The AFC Cup is essentially Asia’s answer to the UEFA Europa League. This is the second tier international tournament in Asia, behind the AFC Champions League. It was founded in 2004, reformed in 2009, and now gives sides from the developing countries within Asian football the chance to compete across borders and win international recognition.
It is run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and while it does share some similarities with the Europa League, there are quite a few differences. The main aim of the trophy is to expand the high level competition around the continent. Unlike its European counterpart, the AFC Cup excludes clubs from within the established countries from competing, but despite this it is expanding in terms of the range of odds and markets available to bet on.
The sides involved come from countries deemed “developing” or “emerging” by the AFC. The top ranked countries within the confederation enter sides to play in the (AFC) Champions League, while the nations whose clubs miss out then send sides into the AFC Cup. That’s a pretty smart idea, given that only 18 of the 47 AFC members have ever made it into the group stage of the Champions League.
Of course, the more obscure nature of the entrants does make picking out the outright winner more difficult. It’s hard to keep track with all the European games on TV now, never mind following up sides from Oman and Bahrain and this can create difficulties for those wanting to bet on the AFC Cup. But, if you happen to know just who to look out for, you could well land yourself a pretty impressive return from an outright winner bet, whilst there is also occasionally value to be found in the match odds.
Throughout the years, the AFC Cup has changed and evolved. The early format featured around 18 teams, which has now expanded to include even more sides. For many years the competition was decided by a two legged final, but that was replaced by a neutral one off game in 2009.
The 2016 tournament will feature around 40 clubs. The 2014 reformat saw the introduction of a 32 team group stage, giving it a similar set-up to the UEFA Champions League. It maintained the one off final game, which is better from a betting perspective. In 2015, the AFC President’s Cup was absorbed into the AFC Cup, as the AFC streamlined.
Kuwaiti clubs lead the way in the AFC Cup, having won four titles and so they have traditionally been a good place to start when considering the outright winner betting and odds. Three of those titles were taken by Kuwait SC, who are the most successful side in the history of the competition. However, for the time being at least you won’t find a Kuwait club anywhere in the tournament winner betting, after the country was banned by FIFA.
Holders Johor Darul Ta’zim are certainly in the running to win it, and after their impressive start you might want to check out their odds of retaining the trophy. The best place to get the lowdown on all the AFC Cup betting is with our live odds comparison. It does all the hard work for you, giving you up to date prices from around the internet, so you get the best possible value and the biggest possible AFC Cup odds.
Now you know just what the AFC Cup is, how about having a bet on it? If you’re planning to check the competition out at any stage, be sure use our live odds comparison to pick out a bet and make things more interesting. Be it match betting or outright winner odds, we have everything you’re looking for right here.