The 2019 AFC Cup qualifying play-offs were played from 5 February to 13 March 2019.[1] A total of 11 teams competed in the qualifying play-offs to decide four of the 36 places in the group stage of the 2019 AFC Cup.[2]
The following 11 teams, split into five zones (West Asia Zone, Central Asia Zone, South Asia Zone, ASEAN Zone, East Asia Zone), entered the qualifying play-offs, consisting of two rounds:
| Zone | Teams entering in play-off round | Teams entering in preliminary round | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Asia Zone | valign=top | valign=top | |||
| Central Asia Zone | valign=top | valign=top | |||
| South Asia Zone | valign=top | valign=top | |||
| ASEAN Zone | valign=top colspan=2 | None | |||
| East Asia Zone | valign=top | valign=top |
In the qualifying play-offs, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule, extra time (away goals do not apply in extra time) and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary (Regulations Article 9.3). The four winners of the play-off round (one each from West Asia Zone, Central Asia Zone, South Asia Zone, East Asia Zone) advanced to the group stage to join the 32 direct entrants.[2]
The schedule of each round was as follows.[1] [3]
| Round | West Asia Zone | Central Asia Zone, South Asia Zone, East Asia Zone | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First leg | Second leg | First leg | Second leg | ||
| Preliminary round | Not played | 20 February 2019 | 27 February 2019 | ||
| Play-off round | 5 February 2019 | 12 February 2019 | 6 March 2019 | 13 March 2019 | |
The bracket of the qualifying play-offs for each zone, determined based on the association ranking of each team, with the team from the higher-ranked association hosting the second leg, was officially announced by the AFC prior to the group stage draw on 22 November 2018.[4]
Khujand advanced to Group D.
Chennaiyin advanced to Group E.
Tai Po advanced to Group I.A total of six teams played in the preliminary round.|+Central Asia Zone|+South Asia Zone|+East Asia Zone
Ahal won 3–1 on aggregate.
Colombo won 9–2 on aggregate.
Ryomyong won 6–0 on aggregate.
A total of eight teams played in the play-off round: five teams which entered in this round, and three winners of the preliminary round.|+West Asia Zone|+Central Asia Zone|+South Asia Zone|+East Asia Zone
Hilal Al-Quds won 3–1 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate. Khujand won on away goals.
Chennaiyin won 1–0 on aggregate.
0–0 on aggregate. Tai Po won 5–3 on penalties.
