The AFC Cup 2014 was the 11th season of the second most important Asian competition for club teams in football . 34 clubs from 19 national associations took part in the competition.
The season began with a qualifying round on February 2 and ended with the final on October 18, 2014 at al-Shabab Stadium in Dubai , the capital of the United Arab Emirates . al Qadsia Kuwait won the competition by beating Erbil SC 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw after 90 and 120 minutes. Defending champion al Kuwait SC was eliminated in the quarterfinals against Persipura Jayapura .
The AFC determined the association members eligible to participate on November 26, 2013.
Compared to the AFC Cup 2013 , members could apply for the following changes:
An association that played in the AFC Cup was allowed to apply for the 2014 AFC Champions League . Associations that only partially met the Champions League criteria are allowed to participate in both the AFC Cup and the Champions League.
An association that took part in the President's Cup was allowed to apply for the AFC Cup.
Each association may send two teams.
The master is set directly for the group stage.
The cup winner or the second in the league starts in the group stage or qualification depending on the AFC classification.
Starting places for the AFC Cup 2014
Rank within the top 23, receives 2 direct starting positions
Rank between 24 and 34, receives 2 direct starting places
In the group stage, 32 teams played in eight groups, each with four teams in league mode (home and return) according to the three-point rule. The teams were divided according to geographical considerations: teams from West and Central Asia played in groups A to E, teams from East and Southeast Asia competed in groups F to H. The first two of the group qualified for the final round of the last 16.
Final round
The round of 16 was drawn and decided in just one game. From the quarter-finals onwards, the tournament winners were played in a knockout system with a return leg, with the away goals rule applying . If there is no winner in the second leg and / or final after regular playing time and extra time, the winner will be determined in a penalty shoot-out.
The final was played in just one game. The venue was the home stadium of one of the two finalists.
Match days
The games will be played on the following dates. The draw for the qualifying, group and eight-final matches took place on December 6, 2012 in Kuala Lumpur .
Qualifiers: February 2nd
Group stage: 25./26. February, 11./12. March, 18./19. March, 1st / 2nd April, 8./9. April 22nd / 23rd April
Round of 16: 13./14. May
Quarter-finals: August 19-26
Semi-finals: September 16 and 30
Final: October 18th
Qualifying round
The draw for the qualifying matches took place on December 10, 2013.
The group stage was also drawn on December 10, 2013. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups with four participants each. Teams from the same country could not be drawn into the same group. Everyone plays a game against each other. The two best teams in each group advance to the round of 16.
The tables are created according to the following rules:
Number of points (win 3 points, draw one point, defeat 0 points)
Goal difference from direct encounters
Number of hits achieved in direct encounter
Goal difference in all matches of the group
Number of hits scored in all matches in the group
Penalty shoot-out by the teams concerned (only after the direct encounter at the end of the group stage)
Lower fair play value (one point for each yellow card, 3 points for each red card, 3 points for each red-yellow card, 4 points for each yellow card which is followed by a red card)
al Qadsia Kuwait (1st title)
Juan Belencoso
al-Yarmuk al-Rawda
Alai Osh
al-Hidd
That Ras
Yangon United
Churchill Brothers
1: 1 Amjad Radhi 
Hawar Mulla Mohammed 
Luay Salah (89.), Herdi Siamand (120.)
Omar Al Soma
César
Boakay Eddie Foday