No direct entry for 2012 AFC Challenge Cup

Kuala Lumpur: AFC has announced that no team will be given a direct entry into the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup Finals.

Defending champions DPR Korea, runners-up Turkmenistan and third-placed Tajikistan will now have to go through the qualifiers to punch their tickets to the Finals.

In a letter to all Member Associations, AFC has also informed about the format of the competition which was ratified by the Executive Committee in its meeting on July 30, 2010, in Kuala Lumpur.

The following is the approved format for the said championship:


•All 22 eligible Member Associations will compete in qualifiers (or playoff, if necessary).
•The final qualifying round shall consist of four groups of four teams each.
•The winners and runners-up from each group (total eight teams) will qualify for the tournament proper.
•If there are more than 16 teams, the teams are to play pre-qualifying round (Home and Away).
•Only the eight qualified teams for the tournament proper can bid to host the Finals.

AFC.com