The draw for the AFC Challenge Cup 2014 will take place on Wednesday, February 12 at the Paradise Island Resort in the Maldives.
Joining the tournament hosts in next month’s draw are two-time runners-up Turkmenistan, 2013 SAFF Cup champions Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Palestine, the Philippines and Laos, who will be making their debut in the AFC Challenge Cup finals after booking their place as one of the two best runners-up from the qualifiers.
The eight-team competition will be held in the Maldives from May 19 to 30 with the winners of the fifth edition of the tournament for emerging nations also earning a berth at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia.
The Asian Football Confederation announcement confirms for once and all that the Maldives would be hosting the 2014 edition of the AFC Challenge Cup, which had been in doubt in recent weeks.