May 13 – The AFC Cup returns tomorrow (Friday) with the launch of the 18th edition of the competition as the Central Zone gets underway in Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan.
The AFC Cup is something of a much-loved but problematic child. The competition is based around providing meaningful club competition for the AFC’s less-developed member associations but was one of the casualties of the pandemic in 2020, having been cancelled despite first matches been played.
With nations across the region in different stages of dealing with the pandemic, the expanded 2021 competition has proved a logistical challenge.
The successful fruits of that challenge will be seen tomorrow night when teams from Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikstan will kick off the competition’s group stages. Next Friday teams from the Western AFC zone will kick off centralised group play, while at the end of June the Eastern AFC zone teams will start their group play.
To see balls being kicked in competition will be a huge relief for the AFC, as well as teams like Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr who haven’t played a competitive match for the best part of six months. The seven times Turkmenistan Yokary Liga champions with a record seven successive titles to their name, face FC Khujand of Tajikistan.
In the other Group F game FC Nasaf of Uzbekistan face FC Alay of the Kryrgz Republic. All group games are being hosted in Dunshanbe, Tajikistan.
In the three team Group G, hosted in Bishtek,Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan’s Ahal FC face FC Ravshan Kulob of Tajikistan. Ahal are an experienced side at the AFC Cup level, having qualified for at least the preliminary stage of the competition five times since 2015, with four group stage wins to their name.
Ravshan are returning from a seven-year continental absence and have only just been promoted back to the top division of Tajik football after suffering relegation in 2015.
The third team in the group, FC Dordoi from the Kyrgyz Republic, face Ahal on Monday.
Only one team from each group will qualify automatically for the next round.
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