Revolution in Asian football: Nations League to replace World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers

A historic and radical turning point is expected in the coming years within the international competition system for national teams on the Asian continent. According to the influential publication ESPN, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) plans to officially introduce a new tournament starting from 2030 — the Asian Nations League — which will directly affect the traditional qualification stages of the World Cup and the Asian Cup.

First proposed in December of last year, this project aims to drastically reduce friendly matches in continental football and establish a highly competitive and strategic tournament. The competition will be held every two years, with teams divided into three divisions (tiers):

• Tier 1 (Elite): 18 teams;

• Tier 2: 18 teams;

• Tier 3: 11 teams.

A promotion and relegation system will also operate between the divisions. Meanwhile, the top eight national teams from the top tier will compete in playoffs for the main Nations League trophy.

How will World Cup berths be distributed?

The first Nations League matches connected to the Mundial are planned to be held in 2032/2033. Through this competition, World Cup berths will be allocated in the following format:

• Direct quotas: Teams taking the highest 1st–6th places in the first tier (elite) will directly secure World Cup berths;

• Playoff opportunity: National teams occupying the 7th–10th positions will compete against each other in a playoff stage for the remaining 2 berths allocated to the continent;

• Intercontinental path: The team taking third place in the playoffs will advance to the intercontinental playoff matches.

Asian Cup may be postponed to 2032: Start in 2030

The first tournament in the new format will kick off in 2030, specifically in connection with the Asian Cup:

• Path to the continental championship: In this tournament, all 18 teams of Tier 1 and the top six teams of Tier 2 will advance directly to the final stage of the Asian Cup;

• Calendar change: To adapt this new system and qualification mechanism, it is proposed to postpone the next Asian Cup from 2031 to 2032.

2028 pilot tournament: How will teams be seeded?

Before fully transitioning to the new system, the AFC plans to organize a test pilot tournament in 2028/2029 to test all mechanisms in practice.

The results and ranking points achieved in this trial competition will serve as the main criterion for distributing national teams into tiers (first, second, and third leagues) for the inaugural Asian Nations League officially starting in 2030. This reform will create a completely new and responsible environment for the national team of Uzbekistan and other regional leaders in qualifying for international tournaments.