The 2017 AFC Cup knockout stage was played from 16 May to 4 November 2017.[1] A total of 11 teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the champions of the 2017 AFC Cup.[2]
The following teams advanced from the group stage:
| Key to colours | |
|---|---|
| Teams which enter the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals | |
| Teams which enter the Zonal semi-finals |
| width=120 | Zone | Group | width=200 | Winners | width=200 | Best Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Asia Zone | A |  Al-Zawraa | bgcolor=#BBF3FF rowspan=3 |  Al-Wahda | ||
| B | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | |||||
| C |  Al-Wehdat | |||||
| Central Asia Zone | D |  Istiklol | — | |||
| South Asia Zone | E |  Bengaluru FC | — | |||
| ASEAN Zone | F | Global Cebu | bgcolor=#BBF3FF rowspan=3 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | ||
| G | Ceres–Negros | |||||
| H | Home United | |||||
| East Asia Zone | I |  April 25 | — |
In the knockout stage, the 11 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the teams split into the five zones until the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, except the final which was played as a single match. The away goals rule (for two-legged ties), extra time (away goals would not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 11.3).[2]
The schedule of each round was as follows (W: West Asia Zone; A: ASEAN Zone).[1] Matches in the West Asia Zone were played on Mondays and Tuesdays, while matches in the ASEAN Zone and the Inter-zone play-offs were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
| Round | First leg | Second leg | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zonal semi-finals | 16–17, 22 May 2017 (W, A) | 29–31 May 2017 (W, A) | |
| Zonal finals | 2 August 2017 (A), 12 September 2017 (W) | 9 August 2017 (A), 26 September 2017 (W) | |
| Inter-zone play-off semi-finals | 22–23 August 2017 | 12–13 September 2017 | |
| Inter-zone play-off final | 27 September 2017 | 18 October 2017 | |
| Final | 4 November 2017 | ||
The bracket of the knockout stage was determined as follows:
| Round | Matchups | |
|---|---|---|
| Zonal semi-finals | (Matchups and order of legs determined by identity of best runner-up: first team listed host first leg, second team listed host second leg)
| |
| Zonal finals | (Order of legs decided by draw)
| |
| Inter-zone play-off semi-finals | (Matchups and order of legs decided by draw, involving Winner Group D, Winner Group E, Winner Group I, and Winner AF)
| |
| Inter-zone play-off final | (Winner IZSF1 host first leg, Winner IZSF2 host second leg)
| |
| Final | (Host team decided by draw)
|
In the Zonal semi-finals, the four qualified teams from the West Asia Zone (Groups A–C) played in two ties, and the four qualified teams from the ASEAN Zone (Groups F–H) played in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs determined by the group stage draw and identity of the best runner-up.[3]
|+West Asia Zone|+ASEAN Zone
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won 2–1 on aggregate.----Al-Wahda won 4–2 on aggregate.
Home United won 5–4 on aggregate.----4–4 on aggregate. Ceres–Negros won on away goals.
The draw for the Zonal finals was held on 6 June 2017. In the Zonal finals, the two winners of West Asia Zonal semi-finals played each other, and the two winners of ASEAN Zonal semi-finals played each other, with the order of legs decided by draw.[4] [5] [6] The winner of the West Asia Zonal final advanced to the final, while the winner of the ASEAN Zonal final advanced to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals.
|+West Asia Zone|+ASEAN Zone
2–2 on aggregate. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won on away goals.
Ceres–Negros won 3–2 on aggregate.
The draw for the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals was held on 6 June 2017. In the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals, the four zonal winners other than the West Asia Zone played in two ties, i.e., the winner of the Central Asia Zone (Group D), the winner of the South Asia Zone (Group E), the winner of the East Asia Zone (Group I), and the winner of the ASEAN Zonal final (whose identity was not known at the time of the draw), with the matchups and order of legs decided by draw, without any seeding.[4] [5] [6]
|}
Istiklol won 5–1 on aggregate.----Bengaluru FC won 3–0 on aggregate.
In the Inter-zone play-off final, the two winners of the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals played each other, with the order of legs determined by the Inter-zone play-off semi-final draw.[4] The winner of the Inter-zone play-off final advanced to the final.
|}
Istiklol won 3–2 on aggregate.
See main article: article and 2017 AFC Cup Final. The draw for the final was held on 6 June 2017. In the final, the winner of the West Asia Zonal final and the winner of the Inter-zone play-off final played each other, with the host team decided by draw.[4] [5] [6]