| February 04, 2019
#57/2019
The race for AFC Cup glory begins
The 2019 AFC Cup will kick-off when Hilal Alquds Club from Palestine hosts Oman's Al Suwaiq in the first leg of the West Zone playoff stage at the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium on Tuesday.
The 2019 season will see a new champion crowned as reigning title-holders Air Force Club from Iraq, who created history after claiming a third successive title last year, will instead compete for a place in the group stages of the 2019 AFC Champions League.
The upcoming edition, which will consist of 43 teams from 26 Member Associations, will see the total travel contribution doubled from US$2.94 million in 2018 to US$5.88 million in 2019.
The 2018 season continued to captivate the Continent as match attendances were broken on two occasions and the upcoming season promises to deliver once more with the return of former champions Qadsia SC of Kuwait and Al Jaish of Syria.
AFC General Secretary, Dato' Windsor John said the improvements mirror the Vision and Mission of the AFC to raise the standards of competitions in the Continent.
Dato' Windsor said: "The AFC is always looking at ways of improving the standard of our club competitions and the increase in travel contribution will go a long way in providing better action for our fans and offer lucrative rewards for the clubs.
"The AFC Cup showcases the continued growth and development of Asian clubs. The popularity of the competition has grown tremendously over the years and since we increased the number of club participation in 2018, we've reached new audiences from across Asia."
The second leg of the West Zone playoff between Al Suwaiq and Hilal Alquds Club will be played on February 12, 2019 where the winner qualifies for the AFC Cup group stage.
In the East Zone Preliminary Stage 1, clubs will clash for a spot in the playoff stage as Mongolian champions Erchim FC face DPR Korea's Ryŏmyŏng SC at the MFF Stadium on February 20, 2019
Meanwhile Kyrgyz Republic's FC Alay will host Turkmenistan side FC Ahal at the Akhmatbek Suyinbaev Stadium while Colombo FC of Sri Lanka take on Bhutan's Transport United at the Colombo Race Course Ground. The return legs will be played on February 27, 2019. | 
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