Petaling Jaya in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. 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.
Due to the withdrawal of teams in the ASEAN Zone and the East Asia Zone after the draw, only 34 teams competed in the group stage, with Groups H and I having only three teams. In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The following teams advanced to the knockout stage:
The winners of each group and the best runners-up in the West Asia Zone and the ASEAN Zone 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 advanced to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.
Tiebreakers
The teams were ranked according topoints(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):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; If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are 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 are tied and they met in the last round of the group; 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); Team from the higher-ranked association.
In the knockout stage, the 11 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split into the five zones until the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, except the final which was played as a single match. The away goals rule (for two-legged ties), extra time (away goals would not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 11.3).
Bracket
The bracket was decided after the draw for the knockout stage, which was held on 6 June 2017, 15:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In the Zonal semi-finals, the four qualified teams from the West Asia Zone (Groups A–C) played in two ties, and the four qualified teams from the ASEAN Zone (Groups F–H) played in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs determined by the group stage draw and identity of the best runner-up.
The draw for the Zonal finals was held on 6 June 2017. In the Zonal finals, the two winners of West Asia Zonal semi-finals played each other, and the two winners of ASEAN Zonal semi-finals played each other, with the order of legs decided by draw. The winner of the West Asia Zonal final advanced to the final, while the winner of the ASEAN Zonal final advanced to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.
The draw for the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals was held on 6 June 2017. In the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals, the four zonal winners other than the West Asia Zone played in two ties, i.e., the winner of the Central Asia Zone (Group D), the winner of the South Asia Zone (Group E), the winner of the East Asia Zone (Group I), and the winner of the ASEAN Zonal final (whose identity was not known at the time of the draw), with the matchups and order of legs decided by draw, without any seeding.
In the Inter-zone play-off final, the two winners of the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals played each other, with the order of legs determined by the Inter-zone play-off semi-final draw. The winner of the Inter-zone play-off final advanced to the final.
The draw for the final was held on 6 June 2017. In the final, the winner of the West Asia Zonal final and the winner of the Inter-zone play-off final played each other, with the host team decided by draw.
