The knock-out stage of the 2014 AFC Cup was played from 13 May to 18 October 2014. A total of 16 teams competed in the knock-out stage.[1]
The winners and runners-up of each of the eight groups in the group stage qualified for the knock-out stage. Both West Asia Zone and East Asia Zone had eight teams qualified.
| Zone | Group | width=210 | Winners | width=210 | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Asia Zone (Groups A–D) | A | Safa |  That Ras | ||
| B | Al-Kuwait | Al-Nejmeh | |||
| C | Al-Qadsia |  Al-Hidd | |||
| D |  Erbil | Riffa | |||
| East Asia Zone (Groups E–H) | E |  Persipura Jayapura |  Churchill Brothers | ||
| F | Hà Nội T&T | Arema Cronus | |||
| G | Vissai Ninh Bình | Yangon United | |||
| H |  Kitchee | Nay Pyi Taw |
In the knock-out stage, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, while in the round of 16 and final, each tie was played as a single match. The away goals rule (for two-legged ties), extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[1]
The schedule of each round was as follows.[2]
| Round | First leg | Second leg | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | 13–14 May 2014 | ||
| Quarter-finals | 19 August 2014 | 26 August 2014 | |
| Semi-finals | 16 September 2014 | 30 September 2014 | |
| Final | 18 October 2014 | ||
In the round of 16, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group in the same zone, with the group winners hosting the match.[1] The matchups were determined as follows:
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 28 May 2014, 15:00 UTC+8, at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[3] Teams from different zones could be drawn into the same tie, and the "country protection" rule was applied, so teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same tie.
There was no draw for the semi-finals, with the matchups determined by the quarter-final draw: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2 and Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4, with winners QF2 and QF4 hosting the second leg.
The draw to decide the host team of the final was held after the quarter-final draw.[3]
|-!colspan=3|West Asia Zone|-!colspan=3|East Asia Zone
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Persipura Jayapura won 8–4 on aggregate.----Kitchee won 4–3 on aggregate.----3–3 on aggregate. Al-Qadsia won on away goals.----Erbil won 3–0 on aggregate.
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Al-Qadsia won 10–2 on aggregate.----Erbil won 3–2 on aggregate.
See main article: article and 2014 AFC Cup Final.