| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 9 February – 31 October 2015 |
| Teams | 41 (from 23 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Johor Darul Ta'zim (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Istiklol |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 122 |
| Goals scored | 339 (2.78 per match) |
| Attendance | 496,305 (4,068 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Daniel McBreen Riste Naumov(8 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Mohd Safiq Rahim |
← 2014 2016 → | |
The 2015 AFC Cup was the 12th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).[1]
Johor Darul Ta'zim from Malaysia won the tournament after defeating Istiklol from Tajikistan in the final.
Al-Qadsia, the defending champions, were eliminated in the semi-finals after the Kuwait Football Association was suspended by FIFA.
The AFC Competitions Committee proposed a revamp of the AFC club competitions on 25 January 2014,[2] which was ratified by the AFC Executive Committee on 16 April 2014.[3] The member associations are ranked based on their national team's and clubs' performance over the last four years in AFC competitions, with the allocation of slots for the 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC club competitions determined by the 2014 rankings:[4]
The AFC Competitions Committee decided on the participation of member associations in the 2015 and 2016 editions of the AFC Cup on 28 November 2014.[5][6][7]
| Participation for 2015 AFC Cup[6] | |
|---|---|
| Participating | |
| Not participating | |
|
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The following 41 teams from 23 associations entered the competition.[8]
Teams in italics played in the 2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, but failed to advance to the AFC Champions League group stage (had they advanced to the AFC Champions League group stage, they would have been replaced by another team from the same association).
Jordan
Teams from Jordan:
Al-Wehdat
Al-Jazeera
Fanja (p)
Lebanon
Teams from Lebanon:
Al-Nejmeh
Salam Zgharta (p)
Syria
Palestine
Teams from Palestine:
Taraji Wadi Al-Nes
Hilal Al-Quds (p)
Altyn Asyr (p)
Ahal (p)
Dordoi (p)
Al-Saqr (p)
Sheikh Russel (p)
Ceres (p)
West Zone
East ZoneThe schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).[17]
| Stage | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Preliminary round | No draw | 9–10 February 2015 | |
| Play-off stage | Play-off round | 17 February 2015 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 11 December 2014 | 24–25 February 2015 | |
| Matchday 2 | 10–11 March 2015 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 17–18 March 2015 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 14–15 April 2015 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 28–29 April 2015 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 12–13 May 2015 | |||
| Knockout stage | Round of 16 | 26–27 May 2015 | ||
| Quarter-finals | 18 June 2015 | 25–26 August 2015 | 15–16 September 2015 | |
| Semi-finals | 29–30 September 2015 | 20–21 October 2015 | ||
| Final | 31 October 2015 | |||
The bracket for the qualifying play-off, which consisted of two rounds (preliminary round and play-off round), was determined by the AFC based on the association ranking of each team.[18] Each tie was played as a single match, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. The winners of each tie in the play-off round advanced to the group stage to join the 27 automatic qualifiers.[1]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Zone | ||
Ahal 
|
1–0 |  Dordoi
|
| Altyn Asyr
|
0–1 |  Al-Saqr
|
| Khayr Vahdat
|
1–0 |  Sheikh Russel
|
Hilal Al-Quds 
|
w/o[K] |  Manang Marshyangdi Club
|
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Zone | ||
Fanja 
|
2–3 | Ahal
|
Al-Hidd 
|
2–1 | Al-Saqr
|
Salam Zgharta 
|
3–0 | Khayr Vahdat
|
Al-Jaish 
|
0–0 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) |
Hilal Al-Quds
|
| East Zone | ||
Maziya 
|
1–0 |  Ceres
|
The draw for the group stage was held on 11 December 2014.[18] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. Each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16.
