In Asian soccer today, an unprecedented change is quietly taking place. The AFC has officially unveiled a new three-tier format for the men's club game. At the heart of this change is the clever weaving of three separate competitions - the elite AFC Champions League, the Asian Challenger League and the second-tier Asian League - into a tightly-knit network of tournaments. The AFC Elite League, the highest tier of the competition, will welcome the top six teams from the AFC's East and West Asian regions. The Sub-Tier 2 League, on the other hand, includes the bottom six teams from the AFC Elite League and those who failed to advance to the AFC Elite League, totaling twelve teams. The Asian Pick League, on the other hand, consists of the teams from the Sub-Two League and the bottom-ranked teams from other associations. Compared to the past, the biggest feature of this three-tier league system is that it breaks down the barriers between the original tournaments and realizes more exchanges and interactions. Instead of being eliminated from the competition, the losing teams from the Sub-Elite and Sub-Tier II leagues will have the opportunity to continue to show their strength in the next level of competition.
It is worth noting that this change was not made overnight, but was carefully planned and designed based on documents and information previously released by the AFC. While the quota allocation table is only set by default, the actual situation may be adjusted due to factors such as club access and tournament title retention. Behind this change, the AFC is counting on the improvement of the three-tier league system to further promote the prosperity of Asian soccer and give more clubs and players the opportunity to showcase their talents at a higher level.
(Please note: The content of the images is not from today's AFC General Assembly release, but is self-created based on previously released AFC documents and information. The quota allocation table is a default setting and the actual situation may be slightly adjusted due to club access, tournament title retention, etc.)
