AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying slots to the top-tier AFC Champions League, based on the AFC Club Competitions Ranking.
| Organising body | AFC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| Abolished | 2024 |
| Region | Asia |
| Number of teams | 36–48 (group stage) 59 (total) |
| Related competitions | AFC Champions League (1st tier) |
| Last champions | Al-Seeb (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Al-Kuwait (3 titles each) |
| Website | Official website |
| 2023–24 AFC Cup | |
Al-Kuwait SC 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. The tournament has been dominated by clubs from West Asia, with the only winners from outside that region being Uzbek side FC Nasaf in 2011 and Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta'zim in 2015.
Al-Seeb are the current champions after defeating Kuala Lumpur City in the 2022 final. Since the 2021 season, the team winning the AFC Cup is granted qualification to the following season's AFC Champions League qualifying playoffs should they not qualify through their domestic performance.
The AFC Cup is set to be discontinued at the end of the 2023–24 season, with the AFC Champions League 2 and AFC Challenge League being introduced as Asia's new second and third-tier competitions.