The Asian Football Confederation announced an official plan to update its continental championships for national teams, including the creation of a new competition called the “Asian Nations League,” in a move aimed at developing football at the national team level across the continent.

The AFC explained in a statement published on its official website today, Sunday, that the launch of the new tournament comes as part of its commitment to enhancing the growth of football throughout Asia, providing a more sustainable and balanced competitive environment for national teams.

The statement indicated that the project is part of a series of reforms recently initiated by the federation, following the successes achieved in restructuring continental club competitions, confirming that the new initiative aims to deliver matches of higher technical quality, alongside improving the clarity and stability of the national teams' match calendar.

The AFC’s announcement comes less than 24 hours after the African Football Confederation decided to cancel the African Nations Championship and replace it with the African Nations League starting from 2029, reflecting a continental trend increasingly adopting this new competitive format.