Here is the draw mechanism for the AFC Cup 2023/24 Knockout Stage as Isuzu UTE A-League sides, Central Coast Mariners and Macarthur FC await their fate.
The knockout stage draw will be conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 28.
Participating Clubs
Eleven (11) Clubs will participate in the AFC Cup (ACC) 2023/24 Knockout Stage – Zonal Semi Finals, Zonal Finals and Inter Zone Play-off.
WEST ZONE
The following four (4) clubs have qualified to the ACC 2023/24 West Zonal Semi Final by virtue of finishing as the winners of their respective groups and the best second-placed club among all groups of the West Zone.
The fixtures of the ACC 2023/24 West Zonal Semi Final are formed based on the scenario of the best second-placed club coming from Group A, as stipulated in the Competition Regulations:
| West Zone | Pairing based on best 2nd placed club from Group A |
| Semi Final 1 | Al Riffa (BHR) vs Al Nahda (OMA) |
| Semi Final 2 | Al Ahed FC (LBN) vs AL Kahrabaa SC (IRQ) |
The matches will be played in a home-and-away knockout format with the first leg being held on February 12 and 13, 2024 at the venue of Team A and the 2nd leg being held on February 19 and 20, 2024 at the venue of Team B.
The two (2) winner will qualify to the two-legged ACC 2023/24 West Zonal Final, of which the first leg will be held on April 16, 2024 and the second leg on April 23, 2024.
CENTRAL ZONE
FC Abdysh-Ata (KGZ) were crowned the Zonal Champion of the ACC 2023/24 Central Zone and qualified for the Inter Zone Semi Finals, to be played in a home-and-away knockout format.
The first leg will be held on March 6 and 7, 2024 at the venue of Team A and the second leg on March 13 and 14, 2024 at the venue of Team B.
SOUTH ZONE
Odisha FC (IND) were crowned the Zonal Champion of the ACC 2023/24 South Zone and qualified for the Inter Zone Semi Finals, to be played in a home-and-away knockout format.
The first leg will be held on March 6 and 7, 2024 at the venue of Team A and the second leg on March 13 and 14, 2024 at the venue of Team B.
ASEAN ZONE
The following four (4) clubs have qualified to the ACC 2023/24 ASEAN Zonal Semi Final by virtue of finishing as the winners of their respective groups and the best second-placed club among all groups of the ASEAN Zone.
The fixtures of the ACC 2023/24 West Zonal Semi Final are formed based on the scenario of the best second-placed club coming from Group F, as stipulated in the Competition Regulations:
| ASEAN Zone | Pairing based on best 2nd placed club from Group F |
| Semi Final 1 | MACARTHUR FC (AUS) vs SABAH FC (MAS) |
| Semi Final 2 | CENTRAL COAST MARINERS (AUS) vs PHNOM PENH CROWN FC (CAM) |
The single-leg matches will be played on February 12 and 13, 2024 at the Venue of Team A.
The winners will qualify to the single-leg ACC 2023/24 ASEAN Zonal Final to be held on February 22, 2024.
EAST ZONE
TAICHUNG FUTURO FC (TPE) were crowned the Zonal Champion of the ACC 2023/24 East Zone and qualified for the Inter Zone Semi Finals, to be played in a home-and-away knockout format.
The first leg will be held on March 6 and 7, 2024 at the venue of Team A and the second leg on March 13 and 14 March, 2024 at the venue of Team B.
Mode of Competition
West Zone
The winner of the West Zone Final shall qualify to the AFC Cup Final.
Inter Zone Semi Finals
The four (4) Clubs from Central, South, ASEAN and East i.e the Zonal Champions will be drawn into two pairings, where each club shall play a home-and-away knockout format to determine the winner:
• Inter Zone Semi Final 1 (IZSF1): Names of the Clubs to be decided by the Draw.
• Inter Zone Semi Final 2 (IZSF2): Names of the Clubs to be decided by the Draw.
The two (2) winners of the Inter Zone Semi Finals will qualify to the two-legged home-and-away Inter Zone Final with the following match sequence to be played:
• 1st Leg: Inter Zone Final (IZF): Winner of IZSF1 vs Winner of IZSF2
• 2nd Leg: Inter Zone Final (IZF): Winner of IZSF2 vs Winner of IZSF1
The winner of the Inter Zone Final will advance to the AFC Cup 2023/24 Final.
AFC Cup 2023/24 Final
The following match sequence shall apply for the single-leg Final at the venue of the West Zone Champion:
• Final:
Winner of West Zone Final vs Winner of Inter Zone Final
Draw Principles
• POT ALLOCATION: There will be three (3) Pots: West, ASEAN and Inter Zone Semi Final. The Clubs will be placed in the Pots according to their Zonal
Distribution.
• OPEN DRAW: An open draw will be implemented in each Pot, meaning that there will be no seeding and no country protection.
Draw Procedure
The Draw will proceed in the following sequence:
WEST ZONE > ASEAN ZONE > INTER ZONE PLAY-OFF
WEST ZONE:
The first drawn ball from the West Zone Pot will correspond to the team that will host the West Zone Final first leg, and the second ball drawn will host the return leg.
ASEAN ZONE:
The first drawn ball from the ASEAN Zone Pot shall be placed as Team A (Host Club) and the second ball drawn shall be placed as Team B (Away Club) respectively in the ASEAN Zone Final, to be played in a single-leg knockout format.
INTER ZONE SEMI FINAL:
The first and second balls drawn from the Inter Zone Semi Final Pot will correspond to the teams that will host the first leg of the Inter Zone Semi Finals 1 and 2, and the third and fourth balls drawn will host the return leg.
This shall conclude the Draw for the AFC Cup 2023/24 Knockout Stage.
