AFC Challenge League
Annual third tier Asian club football competition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The AFC Challenge League (abbreviated as ACGL) is an annual third-tier continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. The competition is played among clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying slots to the top-tier AFC Champions League Elite or the second-tier AFC Champions League Two, based on the AFC club competitions ranking.
2024 (relaunched as AFC Challenge League)
29 (total)
| |
| Organiser(s) | AFC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 (as AFC President's Cup) 2024 (relaunched as AFC Challenge League) |
| Region | Asia |
| Teams | 20 (group stage) 29 (total) |
| Qualifier for | AFC Champions League Two |
| Related competitions | AFC Champions League Elite (1st tier) AFC Champions League Two (2nd tier) |
| Current champions |  Arkadag (1st title) |
| Most championships |  Regar TadAZ(3 titles) |
| Website | www.the-afc.com |
 2025–26 AFC Challenge League | |
The 2024–25 season marked its inaugural edition in the new format. The winner of the AFC Challenge League gets a direct spot in the group stage of the next season's AFC Champions League Two, if they have not already qualified through domestic performance.
History
| Season | Winners |
|---|---|
| AFC President's Cup | |
| 2005 | Regar TadAZ |
| 2006 |  Dordoi-Dynamo |
| 2007 | Dordoi-Dynamo (2) |
| 2008 | Regar TadAZ (2) |
| 2009 | Regar TadAZ (3) |
| 2010 |  Yadanarbon |
| 2011 |  Taipower |
| 2012 | Istiklol |
| 2013 | Balkan |
| 2014 | HTTU Aşgabat |
| AFC Challenge League | |
| 2024–25 | Arkadag |
The AFC President's Cup was founded in 2005 as a third tier competition so that clubs from lower-ranked AFC member nations could participate in continental competition.[1]
On 25 November 2013, the AFC Competitions Committee proposed the year of 2014 to be the last edition of the President's Cup.[2] Starting from 2015, league champions of emerging countries were eligible to participate in the AFC Cup qualifying play-offs.[1]
The last edition in 2014 saw HTTU Aşgabat defeat North Korean side Rimyongsu 2–1, becoming the second consecutive team from Turkmenistan to win the competition.
On 23 December 2022, it was announced that the AFC competition structure would change from the established formats from the 2024–25 season. A new third-tier tournament called the AFC Challenge League would be introduced.[3][4][5]
On 24 May 2024, AFC announced that the records and statistics from the 2005-2014 AFC President's Cup were recognised as those of the predecessor competition, and were integrated with the data of the AFC Challenge League.[6]
Format
Qualification to the competition initially was for clubs from AFC-affiliated countries which fall into the AFC's emerging nations category as laid out in their Vision Asia document.
Between 8 and 12 clubs participated in each edition of the competition. From 2005 to 2007, 8 clubs were placed in the two groups of 4. The winners and runners up would advance to the semi-final stage. All the matches were held in a single host country.
From 2008 to 2010, the tournament was increased to 11 clubs. A qualification round was created and clubs were split into three groups. Each group was played in a different country. The three group winners and the best ranked runner up qualified for the final stage.
From 2011 to 2014, the tournament was increased to 12 clubs. In the qualification round, there were three groups of 4 clubs. The group winners and runners up qualified for the final stage. These 6 clubs were broken into two groups of 3. The top clubs of each group qualified for the final.[7]
In November 2013 the AFC announced that the 2014 AFC President's Cup would be the last edition of the tournament.[8] Starting from 2015, league champions of "emerging countries" are eligible to participate in the AFC Cup qualifying play-off.[9] The qualifying round for the 2016 AFC Cup, with similar format to the AFC President's Cup (without final stage), was held in August 2015, which qualified two clubs to the AFC Cup play-offs.[10]
After the rebrand in 2024, the new format comprised 18 participating clubs divided into four groups for the inaugural season. The clubs compete in single-leg centralized format, with the top eight qualifying for the quarter-finals. The quarter and semi-finals are played over two legs, before the coveted final is staged over a single-leg contest.[11][12]
Allocation
The allocation of group stage teams by member country is listed below; asterisks represent occasions where at least one team was eliminated in the qualifying rounds. Countries that have not been represented in the group stage are not listed below.
| Associations | Spots | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2024–25 | 2025–26 | |
| East Asia | ||||||||||||
 Cambodia |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Chinese Taipei |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1* |
 Indonesia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Laos |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Mongolia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1* |
 Myanmar |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1* |
 North Korea |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
 Philippines |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| West Asia | ||||||||||||
 Bahrain |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
 Bangladesh |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1* |
 Bhutan |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
 India |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kyrgyzstan |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 Kuwait |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 Lebanon |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 Maldives |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
 Nepal |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
 Oman |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 Pakistan |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
 Palestine |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
 Sri Lanka |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tajikistan |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Turkmenistan |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
 Syria |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 12 |
| Total | ||||||||||||
| Finals | 8 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 20 |
| Qualifying | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 18 |
Prize money
Starting with the 2024–25 season, the distribution of the prize money is as follows:[13]
| Round | Teams | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per team | Total | ||
| Final (Champions) | 1 | $1 million | |
| Final (Runners-up) | 1 | $500,000 | |
| Semi-finals | 4 | $120,000 | $480,000 |
| Quarter-finals | 8 | $80,000 | $640,000 |
| Group stage | 18 | $100,000 | $1,800,000 |
| Total | 18 | $4,420,000 | |
Records and statistics
List of finals
- The "Season" column refers to the season during which the competition was held, and links to the article about that season.
