# 2014 AFC Cup

The 2014 AFC Cup was the 11th edition of the AFC Cup, a football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clubs from "developing countries" in Asia. Al-Kuwait were the two-time defending champions, but were eliminated by Persipura Jayapura in the quarter-finals.
In the final, Al-Qadsia of Kuwait defeated Erbil of Iraq 4–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw in regulation time, to win their first AFC Cup title after losing in the previous year's final.

## Association team allocation

The AFC laid out the procedure for deciding the participating associations and the allocation of slots, with the final decision to be made by the AFC on 26 November 2013. The following changes to the list of participating associations may be made from the 2013 AFC Cup if the AFC approves the following applications made by any association:
* An association originally participating in the AFC Cup may apply to participate in the 2014 AFC Champions League. An association may participate in both the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup if it only partially fulfills the AFC Champions League criteria.
* An association originally participating in the AFC President's Cup may apply to participate in the 2014 AFC Cup.
The following changes in the participating associations were made compared to the previous year:
* Kyrgyzstan and Palestine clubs' participation were upgraded from the AFC President's Cup to the AFC Cup starting from 2014 by the AFC.
Each participating association was given either two entries to the group stage or one entry to the qualifying play-off, based on the AFC Technical Ranking and the number of associations in each zone.
Evaluation for 2014 AFC Cup :
* Ranked top 23, allocated two direct slots
* Ranked 24–34, allocated two direct slots
* Ranked 24–34, allocated one play-off slot

## Teams

The following teams entered the competition. Teams in italics played in the 2014 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, but failed to advance to the AFC Champions League group stage (had they advanced to the AFC Champions League group stage, they would have been replaced by another team from the same association).

### Notes

* ^ India (IND): Since the submission deadline came before the Indian Federation Cup, the league runners-up were chosen to represent India in the AFC Cup.
* ^ Indonesia (IDN): Persipura Jayapura and Arema Cronus, the 2013 Indonesia Super League champions and runners-up respectively, were chosen to represent Indonesia in the AFC Cup.
* ^ Malaysia (MAS): Since LionsXII, a side managed by the Football Association of Singapore and thus ineligible to represent Malaysia in continental competition, won the 2013 Malaysia Super League, the league runners-up were chosen to represent Malaysia in the AFC Cup.
* ^ Myanmar (MYA): Since the MFF Cup had to be cancelled due to tightness of schedule in preparation for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games, the league runners-up were chosen to represent Myanmar in the AFC Cup.

## Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws held at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
| Qualifying play-off | Round 1 | No draw | 2 February 2014 | 2 February 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 10 December 2013 | 25–26 February 2014 | 25–26 February 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 2 | 10 December 2013 | 11–12 March 2014 | 11–12 March 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 3 | 10 December 2013 | 18–19 March 2014 | 18–19 March 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 4 | 10 December 2013 | 1–2 April 2014 | 1–2 April 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 5 | 10 December 2013 | 8–9 April 2014 | 8–9 April 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 6 | 10 December 2013 | 22–23 April 2014 | 22–23 April 2014 |
| Knock-out stage | Round of 16 | 10 December 2013 | 13–14 May 2014 | 13–14 May 2014 |
| Knock-out stage | Quarter-finals | 28 May 2014 | 19 August 2014 | 26 August 2014 |
| Knock-out stage | Semi-finals | 28 May 2014 | 16 September 2014 | 30 September 2014 |
| Knock-out stage | Final | 28 May 2014 | 18 October 2014 at Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai | 18 October 2014 at Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai |

## Qualifying play-off

The bracket for the qualifying play-off was determined by the AFC. Each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. The winners of each tie advanced to the group stage to join the 30 automatic qualifiers.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Ravshan Kulob | 2–1 | Al-Yarmuk Al-Rawda |
| Shabab Al-Dhahiriya | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (7–8 p) | Alay Osh |

## Group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 10 December 2013. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. Each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16.

### Tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
* Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
* Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
* Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned (away goals do not apply)
* Goal difference in all the group matches
* Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches
* Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play
* Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card)
* Drawing of lots

### Group A

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | SAF | THR | SUW | RAV |
| Safa | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | +12 | 16 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 8–0 |
| That Ras | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 11 | 0–0 | | 1–0 | 5–1 |
| Al-Suwaiq | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 7 | 0–1 | 0–0 | | 3–1 |
| Ravshan Kulob | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 26 | −21 | 0 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 0–5 | |

### Group B

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | KUW | NEJ | FAN | JAI |
| Al-Kuwait | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 13 | | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| Al-Nejmeh | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 9 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Fanja | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 6 | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 0–0 |
| Al-Jaish | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 3 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | |

### Group C

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | QAD | HID | SHO | WAH |
| Al-Qadsia | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 11 | | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 |
| Al-Hidd | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 11 | 3–2 | | 0–0 | 3–1 |
| Al-Shorta | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 7 | 0–0 | 0–0 | | 0–0 |
| Al-Wahda | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 2 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 1–3 | |
* 1 2 Tiebreakers: Al-Qadsia and Al-Hidd are ranked on head-to-head record.

#### Tiebreakers

* Al-Qadsia and Al-Hidd are ranked on head-to-head record.

### Group D

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | ERB | RIF | ORD | ALA |
| Erbil | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 5 | +14 | 15 | | 1–2 | 3–2 | 6–0 |
| Riffa | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0–3 | | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Shabab Al-Ordon | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 9 | 1–3 | 3–1 | | 2–1 |
| Alay Osh | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 14 | −13 | 1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | |

### Group E

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PSJ | CHB | HOM | NRA |
| Persipura Jayapura | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 11 | | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 |
| Churchill Brothers | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 10 | 1–1 | | 3–1 | 3–0 |
| Home United | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10 | 1–1 | 2–1 | | 2–0 |
| New Radiant | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 12 | −10 | 3 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | |
* 1 2 Tiebreakers: Churchill Brothers and Home United are ranked on head-to-head record.

#### Tiebreakers

* Churchill Brothers and Home United are ranked on head-to-head record.

### Group F

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | HNT | ARE | SEL | MAZ |
| Hà Nội T&T | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 15 | | 2–1 | 1–0 | 5–1 |
| Arema Cronus | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 10 | 1–3 | | 1–0 | 3–2 |
| Selangor | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 8 | 3–1 | 1–1 | | 4–1 |
| Maziya | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 18 | −11 | 1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | |

### Group G

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | VNB | YAN | SCA | KEL |
| Vissai Ninh Bình | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 7 | +11 | 16 | | 3–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 |
| Yangon United | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 9 | 1–4 | | 2–0 | 5–3 |
| South China | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 1–3 | 5–3 | | 4–0 |
| Kelantan | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 19 | −10 | 3 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2–0 | |

### Group H

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | KIT | NPT | TAM | PUN |
| Kitchee | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 13 | | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 |
| Nay Pyi Taw | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 1–2 | | 3–1 | 3–3 |
| Tampines Rovers | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 16 | −7 | 6 | 0–5 | 0–1 | | 3–1 |
| Pune | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 15 | −3 | 6 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–5 | |
* 1 2 Tiebreakers: Tampines Rovers and Pune are ranked on head-to-head record.

#### Tiebreakers

* Tampines Rovers and Pune are ranked on head-to-head record.

## Knock-out stage

In the knock-out stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, while in the round of 16 and final, each tie was played as a single match. The away goals rule (for two-legged ties), extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.

