In line with Europe, Asia to have Nations League competition

New Delhi: The Asian Football Confederation will launch a Nations League contest similar to UEFA’s move in Europe to improve competitive levels of its member countries.

The tournament is also aimed to provide commercial opportunities for national teams across the continent, taking cue for UEFA that launched it in 2018 and was made a day after the African confederation announced start of a similar tournament in 2029.

"The AFC Nations League represents an important step forward in our ongoing commitment to support the development of our 47 member associations," AFC general secretary Windsor John said in a statement.

"By introducing a structured competition platform... we aim to ensure consistent access to high-quality matches while addressing logistical and cost-related challenges faced by national teams."

AFC didn’t finalise a kick-off date but said would use existing FIFA international windows to organise the competition.

UEFA divides European national teams into tiers and arranges matches during those designated windows.

AFC’s current showpiece tournament is the Asian Cup, which is held after four years, with the next edition due to be played in Saudi Arabia in January 2027 among 24 teams.

The continental body said details on the format, timeline and implementation will be announced later after consultations with stakeholders.

UEFA's Nations League was introduced with an aim of allowing lower-ranked teams to play against similarly ranked teams, improving chances of qualification for major tournaments.