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:[1]
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | WEH | WAH | NAH | SZG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Al-Wehdat
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–1 | 4–0 | 5–1 | |
| 2 | Al-Wahda
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 11 | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | 3–1 | ||
| 3 | Al-Nahda
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 7 | 0–3 | 0–0 | — | 4–1 | ||
| 4 | Salam Zgharta
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 18 | −13 | 3 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SHO | JAZ | TWN | HID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Al-Shorta
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 4–0 | 6–2 | 2–2 | |
| 2 | Al-Jazeera
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 9 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Taraji Wadi Al-Nes
|
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 6 | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 4 | Al-Hidd
|
6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 5 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | IST | QAD | ERB | AHA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Istiklol
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–0 | 1–3 | 5–2 | |
| 2 |  Al-Qadsia
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 10 | 2–2 | — | 1–2 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Erbil
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | 2–3 | ||
| 4 | Ahal
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 6 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JAI | KUW | RIF | NEJ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Jaish
|
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 14 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Al-Kuwait
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 10 | 0–1 | — | 2–1 | 4–1 | ||
| 3 | Riffa
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Al-Nejmeh
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 12 | −8 | 1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PSJ | BGL | MAZ | WAR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Persipura Jayapura
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 16 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–1 | 0–0 | 6–0 | |
| 2 |  Bengaluru FC
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 1–3 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Maziya
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 |  Warriors
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 15 | −14 | 0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JDT | KIT | EBG | BAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 15 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–0 | 4–1 | 3–0 | |
| 2 |  Kitchee
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 11 | 2–0 | — | 2–2 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | East Bengal
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 5 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Balestier Khalsa
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SCA | PAH | GLO | YAD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South China
|
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 18 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | |
| 2 | Pahang
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 8 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | 7–4 | ||
| 3 | Global
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 5 | 1–6 | 0–0 | — | 4–1 | ||
| 4 |  Yadanarbon
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 20 | −10 | 3 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 2–0 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PSB | AYE | NRA | LAO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Persib Bandung
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–3 | 4–1 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Ayeyawady United
|
6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 10 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | 4–3 | ||
| 3 | New Radiant
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 5 | 0–1 | 0–3 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 |  Lao Toyota FC
|
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — |
In the knockout stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, while in the round of 16 and final, each tie was played as a single match. The away goals rule (for two-legged ties), extra time (away goals would not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[1]
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| Al-Shorta
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Kuwait
| 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Kuwait
| 6 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| Kitchee
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Persib Bandung
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kitchee
| 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Kuwait
| 4 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Istiklol (w/o)
| 0 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Istiklol (pen.)
| 1(4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Wahda
| 1(2) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Istiklol
| 4 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Pahang
| 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Persipura Jayapura
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pahang (awd.)
| 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Istiklol
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Johor Darul Ta'zim
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Wehdat
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Qadsia
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Qadsia
| 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Al-Jaish
| 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Al-Jaish
| 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Jazeera
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Qadsia
| 3 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Johor Darul Ta'zim (w/o)
| 1 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Johor Darul Ta'zim
| 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ayeyawady United
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Johor Darul Ta'zim
| 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| South China
| 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| South China
| 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bengaluru FC
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group in the same zone, with the group winners hosting the match.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| West Zone | ||
| Al-Wehdat
|
0–1 | Al-Qadsia
|
| Istiklol
|
1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) |
Al-Wahda
|
| Al-Shorta
|
0–2 | Al-Kuwait
|
| Al-Jaish
|
1–0 | Al-Jazeera
|
| East Zone | ||
| Persipura Jayapura
|
0–3 (awd.)[L] | Pahang
|
| South China
|
2–0 | Bengaluru FC
|
| Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
5–0 | Ayeyawady United
|
| Persib Bandung
|
0–2 | Kitchee
|
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 June 2015. Teams from different zones could be drawn into the same tie, and there was no seeding or country protection, so teams from the same association could be drawn into the same tie.[22]
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Qadsia
|
3–2 | Al-Jaish
|
3–0 | 0–2 |
| Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
4–2 | South China
|
1–1 | 3–1 |
| Al-Kuwait
|
7–1 | Kitchee
|
6–0 | 1–1 |
| Istiklol
|
5–3 | Pahang
|
4–0 | 1–3 |
In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined by the quarter-final draw.[22]
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Qadsia
|
w/o[M] | Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
3–1 | Cancelled |
| Al-Kuwait
|
w/o[M] | Istiklol
|
4–0 | Cancelled |
In the final, the host team was determined by a draw, held after the quarter-final draw.[22]
| Istiklol | 0–1 | Johor Darul Ta'zim |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Velázquez  23' |
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: Minoru Tōjō (Japan)
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player[25] | Mohd Safiq Rahim
|
Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
| Top Goalscorer | Daniel McBreen
|
South China
|
| Riste Naumov
|
Ayeyawady United
|
| Rank | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | 2R | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel McBreen
|
South China
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |||||||
| Riste Naumov
|
Ayeyawady United
|
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |||||||||
| 3 |  Dickson Nwakaeme
|
Pahang
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |||||||||
| 4 |  Juan Belencoso
|
Kitchee
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
 Mahama Awal
|
South China
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| Boaz Solossa
|
Persipura Jayapura
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
 Rogerinho
|
Al-Kuwait
|
2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Bader Al-Mutawa
|
Al-Qadsia
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
 Luciano Figueroa
|
Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| 10 | Ranti Martins
|
East Bengal
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||
| Marwan Hussein
|
Al-Shorta
|
2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Mahmoud Za'tara
|
Al-Wehdat
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Vinícius
|
Al-Kuwait
|
1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Safee Sali
|
Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Mohd Safiq Rahim
|
Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
 Edison Fonseca
|
Ayeyawady United
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Manuchekhr Dzhalilov
|
Istiklol
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Khurshed Makhmudov
|
Istiklol
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Note: Goals scored in qualifying play-off not counted when determining top scorer (see regulations, Article 77.4).[1][26]
Source: the-AFC.com[27][28][29]
|
| |
|---|---|
« 2014 2016 » | |
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