2010 AFC Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 23 February – 6 November 2010 |
| Teams | 26+5 (from 17 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 Al-Ittihad (1st title)
|
| Runners-up |
 Al-Qadsia
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 111 |
| Goals scored | 338 (3.05 per match) |
| Attendance | 782,483 (7,049 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
 Afonso Alves (9 goals) |
The 2010 AFC Cup was the 7th edition of the AFC Cup, playing between clubs from nations who are members of the Asian Football Confederation. As in previous years, Nike provided the official ball for all matches with a new Nike Total 90 Ascente model used throughout the season.
With the Asian Football Confederation currently reviewing the format of the AFC Champions League between 2009 and 2010 season, significant changes were made in the way the competition is run, the teams that will qualify for the AFC Cup is also expected to be from different countries compared to the previous editions.
The preliminary qualification scheme for the AFC 2010 was released in 2008. A total of 33 clubs were due to participate in the 2010 AFC Cup (eventually reduced to 31).
The teams were from the following associations:
The following is the list of participants confirmed by the AFC.
1 Al-Kuwait failed to fulfil the criteria set by AFC to compete in the 2010 AFC Champions League, and so directly enter the 2010 AFC Cup.
2 Nasaf Qarshi were due to host Al-Rayyan in the qualifying play-off, with the winner advancing to the group stage (Group E). However, both teams advanced automatically to the group stage after the two teams from Iraq, Arbil (Group C) and Najaf (Group B), were disqualified after FIFA's suspension on the Iraq Football Association was not lifted on 6 January 2010. As a result, the tournament was reduced to 31 teams.
3Negeri Sembilan FA (second representative of Malaysia) withdrew, and was replaced by Persiwa Wamena.
The 2010 AFC Cup will have the same format as the 2009 AFC Cup.
The draw for the group stage was held on 7 December 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The ACL play-off losers were placed in their groups on 8 February 2010.
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