With Phnom Penh Crown about to take on Young Elephants in the Asian Football Confederation Cup, Cambodia desperately need the national champions to do well. What though is the AFC Cup and why are we so reliant on a good performance from Crown?
To read about Crown winning the Super Cup click here.
What is the AFC Cup?
The AFC Cup is the second-tier continental completion for Asia. Comparable to the Europa League in Europe it offers winners the chance to qualify for the AFC Champions League, the highest level of competition in the region.
It works with preliminary rounds, before group stages and then the knockout’s which lead to a gran final. Technically this completion offers more chances for lower ranked nations, such as Cambodia, but the reality is somewhat different.
How many spots do Cambodia get in the AFC Cup and AFC Champions League?
In the Champions League we get 0 and in the AFC Cup we get just 0+1, as in one spot in the qualifiers. This means only the national champions qualify, unlike other nations which can include higher placed teams and cup winners.
The reason we need Crown to do well is so that our coefficient can be raised, thus meaning we have more teams qualify. For context, the Philippines get a spot in the Champions League.
Why is our coefficient so bad? Quite simply because it was formerly also based on how the national team did, which for us was not that good.
We are though only 4 spots down from qualifying for an AFC CL place, so anything is possible.
Qualifying for the Champions League was a key tenet for the CPL when it was created in 2022.
You can read about the CPL here.
Who are Crown playing in the SFC Cup?
Crown are playing against the lower ranked Young Elephants of Laos over two-legs. Should PPC beat them then they will qualify for the play-off round against better ranked opposition.
Win this and they will get to the hallowed ground of the group stages, which as well as prestige also involves a bumper pay day.
And most importantly it could well help get more local clubs to qualify for regional competition and thus further help improve the Cambodian game.
Phnom Penh Crown vs Young Elephants can be watched live from the Smart RSN Stadium for those who have tickets, or on BTV.
Of course BPVE will be there covering it live….
This article is adapted from BPVE, (https://bpve.com/) reported and edited from the great team – Cambodia Sports Review. (https://www.cambodiasportsreview.com/)
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