AFC shifts focus to building new Nations League structure ‘in the coming period’

27 December – After successfully reorganizing and relaunching its club competition ecosystem, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has returned its attention to the national team competition structure and reaffirmed plans to introduce the AFC Nations League.

As the AFC region emerged from the pandemic a little later than other confederations, the AFC had to be creative with a redesigned competition calendar that not only creates opportunities for all its countries but also provides space for competitions to complete their natural cycles, especially in terms of qualifying for major international competitions.

Attention is now turning to how to “increase development opportunities for Member Associations (MAs) and build a more structured and sustainable international competition framework.”

The Nations League format is the most obvious solution to provide a structured and sustainable competition framework, the AFC said.

The core issue driving this rethink is how to utilize the international match window effectively, as the AFC is “increasingly challenging due to limited availability of opponents, increasing operational costs and logistical complexity, which often reduces the sporting value of international matches.”

The proposed League of Nations structure solved this problem by creating competitive balance through a level-based system, while increasing cost efficiency through centralized coordination. This also provides a clearer pathway for national teams to progress to elite national team competitions.

AFC Secretary General Datuk Seri Windsor John said: “The AFC Nations League is an important step forward in our ongoing commitment to support the development of our 47 Member Associations. By introducing a structured competition platform during the FIFA International Match Window, with greater calendar stability and clear sporting incentives, we aim to ensure consistent access to high-quality matches while addressing the logistical and cost-related challenges faced by National Teams.”

Without going into specifics, the AFC said the timeframe for the new structure was “in the near future”. Details regarding the format and schedule of the competition still need to be finalized through the AFC committee and consultation with stakeholders.

The AFC said demand for a new national team structure was strong from both stakeholders and commercial partners.

“In addition to the sporting benefits, we are also seeing strong interest and increasing demand from our commercial partners for a Nations League-style competition, reflecting its appeal to fans, broadcasters and stakeholders as well as its ability to deliver a more compelling and marketable international football product,” said John.

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