2019 AFC Cup knockout stage


The 2019 AFC Cup knockout stage was played from 17 June to 4 November 2019. A total of 11 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2019 AFC Cup.

Qualified teams

The following teams advanced from the group stage:
Key to colours
Teams which enter the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals
Teams which enter the Zonal semi-finals

ZoneGroupWinnersBest runners-up
West Asia ZoneA Al-Wehdat Al-Jaish
West Asia ZoneB Al-Jazeera Al-Jaish
West Asia ZoneC Al-Ahed Al-Jaish
Central Asia ZoneD Altyn Asyr—
South Asia ZoneE Abahani Limited Dhaka—
ASEAN ZoneF Hà Nội Becamex Bình Dương
ASEAN ZoneG Ceres–Negros Becamex Bình Dương
ASEAN ZoneH PSM Makassar Becamex Bình Dương
East Asia ZoneI April 25—

Format


In the knockout stage, the 11 teams played a single-elimination tournament. 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, extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winners if necessary.

Schedule

The schedule of each round is as follows. Matches in the West Asia Zone were played on Mondays and Tuesdays, while matches in the ASEAN Zone and the Inter-zone play-offs were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Bracket

The bracket of the knockout stage was determined as follows:
RoundMatchups
Zonal semi-finals
;West Asia Zone
  • If best runners-up from Group A
  • *WSF1: Group A winners vs. Group C winners
  • *WSF2: Group A runners-up vs. Group B winners
  • If best runners-up from Group B
  • *WSF1: Group B winners vs. Group A winners
  • *WSF2: Group B runners-up vs. Group C winners
  • If best runners-up from Group C
  • *WSF1: Group C winners vs. Group B winners
  • *WSF2: Group C runners-up vs. Group A winners
;ASEAN Zone
  • If best runners-up from Group F
  • *ASF1: Group F winners vs. Group H winners
  • *ASF2: Group F runners-up vs. Group G winners
  • If best runners-up from Group G
  • *ASF1: Group G winners vs. Group F winners
  • *ASF2: Group G runners-up vs. Group H winners
  • If best runners-up from Group H
  • *ASF1: Group H winners vs. Group G winners
  • *ASF2: Group H runners-up vs. Group F winners
Zonal finals
;West Asia Zone
  • WF: Winners of WSF1 vs. Winners of WSF2
;ASEAN Zone
  • AF: Winners of ASF1 vs. Winners of ASF2
Inter-zone play-off semi-finals
  • IZSF1
  • IZSF2
Inter-zone play-off final
  • IZF: Winners of IZSF1 vs. Winners of IZSF2
Final
  • Winners of IZF vs. Winners of WF

    • The bracket was decided after the draw for the Zonal finals and the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals, which was held on 2 July 2019, 15:00 MYT, at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    Zonal semi-finals

    Summary


    In the Zonal semi-finals, the four qualified teams from the West Asia Zone played in two ties, and the four qualified teams from the ASEAN Zone played in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs determined by the group stage draw and the identity of the best runners-up.

    West Asia Zone

    Al-Ahed won 1–0 on aggregate.
    ----
    Al-Jazeera won 4–3 on aggregate.

    ASEAN Zone

    Hà Nội won 3–2 on aggregate.
    ----
    2–2 on aggregate. Becamex Bình Dương won on away goals.

    Zonal finals

    Summary


    The draw for the Zonal finals was held on 2 July 2019. In the Zonal finals, the two winners of West Asia Zonal semi-finals play each other, and the two winners of ASEAN Zonal semi-finals play each other, with the order of legs decided by draw. The winners of the West Asia Zonal final advanced to the final, while the winners of the ASEAN Zonal final advanced to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.

    West Asia Zone

    Al-Ahed won 1–0 on aggregate.

    ASEAN Zone

    Hà Nội won 2–0 on aggregate.

    Inter-zone play-off semi-finals

    Summary


    The draw for the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals was held on 2 July 2019. In the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals, the four zonal winners other than the West Asia Zone play in two ties, i.e., the winners of the Central Asia Zone, the winners of the South Asia Zone, the winners of the East Asia Zone, and the winners of the ASEAN Zonal final, with the matchups and order of legs decided by draw, without any seeding.

    Matches

    Hà Nội won 5–4 on aggregate.
    ----
    April 25 won 5–4 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 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.

    Matches

    2–2 on aggregate. April 25 won on away goals.

    Final


    In the final, the winners of the West Asia Zonal final and the winners of the Inter-zone play-off final played each other, with the host team alternated from the previous season's final.
    The match was originally to be hosted by April 25 at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea on 2 November 2019. However, on 22 October 2019, due to North Korea's decision to ban television transmission of football games, the AFC announced that the final would be held in Shanghai, China in order for the match to be transmitted. On 25 October 2019, the match was rescheduled from 2 November to 4 November and the host city was shifted from Shanghai to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.