# Central Coast Mariners FC in Asian football

Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. The first Asian football match played by the Mariners was against Pohang Steelers on 11 March 2009. They have since participated in the AFC Champions League on four occasions and the AFC Cup on one occasion, both organised by the Asian Football Confederation. The team won the 2023–24 AFC Cup and has made the knockout stage of Asian competition on one other occasion (2013 AFC Champions League).
Qualification for Asian club competitions is determined by a team's performance in the domestic league, the A-League Men, and domestic cup, the Australia Cup. The winners of the A-League Men Premiership (regular season) have always qualified, with the winners of the A-League Men Championship (finals series), Australia Cup winners and the next-best team(s) in the A-League Men regular season occasionally receiving a place.
John Hutchinson holds the club record for most appearances with 24. Marco Túlio is the club's record goalscorer in Asian football with eight goals. The Mariners' biggest winning margin in Asia is a 9–1 scoreline, this was achieved at home against Stallion Laguna in the 2023–24 AFC Cup.

## History
### 2009 AFC Champions League

The Mariners qualified for the 2009 AFC Champions League after finishing first in the 2007–08 A-League regular season. They played their first ever match in Asia against K-League side Pohang Steelers, finishing in a scoreless draw at Central Coast Stadium. In the next match, against Tianjin Teda, Adrian Caceres became the club's first ever goalscorer in Asian football when he deflected a shot from Shane Huke into the goal; the match finished in a 2-all draw. After picking up two points from their first two games, the team had a run of four consecutive losses which saw them eliminated in the group stage.
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Score |
| 2009 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | Pohang Steelers | 0–0 (H), 3–2 (A) |
| 2009 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | Tianjin Teda | 2–2 (A), 0–1 (H) |
| 2009 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | Kawasaki Frontale | 0–5 (H), 2–1 (A) |

### 2012 AFC Champions League

Central Coast returned to Asian competition in the 2012 AFC Champions League after finishing second in the 2010–11 A-League. The club drew their first three matches against Tianjin Teda, Nagoya Grampus and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, before suffering a 5-goal loss away to Seongnam. In the following match, against Tianjin Teda, the mariners produced their best-ever Champions League result to date, winning 5–1 at home in what was their first ever win in the competition. Needing an away win in their final group game against Nagoya Grampus to progress to the next round, the club suffered a 3–0 loss and were eliminated from the competition.
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Score |
| 2012 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | Tianjin Teda | 0–0 (A), 5–1 (H) |
| 2012 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | Nagoya Grampus | 1–1 (H), 3–0 (A) |
| 2012 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 1–1 (H), 5–0 (A) |

### 2013 AFC Champions League

The Mariners were the only team to receive direct qualification to the 2014 AFC Champions League after winning the 2011–12 A-League Premiership. This campaign included a 2–1 win over Guizhou Renhe, as well as an away win against Suwon Bluewings only two days after winning the 2013 A-League Grand Final. A loss to Kashiwa Reysol in the final group game was not enough to prevent the Mariners from qualifying for the round of sixteen for the first time. In the next round, Central Coast came up against Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande and lost 5–1 over two legs. Evergrande went on to win the competition.
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Score |
| 2013 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | Suwon Bluewings | 0–0 (H), 0–1 (A) |
| 2013 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | Kashiwa Reysol | 3–1 (A), 0–3 (H) |
| 2013 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | Guizhou Renhe | 2–1 (H), 2–1 (A) |
| 2013 | AFC Champions League | Round of 16 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 1–2 (H), 3–0 (A) |

### 2014 AFC Champions League

The club qualified for the 2014 AFC Champions League after winning the 2013 A-League Grand Final, but were forced to deny rumours that they were considering withdrawing from the competition for financial reasons. A double from Mile Sterjovski gave the club a victory over Sanfrecce Hiroshima at home – the Mariners' first victory against Japanese opposition. The club also defeated Beijing Guoan. A loss in their final match against Sanfrecce eliminated the Mariners from the tournament.
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Score |
| 2014 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | FC Seoul | 2–0 (A), 1–2 (H) |
| 2014 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 2–1 (H), 1–0 (A) |
| 2014 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | Beijing Guoan | 2–1 (A), 1–0 (H) |

### 2015 AFC Champions League

The Mariners participated in the 2015 AFC Champions League after coming third in the 2013–14 A-League. They entered in the qualifying play-off, where they lost at home to Guangzhou R&F, and were therefore eliminated.
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Score |
| 2015 | AFC Champions League | Qualifying play-off round | Guangzhou R&F | 1–3 (H) |

### 2023–24 AFC Cup

Central Coast qualified for the 2023–24 AFC Cup after finishing second in the 2022–23 A-League Men regular season.
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Score |
| 2023–24 | AFC Cup | Group stage | Terengganu | 1–0 (A), 1–1 (H) |
| 2023–24 | AFC Cup | Group stage | Stallion Laguna | 9–1 (H), 0–3 (A) |
| 2023–24 | AFC Cup | Group stage | Bali United | 6–3 (H), 1–2 (A) |
| 2023–24 | AFC Cup | Zonal semi-final | Phnom Penh Crown | 4–0 (H) |
| 2023–24 | AFC Cup | Zonal final | Macarthur | 2–3 (A) |
| 2023–24 | AFC Cup | Inter-zone semi-final | Odisha | 4–0 (H), 0–0 (A) |
| 2023–24 | AFC Cup | Inter-zone final | Abdysh-Ata Kant | 1–1 (A), 3–0 (H) |
| 2023–24 | AFC Cup | Final | Al Ahed | 0–1 (A) |

### 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite

The Mariners qualified for the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite as Premiers of the 2023–24 A-League Men.
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Score |
| 2024–25 | AFC Champions League Elite | League stage | Shandong Taishan | 3–1 (A) |
| 2024–25 | AFC Champions League Elite | League stage | Buriram United | 1–2 (H) |
| 2024–25 | AFC Champions League Elite | League stage | Shanghai Port | 3–2 (A) |
| 2024–25 | AFC Champions League Elite | League stage | Shanghai Shenhua | 2–2 (H) |
| 2024–25 | AFC Champions League Elite | League stage | Vissel Kobe | |
| 2024–25 | AFC Champions League Elite | League stage | Yokohama F. Marinos | |
| 2024–25 | AFC Champions League Elite | League stage | Johor Darul Ta'zim | |
| 2024–25 | AFC Champions League Elite | League stage | Kawasaki Frontale | |