| The Chinese Football Association Cup | |
| Year: | 2018 |
| Other Titles: | CFA Cup |
| Country: |  China |
| Dates: | 11 November 2017–30 November 2018 |
| Num Teams: | 64 |
| Champions: | Beijing Sinobo Guoan |
| Count: | 4 |
| Runner-Up: | Shandong Luneng Taishan |
| Continentalcup1: | AFC Champions League |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Beijing Sinobo Guoan |
| Matches: | 78 |
| Goals: | 210 |
| Top Goal Scorer: |  Jonathan Viera (5 goals) |
| Player: | Zhang Xizhe |
| Prevseason: | 2017 |
| Nextseason: | 2019 |
Yanjing Beer 2018 Chinese FA Cup was the 20th edition of the Chinese FA Cup. On 29 December 2017, Yanjing Beer extended their sponsorship contract for another four years (2018–2021).[1]
The schedule was as follows.[2] [3]
| Round | Dates | Clubs remaining | Clubs involved | Winners from previous round | New entries this round | New Entries Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | 11–18 November 2017 | 92 | 16 | none | 16 | ||
| Qualifying round | 30 December 2017 – 7 January 2018 | 84 | 24 | 8 | 16 | ||
| First round | 17–18 March | 72 | 16 | 8 | 8 | last 8 teams from the 2018 China League Two and last 8 teams from the qualifying round | |
| Second round | 24–25 March | 64 | 32 | 8 | 24 | top 20 teams from the 2018 China League Two and top 4 teams from the qualifying round | |
| Third round | 10–12 April | 48 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 16 2018 China League One teams | |
| Fourth Round | 24–25 April | 32 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 16 2018 Chinese Super League teams | |
| Fifth Round | 1–2 May | 16 | 16 | 16 | none | ||
| Quarter-finals | First leg 9 June and 7–8 July Second leg 24–25 July | 8 | 8 | 8 | none | ||
| Semi-finals | First leg 21–23 August Second leg 25–27 September | 4 | 4 | 4 | none | ||
| Final | First leg 24–25 November Second leg 1–2 December | 2 | 2 | 2 | none |
According to Chinese FA Cup Procedure, in each round, home team advantages are decided as follows.[4]
| Rounds | Rules |
|---|---|
| First round | According to FA Cup draw. |
| Second round | |
| Third round | The team in lower tier in 2018 season decides whether they play at home. |
| Fourth round | |
| Fifth round | Teams in different tiers: The team in lower tier in 2018 season decides whether they play at home. Teams in the same tier: The team ranked higher in 2017 season decides whether they play at home. |
| Quarter-finals | Teams in different tiers: The team in higher tier in 2018 season will hold the 1st leg and the other team hold the 2nd leg. Teams in the same tier: The team ranked lower in 2017 season will hold the 1st leg and the other team hold the 2nd leg. |
| Semi-finals | |
| Final |
For the 2018 Chinese FA Cup preliminary round, the local football associations are allocated places according to the total number of FA Cup matches of all amateur clubs associated to local FAs from 2011 to 2016.[5] Shanghai Jiading Boji, who advanced to the third round of 2017 Chinese FA Cup, and the champions and the runners-up of 2017 "I Love Football" Chinese Football Nongovernmental Championships would join the qualifying round directly.[5]
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29 teams registered to participate in the qualifying rounds of the 2018 Chinese FA Cup. Teams ranked 9–13 in the north group and Teams ranked 6–17 in the south group participated in this round.[6]
Teams ranked 1–8 in the north group, teams ranked 1–5 in the south group, 8 preliminary round winners, Shanghai Huajiao and Hangzhou Wuyue Qiantang, the champions and the runners-up of 2017 "I Love Football" Chinese Football Nongovernmental Championships and Shanghai Jiading Boji, who advanced to the third round of 2017 Chinese FA Cup will participate in this round.[6] Hangzhou Wuyue Qiantang, already qualified as top five teams in the south group, left a vacancy which was filled by Nanchang Teneng. Shenyang West Winner, already qualified as top eight teams in the north group, withdrew and replaced by Chifeng Hongshan Shire.
Format of qualifying round was a variation of Double-elimination tournament with three rounds as follows.
Shenzhen Pengcheng and Sichuan Jiuniu replaced Qiqihaer Zhongjian Bituminous Concrete and Lhasa Urban Construction Investment who withdrew from 2018 China League Two in the original draw.[7]
Baotou Nanjiao and Fujian Tianxin replaced Chengdu Qbao and Shanghai JuJu Sports who withdrew from 2018 China League Two in the original draw.[7]
Dalian Yifang won 5–0 on aggregate.
Shandong Luneng Taishan won 3–0 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate. Beijing Sinobo Guoan won 5–4 on penalties.
Guangzhou R&F won 3–2 on aggregate.
Shandong Luneng Taishan won 4–0 on aggregate.
Beijing Sinobo Guoan won 8–1 on aggregate.
| Assistant referees
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| Assistant referees
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Jonathan Viera (Beijing Sinobo Guoan) (5 goals)[8] Zhang Xizhe (Beijing Sinobo Guoan)[8]| Round | MVP | Club | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xia Shicong | Jinan Dayou | |
| 2 | Song Zhenyu | Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic | [9] |
| 3 | Wang Jingbin | Shanghai Shenxin | |
| 4 | Zhang Wenzhao | Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao | |
| 5 | Yan Junling | Shanghai SIPG | |
| QF | Jonathan Viera | Beijing Sinobo Guoan | |