The 2021 AFC Cup qualifying play-offs were played from 7 April to 15 August 2021.[1] A total of seven teams competed in the qualifying play-offs to decide three of the 38 places in the group stage of the 2021 AFC Cup.[2]
The following 7 teams, split into five zones (West Asia Zone, Central Asia Zone, South Asia Zone, ASEAN Zone, East Asia Zone), entered the qualifying play-offs, consisting of three rounds:
| Zone | Teams entering in play-off round | Teams entering in preliminary round 2 | Teams entering in preliminary round 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Asia Zone | |||
| South Asia Zone | |||
| Central Asia Zone |
None
| ||
| ASEAN Zone | |||
| East Asia Zone |
None
| ||
In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played as a single match. Extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[2]
The schedule of each round was as follows.[1][3][4]
| Round | West Asia Zone | South Asia Zone | ASEAN Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round 1 | Not played | 7 April 2021 | Not played |
| Preliminary round 2 | Not played | 14 April 2021 | Cancelled[note 3] |
| Play-off round | Cancelled[note 1] | 15 August 2021 | Cancelled[note 3] |
The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each zone was determined based on each team's association ranking, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the match. The one winner of preliminary round 2 (from ASEAN Zone) and one winner of the play-off round (from South Zone) advanced to the group stage to join the 35 direct entrants.[5]
| Play-off round | |
| ||
| ||
| ||
|  Markaz Shabab Al-Am'ari | — |
| ||
|  Al-Kuwait | — |
| ||
| Preliminary round 1 | Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | |||||||
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| 14 April | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
|  Bengaluru | 5 | ||||||||
| 7 April | |||||||||
|  Nepal Army Club | 0 | ||||||||
| Nepal Army Club | 5 | ||||||||
| 15 August | |||||||||
|  Sri Lanka Police | 1 | ||||||||
| Bengaluru | 1 | ||||||||
| ||||||||||
|  Eagles | 0 | ||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
|
| |||||||||
|  Abahani Limited Dhaka | — | ||||||||
| 7 April | |||||||||
| Eagles (w/o) | — | ||||||||
| Eagles | 2 | ||||||||
| ||||||||||
|  Thimphu City | 0 | ||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | ||||
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| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
|  Hanthawady United | — | ||||
| ||||||
|  Winners of ASEAN 2.1 (w/o) | — | ||||
|  Chanthabouly | — | ||||
| ||||||
|  Kasuka | — | ||||
| ||||||
| Preliminary round 2 | Play-off round | ||||
| ||||||
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| ||||||
|  Persipura Jayapura | — | ||||
| ||||||
| Winners of ASEAN 2.2 | — | ||||
|  Visakha | — | ||||
| ||||||
|  Lalenok United | — | ||||
| ||||||
A total of four teams played in the preliminary round 1.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Nepal Army Club
|
5–1 | Sri Lanka Police
|
| Eagles
|
2–0 | Thimphu City
|
| Nepal Army Club | 5–1 | Sri Lanka Police |
|---|---|---|
 43', 90+3' 50' 83' |
Report |
|
Attendance: 2,470
Referee: Ahmad Al Ali (Kuwait)
| Eagles | 2–0 | Thimphu City |
|---|---|---|
90' |
Report |
Attendance: 25
Referee: Nasrullo Kabirov (Tajikistan)
A total of eight teams played in the preliminary round 2: six teams which entered in this round, and two winners of the preliminary round 1.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru
|
5–0 | Nepal Army Club
|
| Abahani Limited Dhaka
|
Cancelled[note 2] | Eagles
|
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chanthabouly
|
Cancelled[note 3] | Kasuka
|
| Visakha
|
Cancelled[note 3] | Lalenok United
|
| Bengaluru | 5–0 | Nepal Army Club |
|---|---|---|
52' 61', 65' |
Report |
Attendance: 0
Referee: Ali Reda (Lebanon)
| Abahani Limited Dhaka | Cancelled[note 2] | Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Chanthabouly | Cancelled | Kasuka |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Visakha | Cancelled | Lalenok United |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
A total of eight teams played in the play-off round: four teams which entered in this round, and four winners of the preliminary round 2.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Markaz Shabab Al-Am'ari
|
Cancelled[note 1] | Al-Kuwait
|
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru
|
1–0 | Eagles
|
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Hanthawady United
|
Cancelled[note 3] | Winners of ASEAN 2.1 |
| Persipura Jayapura
|
Cancelled[note 3] | Winners of ASEAN 2.2 |
| Markaz Shabab Al-Am'ari | Cancelled[note 1] | Al-Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Bengaluru | 1–0 | Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Rane 26' |
Report |
Attendance: 0
Referee: Qasim Al-Hatmi (Oman)
| Hanthawady United | Cancelled[note 3] | Winners of ASEAN 2.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Persipura Jayapura | Cancelled[note 3] | Winners of ASEAN 2.2 |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| |
|---|---|
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