AFC Champions League Two
 | |
| Organising body | AFC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 (rebranded in 2024) |
| Region | Asia |
| Number of teams | 32 (group stage) |
| Qualifier for | AFC Champions League Elite |
| Related competitions | AFC Champions League Elite (1st tier) AFC Challenge League (3rd tier) |
| Current champions |  Central Coast Mariners (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Al-Kuwait Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya(3 titles each) |
 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two | |
The AFC Champions League Two is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC Champions League Elite and above the AFC Challenge League.
The tournament was founded in 2004 as the AFC Cup, which was played primarily among clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying slots to the top-tier AFC Champions League. In 2024, the AFC introduced a revamped second-tier club competition under the name AFC Champions League Two, with the records and statistics of the AFC Cup transferring to the new competition.
Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in national leagues and cup competitions. Participation in the competition is open to clubs from the top 12 nations in the East and the West region based on the AFC club competitions ranking. The participant from each nation ranked 1–6 in each region is the highest-placed club in that nation that did not qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite. The nations ranked 7–12 in each region enter their top club(s) directly to the AFC Champions League Two.
The current champions are Central Coast Mariners, who defeated Al-Ahed in the 2024 final. Al-Kuwait and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya are the most successful clubs in the competition's history, having won three titles each. Clubs from Kuwait have won four titles, making them the most successful nation in the competition.
History[edit]
The AFC Cup began in 2004 as a second-tier competition to relate back to the AFC Champions League as 14 countries that had developing status competed in the first competition with 18 teams being nominated. Group A, B, C had West and Central Asian teams while the other two groups had east and South East Asia. The winners and three runners-up would then head to the knock-out stage where it was a random draw in who was going to play. Al-Jaish took the first AFC Cup after they defeated fellow Syrian opponents Al-Wahda on away goals.
In 2005, 18 teams competed from nine nations with the nations still being allowed to choose from one or two teams entering. After Syrian teams left the AFC Cup to try at the AFC Champions League for four years, Al-Faisaly defeated Nejmeh in the final. With it, Jordanian teams would win the next two AFC Cup seasons with Bahrain joining the league while Bangladesh was relegated to the AFC President's Cup until the tournament's abolition in 2014.
Al-Muharraq would break the trend in 2008 as they competed in the last two-legged final before it headed back into a one-leg system, a rule that was never changed till the termination of this tournament.
On 23 December 2022, it was announced that the AFC competition structure would change from the established formats from the 2024–25 season. Under the new plans, a new second-tier tournament called the AFC Champions League Two would be introduced.[1] Meanwhile, a new third-tier competition was also launched under the name AFC Challenge League.[2][3][4]
On 24 May 2024, AFC announced that the records and statistics of the preceding AFC club competitions will be recognised and integrated within the revamped club competitions, with the data from the AFC Cup transferring to the AFC Champions League Two.[5]
Prize money[edit]
The prize money for the 2023–24 AFC Cup:[6]
| Phase | Purse (USD) | Travel subsidy (per match) |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | N/A | $40,000 |
| Play-offs | N/A | $40,000 |
| Group stage | N/A | $40,000 |
| Knockout stage | Zonal champions: $100,000 | $40,000 |
| Final | Champions: $1.5 million Runners-up: $750,000 |
$40,000 |
Marketing[edit]
Sponsorship[edit]
The tournament has been sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to the single main sponsor typically found in national top-flight leagues.
The tournament's main sponsors were:[7]
- Allianz
- beIN Sports
- China Resources Beverage
- Emirates
- Kärcher
- Nike, Inc.
- Nikon
- QNB Group
- Toyota
- Tsingtao Brewery
- Seiko
Results and statistics[edit]
Finals[edit]
Performance by clubs[edit]
Club
|
Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Kuwait
|
3 | 1 | 2009, 2012, 2013 | 2011 |
| Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
|
3 | 0 | 2016, 2017, 2018 | |
 Al-Faisaly
|
2 | 1 | 2005, 2006 | 2007 |
 Al-Muharraq
|
2 | 1 | 2008, 2021 | 2006 |
| Al-Qadsia
|
1 | 2 | 2014 | 2010, 2013 |
 Nasaf Qarshi
|
1 | 1 | 2011 | 2021 |
 Al-Ahed
|
1 | 1 | 2019 | 2023–24 |
 Al-Jaish
|
1 | 0 | 2004 | |
| Shabab Al-Ordon
|
1 | 0 | 2007 | |
| Al-Ittihad
|
1 | 0 | 2010 | |
 Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
1 | 0 | 2015 | |
 Al-Seeb
|
1 | 0 | 2022 | |
| Central Coast Mariners
|
1 | 0 | 2023–24 | |
| Erbil
|
0 | 2 | 2012, 2014 | |
 Istiklol
|
0 | 2 | 2015, 2017 | |
| Al-Wahda
|
0 | 1 | 2004 | |
| Nejmeh
|
0 | 1 | 2005 | |
| Safa
|
0 | 1 | 2008 | |
| Al-Karamah
|
0 | 1 | 2009 | |
 Bengaluru
|
0 | 1 | 2016 | |
 Altyn Asyr
|
0 | 1 | 2018 | |
 April 25
|
0 | 1 | 2019 | |
| Kuala Lumpur City
|
0 | 1 | 2022 |
Performance by nations[edit]
| Nation | Titles | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuwait
|
4 | 3 | 7 |
| Iraq
|
3 | 2 | 5 |
| Jordan
|
3 | 1 | 4 |
| Syria
|
2 | 2 | 4 |
| Bahrain
|
2 | 1 | 3 |
| Lebanon
|
1 | 3 | 4 |
| Uzbekistan
|
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Malaysia
|
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Oman
|
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Australia
|
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tajikistan
|
0 | 2 | 2 |
| India
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Turkmenistan
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
| North Korea
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
See also[edit]
- List of association football competitions
- Bangladeshi clubs in the AFC Cup
- Indian clubs in the AFC Cup
- Indonesian clubs in the AFC Cup
- Syrian clubs in the AFC Cup
- Thai clubs in the AFC Cup
- Hong Kong clubs in the AFC Cup
- Vietnamese clubs in the AFC Cup
References[edit]
- ^ "History beckons for AFC Cup 2023/24 contenders as final edition of popular competition kicks off". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "AFC Competitions Committee recommends strategic reforms to elevate Asian club football". theAFC.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ "AFC Executive Committee approves biggest prize purse in Asian club football history from 2024/25; announces AFC Women's Champions League". AFC. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ "AFC Club Competitions 2024/25 Slot Allocation" (PDF). Football Association of Singapore. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "Pivotal reforms approved by AFC Competitions Committee". the-AFC. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
- ^ AFC Cup 2023–24 Competition Regulations. Asian Football Confederation. pp. 57–58. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ "AFC Cup League". Archived from the original on 27 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^ "AFC Executive Committee announces updates to 2020 competitions calendar". AFC. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ "AFC Cup: Marañón leads all-time top scorers". the-afc.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
External links[edit]
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See also: International women's club football | ||