<div>The hosts return to the AFC Cup knockout stage for the first time in six years, having last reached the semi-finals in 2015, then exited at the 2019 group stage following a four-year hiatus mandated by a FIFA ban on Kuwaiti football. Prior to that, Kuwait SC had won the title in 2009, 2012 and 2013; a record tally they share with Iraq’s Air Force Club.</div>
