The path to ultimate glory in the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 will be laid out on Thursday, December 28 at 2pm when the official draw ceremony for the Knockout Stage takes place at the AFC House.
Eleven teams have progressed from the Group Stage of the 19th edition of the iconic tournament, which kicked off in September and featured 36 teams from across the Confederation’s five Zones.
The three group winners – Al Nahda of Oman, Al Kahrabaa Club of Iraq, Al Riffa of Bahrain – and best runners-up – Al Ahed FC of Lebanon – from the West Zone will proceed to the West Zonal Semi-finals, to played in a home-and-away format; the first legs are scheduled on February 12 and 13, 2024 and the second legs on February 19 and 20, 2024. The pairings are as below:
West Zonal Semi-finals
Semi-final 1: Al Riffa (BHR) v Al Nahda (OMA)
Semi-final 2: Al Ahed FC (LBN) v Al Kahrabaa Club (IRQ)
The Semi-final winners then do battle in the West Zonal Final across two legs on April 16 and 23, 2024; the host club for each leg will be determined during the Knockout Stage Draw. The victors will earn a berth in the coveted AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Final, which is set for May 5, 2024.
Meanwhile, the three group winners and best runners-up in the ASEAN Zone – Macarthur FC of Australia, Sabah FC of Malaysia, Central Coast Mariners of Australia and Phnom Penh Crown FC of Cambodia respectively – will contest the ASEAN Zonal Semi-finals, which will be played as single-leg matches on February 12 and 13, 2024. The pairings are as follow:
ASEAN Zonal Semi-finals
Semi-final 1: Macarthur FC (AUS) v Sabah FC (MAS)
Semi-final 2: Central Coast Mariners (AUS) v Phnom Penh Crown FC (CAM)
The Semi-final winners will face each other in the single-leg ASEAN Zonal Final on February 22, 2024; the host club will be determined during the Knockout Stage Draw.
The winners of the ASEAN Zonal Final will join the winners of Groups D, E and I, namely Odisha FC of India, FK Abdysh-Ata of the Kyrgyz Republic and Chinese Taipei’s Taichung Futuro FC to contest the two-legged home-and-away Inter-zone Semi-finals.
The Inter-zonal Semi-final pairings will be determined during the Knockout Stage draw using an open-draw principle i.e. there will be no seeding nor country protection applied to the Pot. The lineup is as follows:
Inter-zone Play-off Pot: Odisha FC (IND), FK Abdysh-Ata (KGZ), ASEAN Zone Champion, Taichung Futuro FC (TPE)
The winners of the Inter-zonal Semi-finals will do battle in the two-legged Inter-zone Final on April 17 and 24, 2024 to earn the right to face the winner of the West Zonal Final in the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Final.
Passionate fans of Asian football can watch the draw ceremony of the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Knockout Stage on Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 2pm here