### Bracket

| Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final | |
| Hà Nội T&T | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Nay Pyi Taw | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Nay Pyi Taw | 0 | Hà Nội T&T | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Erbil | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Erbil (p) | 0 (3) | Erbil | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Nejmeh | 0 (0) | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Nejmeh | 0 (0) | | | | | Erbil | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Kitchee | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | |
| Vissai Ninh Bình | 4 | | | | | | | | | Kitchee | 1 | 1 | 2 | | |
| Churchill Brothers | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Churchill Brothers | 2 | Vissai Ninh Bình | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Kitchee | 4 | 0 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Kitchee | 2 | Kitchee | 4 | 0 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Arema Cronus | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Arema Cronus | 0 | | | | | | | | | | Erbil | 0 (2) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | Al-Qadsia (p) | 0 (4) | |
| Al-Qadsia | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | Al-Qadsia (p) | 0 (4) |
| That Ras | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| That Ras | 0 | Al-Qadsia (a) | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Al-Hidd | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Safa | 0 | Al-Hidd | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Hidd | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Al-Hidd | 1 | | | | | Al-Qadsia | 4 | 6 | 10 | | | | |
| | | | | | | Persipura Jayapura | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | |
| Al-Kuwait | 3 | | | | | | | | | Persipura Jayapura | 2 | 0 | 2 | | |
| Riffa | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Riffa | 0 | Al-Kuwait | 3 | 1 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Persipura Jayapura | 2 | 6 | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| Persipura Jayapura | 9 | Persipura Jayapura | 2 | 6 | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| Yangon United | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Round of 16

In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group in the same zone, with the group winners hosting the match.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| West Asia Zone |||
| Safa | 0–1 | Al-Hidd |
| Al-Qadsia | 4–0 | That Ras |
| Al-Kuwait | 3–0 | Riffa |
| Erbil | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (3–0 p) | Al-Nejmeh |
| East Asia Zone |||
| Persipura Jayapura | 9–2 | Yangon United |
| Vissai Ninh Bình | 4–2 | Churchill Brothers |
| Hà Nội T&T | 5–0 | Nay Pyi Taw |
| Kitchee | 2–0 | Arema Cronus |

### Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 28 May 2014. Teams from different zones could be drawn into the same tie, and the "country protection" rule was applied, so teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same tie.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Hà Nội T&T | 0–3 | Erbil | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| Vissai Ninh Bình | 3–4 | Kitchee | 2–4 | 1–0 |
| Al-Qadsia | 3–3 (a) | Al-Hidd | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Al-Kuwait | 4–8 | Persipura Jayapura | 3–2 | 1–6 |

### Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Erbil | 3–2 | Kitchee | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Al-Qadsia | 10–2 | Persipura Jayapura | 4–2 | 6–0 |

### Final

The draw to decide the host team of the final was held after the quarter-final draw.

#### Notes

* ^ Teams from Iraq were not allowed to host their home matches in their country due to security concerns.

## Awards

| Award | Player | Team |
| Most Valuable Player | Saif Al Hashan | Al-Qadsia |
| Top Goalscorer | Juan Belencoso | Kitchee |

## Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | R16 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | Total |
| 1 | Juan Belencoso | Kitchee | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | 2 | | 1 | | 11 |
| 2 | Omar Al Soma | Al-Qadsia | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | | 1 | | | | | 7 |
| 2 | César | Yangon United | | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | | 7 |
| 2 | Paulo Rangel | Selangor | 1 | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | | 7 |
| 5 | Kyaw Ko Ko | Yangon United | 3 | | | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | | | | 6 |
| 5 | Nguyễn Văn Quyết | Hà Nội T&T | 3 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | | | | | | 6 |
| 5 | Boaz Solossa | Persipura Jayapura | 1 | | | 2 | 1 | | | | 1 | 1 | | 6 |
| 8 | Saif Al Hashan | Al-Qadsia | | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | Bader Al-Mutawa | Al-Qadsia | | | | | | | 1 | 1 | | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 8 | Đinh Văn Ta | Vissai Ninh Bình | 1 | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | | | 5 |
| 8 | Boakay Eddie Foday | Persipura Jayapura | | | | | | | 5 | | | | | 5 |
| 8 | Borja Rubiato | Erbil | | | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | 5 |
Note: Goals scored in qualifying play-off not counted (see regulations, Article 74c).
Source: