AFC President's Cup
 | |
| Founded | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Abolished | 2014 |
| Region | Asia (AFC) |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Last champions |
 FC HTTU(1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |
 Regar TadAZ(3 times) |
The AFC President's Cup was an annual international association football competition between domestic clubs sides run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Competition format
Since the tournament began in 2005, the number of teams has increased from 8 to 11. And then from 11 to 12 teams.
From editions 2005 to 2007, 8 clubs were placed into two groups of 4 teams. Both groups would be played in one host country.
Out of these two groups, the winners and runners up would advance to the semi-final stage, again played in that host country.
In 2008, the tournament was increased to 11 clubs. Therefore a qualification round was created and 11 clubs split into 3 groups. Two groups containing 4 clubs with the 3rd group having 3 clubs.
Each group would then be played in a different country, each having their own host.
The group winners and the best runner up would then qualify for the finals stage, again to be hosted in another country and played at a later date.
In 2011, the tournament was increased to 12 clubs. Therefore the 3 qualification groups are with 4 clubs. Then, the group winners and group runners up qualify for the final stage. Then, the 6 clubs are contested into 2 groups of 3. Next, the top 2 teams qualify for the final which means there is no knockout stage contested.[1]
In November 2013 the AFC announced that the 2014 AFC President's Cup would be the last edition of this tournament.[2] Starting from 2015, league champions of "emerging countries" are eligible to participate in the AFC Cup qualifying play-off.[3]
Participating nations
Since 2005, 6 of the 8 founding nations to take part have been, 
Nepal, 
Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), 
Bhutan, 
Sri Lanka, 
Pakistan and 
Cambodia.
Since 2008, clubs from 
Bangladesh and Turkmenistan have been invited.
From 2011 to 2013, clubs from 
Palestine were invited. In 2014, Palestine applied for upgrade to the AFC Cup.
Since 2012, clubs from 
Mongolia have been invited.
From 2008 to 2011, clubs from 
Myanmar were invited. In 2012, Myanmar applied for upgrade to the AFC Cup.
Since 2013, clubs from 
Philippines have been invited.
From 2005 to 2012, clubs from Tajikistan were invited. In 2013, Tajikistan applied for upgrade to the AFC Cup.
Since 2014, clubs from 
North Korea have been invited.
From 2005 to 2013, clubs from 
Kyrgyzstan were invited. In 2014, Kyrgyzstan applied for upgrade to the AFC Cup.
Other nations that could enter a team, but never did so are: 
Brunei, 
Timor-Leste, 
Guam, 
Laos, 
Macau and 
Afghanistan.
In March 2012 the AFC announced that the 
Northern Mariana Islands were approved to participate in the AFC Challenge Cup and AFC President’s Cup if they fulfilled the criteria.[4] However, they never entered a team.
Qualification
Qualification to the competition is to clubs from AFC-affiliated countries which fall into the AFC's 'emerging nations' category as laid out in their 'Vision Asia' document. Countries which are 'mature' and 'developing' nations are entered into the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, respectively. For an 'emerging nation' to have a team representing it in the competition, however, the country must have an acceptable football league. The team that represents a country in one season of the competition is the defending champion of the top-level leagues of participating countries.
Results
Performance by nation
| # | Nation | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tajikistan | 4 | 1 |
| 2 | Kyrgyzstan | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Turkmenistan | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | Myanmar | 1 | 0 |
| Chinese Taipei | 1 | 0 | |
| 6 | Cambodia | 0 | 1 |
| Nepal | 0 | 1 | |
| Pakistan | 0 | 1 | |
| Palestine | 0 | 1 | |
| North Korea | 0 | 1 |
Performance by club
| Team | Winners | Runners-Up | Years Won | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regar TadAZ | 3 | 0 | 2005, 2008, 2009 | |
| Dordoi-Dynamo | 2 | 4 | 2006, 2007 | 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 |
| Yadanarbon FC | 1 | 0 | 2010 | |
| Taiwan Power Company | 1 | 0 | 2011 | |
| FK Istiqlol | 1 | 0 | 2012 | |
| FK Balkan | 1 | 0 | 2013 | |
| HTTU Asgabat | 1 | 0 | 2014 | |
| Vakhsh | 0 | 1 | 2006 | |
| Mahendra Police Club | 0 | 1 | 2007 | |
| Phnom Penh Crown | 0 | 1 | 2011 | |
| Markaz Shabab Al-Am'ari | 0 | 1 | 2012 | |
| KRL FC | 0 | 1 | 2013 | |
| Rimyongsu | 0 | 1 | 2014 |
See also
References
- ↑ AFC Competitions Committee meeting
- ↑ "ACL: East vs West final proposed". The-afc.com. 2013-11-25. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
- ↑ "AFC President’s Cup: The end of a glorious journey". AFC. 26 July 2014.
- ↑ "Competitions Committee takes key decisions". The-afc.com. 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
External links
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