Performance by club
| Club | Title(s) | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regar-TadAZ |
3 | 0 | 2005, 2008, 2009 | — |
| Dordoi Bishkek |
2 | 4 | 2006, 2007 | 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 |
| Yadanarbon |
1 | 0 | 2010 | — |
| Taiwan Power Company |
1 | 0 | 2011 | — |
| Istiklol |
1 | 0 | 2012 | — |
| Nebitçi |
1 | 0 | 2013 | — |
| Ýedigen |
1 | 0 | 2014 | — |
| Arkadag |
1 | 0 | 2024–25 | — |
| Khatlon |
0 | 1 | — | 2006 |
| Nepal Police |
0 | 1 | — | 2007 |
| Phnom Penh Crown |
0 | 1 | — | 2011 |
| Markaz Shabab Al-Am'ari |
0 | 1 | — | 2012 |
| KRL |
0 | 1 | — | 2013 |
| Rimyongsu |
0 | 1 | — | 2014 |
| Svay Rieng |
0 | 1 | — | 2024–25 |
Performance by nation
| Nation | Winners | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tajikistan |
4 | 1 | 5 |
| Turkmenistan |
3 | 0 | 3 |
| Kyrgyzstan |
2 | 4 | 6 |
| Chinese Taipei |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Myanmar |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cambodia |
0 | 2 | 2 |
| Nepal |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| North Korea |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pakistan |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Palestine |
0 | 1 | 1 |
Performance by coach
| Coach | Club | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Makhmadjon Khabibulloev | Regar TadAZ | 2005, 2008, 2009 |
| Boris Podkorytov | Dordoi-Dinamo | 2006, 2007 |
| U Zaw Lay Aung | Yadanarbon | 2010 |
 Nikola Kavazović | Istiklol | 2012 |
| Chen Kuei-jen | Taiwan Power Company | 2011 |
| Rahym Kurbanmämmedow | Balkan | 2013 |
| Begench Garayev | HTTU Aşgabat | 2014 |
| Akhmet Allaberdiyev | Arkadag | 2024–25 |
Awards
Top scorers
| Season | Player(s) | Club(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Dudley Steinwall |
Blue Star SC |
4 |
| Hok Sochetra |
Hello United | ||
| Khurshed Mahmudov |
Regar-TadAZ | ||
| Dzhomikhon Mukhidinov |
Regar-TadAZ | ||
| 2006 | Chuang Yao-tsung |
Tatung |
5 |
| Roman Kornilov |
Dordoi-Dynamo | ||
| 2007 | Channa Ediri Bandanage |
Ratnam Sports Club |
6 |
| 2008 | Thi Ha Kyaw |
Kanbawza |
6 |
| 2009 | Soe Min Oo |
Kanbawza |
6 |
| 2010 | Rustam Usmonov |
Vakhsh Qurghonteppa |
5 |
| 2011 | Ho Ming-tsan |
Taipower |
6 |
| 2012 | Mirlan Murzayev |
Dordoi Bishkek |
8 |
| 2013 | Mirlan Murzayev |
Dordoi Bishkek |
9 |
| 2014 | Suleyman Muhadow |
HTTU Aşgabat |
11 |
| 2024–25 | Altymyrat Annadurdyýew |
Arkadag |
5 |
Best player
| Season | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | N/A | N/A |
| 2006 | N/A | N/A |
| 2007 | Valery Kashuba |
Dordoi-Dynamo |
| 2008 | N/A | N/A |
| 2009 | Khurshed Mahmudov |
Regar-TadAZ |
| 2010 | Mirlan Murzayev |
Dordoi-Dynamo |
| 2011 | Chen Po-liang |
Taipower |
| 2012 | Alisher Tuychiev |
Istiklol |
| 2013 | Amir Gurbani |
Balkan |
| 2014 | Suleyman Muhadow |
HTTU Asgabat |
| 2024–25 | Şanazar Tirkişow |
Arkadag |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mirlan Murzaev |
Dordoi Bishkek | 19 |
| 2 | David Tetteh |
Dordoi Bishkek | 12 |
| 3 | Khurshed Makhmudov |
Regar-TadAZ | 11 |
| Suleyman Muhadow |
HTTU | ||
| 5 | Amir Gurbani |
Aşgabat Balkan |
10 |
| Channa Ediri Bandanage |
Ratnam | ||
| Ibrahim Rabimov |
Regar-TadAZ Istiklol | ||
| 8 | Kaleemullah Khan |
KRL | 9 |
| 9 | Arslanmyrat Amanow |
Aşgabat HTTU |
8 |
| Yan Paing |
Yadanarbon | ||
| Ju Manu Rai |
Nepal Police |