"Plan to Introduce a Nations League"… AFC Nations League Linked to World Cup Qualifying, Draft Outlines Promotion and Relegation for 47 Teams
The only thing the AFC has officially confirmed is its plan to introduce a Nations League. The reported draft contains a promotion and relegation system dividing 47 teams into 3 tiers, along with a proposal to link it to 2032 World Cup qualifying.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
"plans to introduce an AFC Nations League in the coming period." AFC wrote that sentence in its official statement on December 21, 2025. It means the AFC will introduce a Nations League going forward. About 10 months later, a draft tying the tournament to qualifying has been reported. Details such as the introduction year, the number of teams per tier and the link to qualifying have not been confirmed in any public announcement by the AFC.
AFC Nations League Promotion and Relegation: 3 Tiers of 18, 18 and 11 Teams
The baseline figure in the draft is 47. GOAL and The Asian Game report that the top two tiers have 18 teams each and the bottom tier has 11 teams. Adding 18, 18 and 11 gives 47 teams. The top 2 teams of a lower tier are promoted automatically, and the bottom 2 teams of a higher tier are relegated automatically. Counting automatic movement alone, 2 of the 18 teams in Tier 1 (about 11%) would change, and 4 of the 18 teams in Tier 2 (about 22%), where promotion and relegation overlap, would change.
Tier Structure in the Reported Draft
| Tier | Teams | Format (The Asian Game report) | Promotion/Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 18 | Swiss-model league | Bottom 2 teams relegated |
| Tier 2 | 18 | Swiss-model league | Top 2 teams promoted, bottom 2 teams relegated |
| Tier 3 | 11 | Round-robin in 3 small groups | Top 2 teams promoted |
The format is reportedly different for each tier. According to the briefing materials reviewed directly by The Asian Game, the top two tiers run as Swiss-model leagues, while the bottom tier runs as a round-robin in 3 small groups. A plan to hold the competition on a 2-year cycle starting in 2030 was also reported.
AFC Nations League Linked to World Cup Qualifying, Proposal for 6 Teams to Qualify Directly From 2032
The link to qualifying comes in two stages. Citing ESPN, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported that the proposal links the first tournament in 2030–2031 to Asian Cup qualifying and the 2032–2033 tournament to World Cup qualifying. That means it would apply to World Cup qualifying only after 2 years from its launch. It is not a plan to replace World Cup qualifying in the year it launches.
A direct route to the finals is also in the draft. According to the ESPN draft cited by GOAL, teams in the top tier would play 6 home and 6 away matches, 12 matches in total, and the top 6 teams would earn direct qualification for the finals. Six of 18 teams is one-third of the top tier.
No announcement confirming South Korea's initial tier was found in this research. The Asian Game reported that a proposal was presented to largely keep the current structure of 2030 World Cup qualifying during the transition and to assign the first tiers based on results from the early stage of joint qualifying. The current FIFA rankings alone cannot establish that South Korea would be placed in Tier 1 or qualify directly for the finals. We also could not obtain the latest ranking data with a confirmed reference date for this reporting.
According to SBS, a briefing for member associations was announced for October 6. The tenses also differ across reports: GOAL wrote "a proposal presented," while The Asian Game wrote "explained the next day." As of the time of verification, 03:00 on October 6, 2026, we found no actual remarks or voting results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When will the AFC Nations League start?
The reported proposal is to run it on a 2-year cycle starting in 2030. However, there is no confirmation that the AFC has announced a finalized schedule. The link to World Cup qualifying was reported as a plan to apply from the 2032–2033 tournament.
Q. How would the AFC Nations League promotion and relegation system work?
According to the draft, in 3 tiers of 18, 18 and 11 teams, the top 2 teams of a lower tier are promoted automatically and the bottom 2 teams of a higher tier are relegated automatically.
Q. Which tier would the South Korean national team be placed in?
A finalized placement result was not confirmed in this research. The Asian Game reported a proposal to assign the first tiers based on results from the early stage of joint qualifying. There is no basis to determine South Korea's tier from the current FIFA rankings alone.
Related Official Sites
- Asian Football Confederation — Check official announcements related to the Nations League
- Korea Football Association — South Korean national team schedule and notices
- AFC Official Records — Look up Asian national team match records
Lead image · Archival photo · Not an on-site photo of a current match in the article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Zhou Guanhuai), CC BY-SA 4.0
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