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The path to ultimate glory in the AFC Cup 2023/24 will be laid out on Thursday, December 28 at 14:00 (UTC+8) when the official draw ceremony for the Knockout Stage takes place at the AFC House.
Eleven teams have progressed from the Group Stage of the 19th edition of the iconic tournament, which kicked off in September and featured 36 teams from across the Confederation’s five Zones.
The three group winners – Al Nahda of Oman, Al Kahrabaa Club of Iraq, Al Riffa of Bahrain – and best runners-up – Al Ahed FC of Lebanon – from the West Zone will proceed to the West Zonal Semifinals, to played in a home-and-away format; the first legs are scheduled on February 12 and 13, 2024 and the second legs on February 19 and 20, 2024. The pairings are as below:
West Zonal Semifinals
Semifinal 1: Al Riffa (BHR) v Al Nahda (OMA)
Semifinal 2: Al Ahed FC (LBN) v Al Kahrabaa Club (IRQ)
The Semifinal winners then do battle in the West Zonal Final across two legs on April 16 and 23, 2024; the host club for each leg will be determined during the Knockout Stage Draw. The victors will earn a berth in the coveted AFC Cup 2023/24 Final, which is set for May 5, 2024.
Meanwhile, the three group winners and best runners-up in the ASEAN Zone – Macarthur FC of Australia, Sabah FC of Malaysia, Central Coast Mariners of Australia and Phnom Penh Crown FC of Cambodia respectively – will contest the ASEAN Zonal Semifinals, which will be played as single-leg matches on February 12 and 13, 2024. The pairings are as follow:
ASEAN Zonal Semifinals
Semifinal 1: Macarthur FC (AUS) v Sabah FC (MAS)
Semifinal 2: Central Coast Mariners (AUS) v Phnom Penh Crown FC (CAM)
The Semifinal winners will face each other in the single-leg ASEAN Zonal Final on February 22, 2024; the host club will be determined during the Knockout Stage Draw.
The winners of the ASEAN Zonal Final will join the winners of Groups D, E and I, namely Odisha FC of India, FK Abdysh-Ata of the Kyrgyz Republic and Chinese Taipei’s Taichung Futuro FC to contest the two-legged home-and-away Inter-zone Semifinals.
The Inter-zonal Semifinal pairings will be determined during the Knockout Stage draw using an open-draw principle i.e. there will be no seeding nor country protection applied to the Pot. The lineup is as follows:
Inter-zone Play-off Pot: Odisha FC (IND), FK Abdysh-Ata (KGZ), ASEAN Zone Champions, Taichung Futuro FC (TPE)
The winners of the Inter-zonal Semifinals will do battle in the two-legged Inter-zone Final on April 17 and 24, 2024 to earn the right to face the winner of the West Zonal Final in the AFC Cup 2023/24 Final.
