AFC Cup
Annual second-tier Asian club football competition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The AFC Champions League Two (rebranded from the AFC Cup in the 2024–25 season) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC Champions League Elite and above the AFC Challenge League.
A request that this article title be changed to AFC Champions League Two is under discussion. Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed. |
Organising body | AFC |
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Founded | 2004; 20 years ago (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 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.