AFC Nations League is Set to be Launched

AFC Nations League is Set to be Launched! What do we Know so Far?

Aishik Das

Modified - Dec 21, 2025, 06:44 PM

3 min

Add

As Preferred Source

AFC Nations League is Set to be Launched! What do we know so far?

India

Summary

Asian Football Confederation is set to launch a new AFC Nations League from 2029.
The AFC wants it to be similar to the UEFA Nations League, aiming to generate revenue for the Asian countries.

The Asian Football Confederation has announced the introduction of a new tournament to grow the competitiveness between the football teams of the Asian region. This will be played in a format similar to that of the UEFA Nations League, where the European nations are divided into separate groups that battle against each other in their designated international windows.

This announcement has come just a day after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed the start of the African Nations League from 2029. The AFC Nations League will come into effect on a date that will be decided by its stakeholders. This tournament has been launched to help similarly ranked Asian football teams improve and also increase their chances of winning.

Is the AFC Going to be Beneficial for Indian Football?

The AFC Nations League is expected to usher in a new era among the Asian football teams, with several teams competing at a similar level. The AFC said that the international windows of FIFA have become challenging due to the limited availability of opponents, which in turn increases the operational costs of the logistics involved in the matches. Here's what the AFC had to say about the Nations League to be held in the future.

The effective utilisation of the FIFA international match windows has become increasingly challenging due to limited opponent availability, rising operational costs and logistical complexities, often diminishing the sporting value of international fixtures. Following a comprehensive internal review and consultation process, the confederation has decided, in principle, to introduce an AFC Nations League. UEFA's Nations League was introduced to allow teams to play more games against similarly ranked sides, improving their chances of winning and improving.

The AFC Nations League can prove to be one of the important tournaments for footballing nations in Asia, where the Asian countries will compete against each other at the top level to increase the quality of football and generate the required revenue to enhance the quality of football.

Talking of the Indian national football team, they will also benefit a lot from the AFC Nations League, as the quality of football could improve, and players will give their level best to etch their names on some of the world's biggest stages. The AFC Nations League aims to give a platform to the Asian nations that possess the quality to perform at the highest level, which will, in turn, improve the overall footballing scene in the respective countries.

Concerning the date of the Asian teams nation league, the stakeholders will share the format, qualification criteria, and many other factors in due course. The results of this tournament are also expected to directly affect the European Championship and the World Cup, which is sure to increase the level of competition in this AFC Nations League.