2017 AFC Cup qualifying round

The 2017 AFC Cup qualifying round was played from 19 to 25 August 2016.^[1] A total of nine teams competed in the qualifying round to decide three places in the qualifying play-offs of the 2017 AFC Cup.^[2]

2017 AFC Cup qualifying round

2017 AFC Cup play-off qualifiers
Tournament details
Host countries	Kyrgyzstan  Mongolia  Bhutan
Dates	19–25 August 2016
Teams	9 (from 9 associations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played	9
Goals scored	25 (2.78 per match)
Attendance	7,966 (885 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Jean Jules Ikanga (3 goals)
← 2016

Teams

The following nine teams from nine associations entered the qualifying round.^[3] Teams were not split into zones for the qualifying round.

In the following table, the number of appearances and last appearance count all those since the 2004 season (including both competition proper and qualifying rounds).

Association	Team	Qualifying method	App	Last App
Bangladesh	Sheikh Russel	2015 Bangladesh Football Premier League runners-up	2nd	2015
Bhutan	Tertons	2015 Bhutan National League champions	1st	none
Cambodia	Nagaworld	2015 Cambodian League runners-up	1st	none
Chinese Taipei	Tatung	2015–16 Intercity Football League runners-up	1st	none
Guam	Rovers	2015–16 Guam Soccer League champions	1st	none
Kyrgyzstan	Dordoi	2015 Kyrgyzstan League runners-up	2nd	2015
Macau	Benfica de Macau	2016 Campeonato da 1ª Divisão do Futebol champions	2nd	2016
Mongolia	Erchim	2015 Mongolian Premier League champions	1st	none
Nepal	Three Star Club	2015 Nepal National League champions	1st	none

Rovers were the first team from Guam to play in an AFC club competition.^[4]

Draw

The draw for the qualifying round was held on 17 June 2016, 11:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.^[5] The nine teams were drawn into three groups of three.^[6]

For the draw, the pre-selected hosts were placed in their own pot, while the remaining teams were seeded according to the performance of their association in the 2016 AFC Cup qualifying round, with associations participating ranked and associations not participating unranked.^[7]

Pot 1 (Hosts)	Pot 2 (Ranked teams)	Pot 3 (Unranked teams)
Dordoi Terton Erchim	Sheikh Russel (ranked 1st) Benfica de Macau (ranked 2nd)	Three Star Club Nagaworld Tatung Rovers

Format

In the qualifying round, each group was played on a single round-robin basis at the pre-selected hosts. The winners of each group advanced to the qualifying play-offs.

Tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order (Regulations Article 10.4):^[2]

1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
4. Goal difference in all group matches;
5. Goals scored in all group matches;
6. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
7. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
8. Drawing of lots.

Schedule

The schedule of each matchday was as follows.^[1]

Matchday	Date		Match
	Group A	Groups B & C
Matchday 1	19 August 2016	21 August 2016	Team 3 vs. Team 1
Matchday 2	21 August 2016	23 August 2016	Team 2 vs. Team 3
Matchday 3	23 August 2016	25 August 2016	Team 1 vs. Team 2

Host Countries

Thimphu	Ulaanbaatar	Bishkek
Changlimithang Stadium	MFF Football Centre	Dordoi Stadium
Capacity: 45,000	Capacity: 5,000	Capacity: 3,000

Groups

Group A

• All matches were held in Kyrgyzstan.
• Times listed were UTC+6.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		DOR	BEN	ROV
1	Dordoi (H)	2	2	0	0	4	1	+3	6	Qualifying play-offs		—	2–1	—
2	Benfica de Macau	2	1	0	1	5	4	+1	3			—	—	4–2
3	Rovers	2	0	0	2	2	6	−4	0			0–2	—	—

Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Rovers	0–2	Dordoi
	Report	Vlasichev 65', 89' (pen.)

19 August 2016 (2016-08-19)

17:30

Dordoi Stadium, Bishkek

Attendance: 850

Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)

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Benfica de Macau	4–2	Rovers
Leonel 5', 9' Torrão 33' Chan Man 74' (pen.)	Report	Cunliffe 78' McDonald 84'

21 August 2016 (2016-08-21)

17:30

Dordoi Stadium, Bishkek

Attendance: 350

Referee: Çarymyrat Kurbanow (Turkmenistan)

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Dordoi	2–1	Benfica de Macau
Tetteh 10' Akhmataliev 77'	Report	Filipe 3'

23 August 2016 (2016-08-23)

17:30

Dordoi Stadium, Bishkek

Attendance: 950

Referee: Hussein Abo Yehia (Lebanon)

Group B

• All matches were held in Mongolia.
• Times listed were UTC+9.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		TSC	ERC	NAG
1	Three Star Club	2	1	1	0	3	1	+2	4	Qualifying play-offs[a]		—	2–0	—
2	Erchim (H)	2	1	0	1	1	2	−1	3			—	—	1–0
3	Nagaworld	2	0	1	1	1	2	−1	1			1–1	—	—

Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:

1. The All Nepal Football Association failed to register Three Star Club by the competition deadline for the qualifying play-offs.^[8]

Three Star Club	2–0	Erchim
Kayode 14' Lama 76'	Report

21 August 2016 (2016-08-21)

15:00

MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar

Attendance: 750

Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Jordan)

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Nagaworld	1–1	Three Star Club
Sovannara 28'	Report	Kayode 87'

23 August 2016 (2016-08-23)

18:00

MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar

Attendance: 100

Referee: Jansen Foo (Singapore)

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Erchim	1–0	Nagaworld
Davaajav 90+3'	Report

25 August 2016 (2016-08-25)

18:00

MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar

Attendance: 200

Referee: Khurram Shahzad (Pakistan)

Group C

• All matches were held in Bhutan.
• Times listed were UTC+6.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		TER	TAT	SHR
1	Tertons (H)	2	1	1	0	4	3	+1	4	Qualifying play-offs[a]		—	—	4–3
2	Tatung	2	0	2	0	1	1	0	2			0–0	—	—
3	Sheikh Russel	2	0	1	1	4	5	−1	1			—	1–1	—

Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:

1. The Bhutan Football Federation registered Thimphu City, instead of Tertons, as their representative for the qualifying play-offs.

Tatung	0–0	Tertons
	Report

21 August 2016 (2016-08-21)

18:00

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 2,000

Referee: Pranjal Banerjee (India)

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Sheikh Russel	1–1	Tatung
Ikanga 32'	Report	Hung Shih-cheng 81' (pen.)

23 August 2016 (2016-08-23)

18:00

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 766

Referee: Omar Al-Yaqoubi (Oman)

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Tertons	4–3	Sheikh Russel
Gyeltshen 18', 41' Dorji 30' Wangdi 35'	Report	Ikanga 20', 70' Rony 66'

25 August 2016 (2016-08-25)

18:00

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 2,000

Referee: Timur Faizullin (Kyrgyzstan)