AFC Cup

The AFC Cup is an annual Asian club competition, with the participants predominately being clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualification to the AFC Champions League. A total of 36 teams make the competition proper, excluding the qualifying play-offs, with the participants being split into nine groups of four. This competition follows a double round-robin format for the group stage and the typical two-leg format for the remainder of the competition up until the AFC Cup final, which is a one-off tie.