Asian Football Confederation to launch Nations League competition

The Asian Football Confederation said on Sunday it will launch a Nations League contest in a bid to improve competition standards and commercial opportunities for national teams across the continent.

No start date was given by the Kuala Lumpur-based governing body. It said it intends to use existing FIFA international windows to run the competition.

"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."

The AFC currently organises the Asian Cup every four years, in which the UAE competes, with the next edition of the 24-team finals due to be played in Saudi Arabia in January 2027.

Europe's governing body, UEFA, launched its own Nations League competition in 2018 to increase the number of meaningful matches played by its members.