The AFC is studying multiple formats for the Asian Nations League

The Asian Football Confederation is studying multiple options for the format of the “Asia Nations League” tournament expected to be launched as part of a project to restructure national team competitions on the continent, amid a trend to find a formula that gives international matches greater competitive importance and reduces reliance on friendly confrontations.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned that the concepts up for discussion include holding the Nations League as an independent tournament in its own right, or linking it directly to the qualifiers for the World Cup and the Asian Cup, in addition to an option based on holding the competitions according to a regional division within the continent, while discussions are still ongoing to reach the final formula.

One of the formulas being discussed includes holding the tournament every two years, starting from 2030, and dividing the continent’s 47 teams into three levels, with the first level including 18 teams, and the same in the second level, compared to 11 teams in the third level.

According to this formula, there will be no division between the east and west of the continent; The teams will compete within unified levels, with a system of promotion and relegation adopted between them, allowing the teams to move between levels according to their results.

In the editions linked to the World Cup qualifiers, the Nations League will be part of the qualification path to the World Cup. The top six places in the first level qualify directly to the finals, while the teams occupying positions from seventh to tenth move to a playoff stage to determine two additional direct tickets, in addition to determining the team that competes in the global playoff.

As for the versions associated with the Asian Cup, the formula proposes that all first-level teams qualify for the continental finals, along with the best six second-level teams.

The proposal is not limited to using the tournament as a qualification path; It also includes the qualification of the best eight teams in the first level to the knockout rounds to determine the AFC Nations League champion.

The AFC proposes to hold a trial version during the 2028 and 2029 seasons, before the start of the first official version in 2030, provided that the trial stage is used to test the system and determine the distribution of teams at different levels.

The options presented are still in the study and consultation stage, and the AFC has not yet adopted the final form of the tournament, whether by holding an independent competition, linking it to the qualification paths for major tournaments, or adopting a regional formula, awaiting the determination of the model that will form the new system for Asian team competitions.

The proposed proposals face multiple organizational and logistical challenges, in light of the great geographical breadth of the Asian continent, the long distances between the teams in the east, west and south of the continent, and the resulting long trips and high operational costs, in addition to the difficulty of aligning match dates with the international calendar and the entitlements of clubs and teams.

These challenges increase if a unified formula is adopted that brings together the continent’s teams without geographical division. Teams may have to travel long distances to play one match during the international break, which makes aspects related to travel, hospitalization, and rest periods issues that must be taken into consideration when choosing the final system for the tournament.