2023–24 AFC Cup knockout stage
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The 2023–24 AFC Cup knockout stage was played from 12 February to 5 May 2024.[1] A total of 11 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2023–24 AFC Cup.[2]
Qualified teams
The following teams advanced from the group stage:
- The winners of the groups and the best runners-up in the West Asia Zone (Groups A–C) and the ASEAN Zone (Groups F–H) advanced to the Zonal semi-finals.
- The winners of each group in the South Asia Zone (Group D), the Central Asia Zone (Group E), and the East Asia Zone (Group I) advanced to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.
| Key to colours |
|---|
| Teams which entered the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals |
| Teams which entered the Zonal semi-finals |
| Zone | Group | Winners | Best runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Asia Zone | A |  Al-Nahda |
 Al Ahed |
| B |  Al-Kahrabaa |
— | |
| C |  Al-Riffa |
— | |
| South Asia Zone | D |  Odisha |
— |
| Central Asia Zone | E |  Abdysh-Ata Kant |
— |
| ASEAN Zone | F |  Macarthur FC |
 Phnom Penh Crown |
| G | Central Coast Mariners |
— | |
| H |  Sabah |
— | |
| East Asia Zone | I |  Taichung Futuro |
— |
Format
In the knockout stage, the 11 teams will play a single-elimination tournament. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, except the ASEAN Zone's semi-finals, ASEAN Zone's final and the final which will be played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out will be used to decide the winners if necessary (note that the away goals rule is abolished). (Regulations Article 11.3).
The draw for the Zonal finals and the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals was held on 28 December 2023, 14:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| Round | Matchups | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Zonal semi-finals |
| ||
| Zonal finals | (Order of legs decided by draw)
| ||
| Inter-zone play-off semi-finals | (Matchups and order of legs decided by draw, involving winners of Group D, Group E, Group I, and AF)
| ||
| Inter-zone play-off final | (Winners of IZSF1 host first leg, Winners of IZSF2 host second leg)
| ||
| Final | (Winners of West Zone host match, as alternated from previous season's final)
|
Schedule
After the draw, the schedule of each round is as follows.[1]
| Stage | Round | Leg | West Asia | South Asia | Central Asia | ASEAN | East Asia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knockout stage | Zonal semi-finals | First leg | 12–13 February 2024 | Not played | Not played | 13 February 2024 | Not played |
| Second leg | 19–20 February 2024 | ||||||
| Zonal finals | First leg | 16 April 2024 | Not played | Not played | 22 February 2024 | Not played | |
| Second leg | 23 April 2024 | ||||||
| Inter-zone play-off semi-finals | First leg | Not played | 6–7 March 2024 | ||||
| Second leg | 13–14 March 2024 | ||||||
| Inter-zone play-off final | First leg | Not played | 17 April 2024 | ||||
| Second leg | 24 April 2024 | ||||||
| Final | 5 May 2024 | ||||||
Bracket
| Zonal semi-finals | Zonal finals | Inter-zone play-off semi-finals | Inter-zone play-off finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Macarthur FC | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sabah | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Macarthur FC | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ASEAN Zone | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Coast Mariners (a.e.t.) | 3 | Central Coast Mariners | 4 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Coast Mariners | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Odisha | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Phnom Penh Crown | 0 | Central Coast Mariners | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abdysh-Ata Kant | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abdysh-Ata Kant | 5 | 3 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 May – Muscat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taichung Futuro | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Coast Mariners | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al Ahed | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Riffa | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Nahda | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Nahda | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Asia Zone | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al Ahed | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al Ahed (p) | 0 | 1 | 1 (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Kahrabaa | 1 | 0 | 1 (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Zonal semi-finals
Summary
In the Zonal semi-finals, the four qualified teams from the West Asia Zone (Groups A–C) play in two ties, and the four qualified teams from the ASEAN Zone (Groups F–H) play in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs determined by the group stage draw and the identity of the best runners-up.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Macarthur FC |
3–0 | Sabah |
| Central Coast Mariners |
4–0 | Phnom Penh Crown |
West Asia Zone
Al-Nahda won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Al Ahed | 0–1 | Al-Kahrabaa |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Midani  20' |
1–1 on aggregate. Al Ahed won on penalties.
ASEAN Zone
Zonal finals
Summary
Draw for the Zonal finals was held on 28 December. In the Zonal finals, the two winners of West Asia Zonal semi-finals play each other, with the order of legs decided by draw. The two winners of ASEAN Zonal semi-finals play each other, with the host decided by draw. The winners of the West Asia Zonal final advances to the final, while the winners of the ASEAN Zonal final advance to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Macarthur FC |
2–3 (a.e.t.) | Central Coast Mariners |
West Asia Zone
Al Ahed won 3–2 on aggregate.
ASEAN Zone
Inter-zone play-off semi-finals
Summary
Draw for the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals was held on 28 December. In the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals, the four zonal winners other than the West Asia Zone play in two ties (the winners of the South Asia Zone (Group D), the winners of the Central Asia Zone (Group E), the winners of the East Asia Zone (Group I), and the winners of the ASEAN Zonal final. The matchups and order of legs will be decided by draw.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdysh-Ata Kant |
8–1 |  Taichung Futuro |
5–0 | 3–1 |
| Central Coast Mariners |
4–0 | Odisha |
4–0 | 0–0 |
Matches
| Abdysh-Ata Kant | 5–0 | Taichung Futuro |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Taichung Futuro | 1–3 | Abdysh-Ata Kant |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Abdysh-Ata Kant won 8–1 on aggregate.
Central Coast Mariners won 4–0 on aggregate.
Inter-zone play-off final
Summary
In the Inter-zone play-off final, the two winners of the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals will play each other, with the order of legs determined by the Inter-zone play-off semi-final draw. The winners of the Inter-zone play-off final advance to the final.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdysh-Ata Kant |
1–4 | Central Coast Mariners |
1–1 | 0–3 |
Matches
| Abdysh-Ata Kant | 1–1 | Central Coast Mariners |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Central Coast Mariners won 4–1 on aggregate.
Final
In the final, the winners of the West Asia Zonal final and the winners of the Inter-zone play-off final will play each other, with the host team (winners of the West Zone) alternated from the previous season's final.
| Al-Ahed | 0–1 | Central Coast Mariners |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Notes
- Al Ahed played their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Israeli invasion of Lebanon.[3][4]
- Al Ahed played their home matche at a neutral venue (Iraq) due to the ongoing Israeli invasion of Lebanon.[3][5]
- Al Ahed played their home matches at a neutral venue due to the ongoing Israeli invasion of Lebanon.[3][6]