AFC-affiliated countries which fall into the AFC's 'emerging nations' category as laid out in their 'Vision Asia' document. Countries which were 'mature' and 'developing' nations were entered into the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, respectively. For an 'emerging nation' to have a team representing it in the competition, however, the country must have an acceptable football league. The team that represents a country in one season of the competition is the defending champion of the top-level leagues of participating countries. Clubs from Nepal, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Cambodia were invited every year. Clubs from Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Philippines and North Korea were also invited in some of the years of the competition. Some participating countries – Palestine, Myanmar, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan – applied for an upgrade to the AFC Cup, so their club teams subsequently played in that competition. Other nations that could enter a team, but never did so are: Brunei, Timor-Leste, Guam, Laos, Macau and Afghanistan. In March 2012 the AFC announced that the Northern Mariana Islands were approved to participate in the AFC Challenge Cup and AFC President's Cup if they fulfilled the criteria. However, they never entered a team. Results Performance Performance by nation Performance by club By coach Awards Top scorers Best players See also AFC President's Cup records and statistics References External links AFC President's Cup – RSSSF Defunct Asian Football Confederation club competitions Recurring sporting events established in 2005 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2014 2005 establishments in Asia 2014 disestablishments in Asia