From our other sites
The story
The UK’s Guardian and US outlet ESPN reported on August 21 that UEFA and CONCACAF have begun discussions on creating a joint Nations League featuring all 96 member associations from both confederations. Held once every two years, the competition could launch as early as 2028. Canada’s national team coach has welcomed the idea, saying he’d “love to do it.” On 5ch, users debated speculation about AFC involvement, whether this is a countermove against FIFA-led tournament expansion, and concerns that Japan could end up with fewer opponents for friendly matches if the plan goes ahead.
Could launch as early as 2028
A plan has emerged for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) — both of which already run their own Nations Leagues — to create a joint competition.
According to reports on August 21 from British outlet The Guardian and American outlet ESPN, UEFA and CONCACAF have started discussions on establishing a joint Nations League involving all 96 associations belonging to the two confederations. The tournament is expected to be held every two years, with a possible launch as early as 2028.
Source: theworldmagazine.jp / Original article here
What people said
It dilutes the special feeling.
Surprised to see the AFC making a good move for once.
If Japan got roughed up in that environment for a few years, they might turn into an absolute band of battle-hardened warriors lol
So that's Japan, Iran, and Australia.
Asia's "tigers and lions" would lose their minds.
between that and the Champions League overhaul that forced more matches in,
isn't money still their top priority too?
UEFA expanded the Nations League and Champions League in response to requests from clubs and federations that were in financial trouble due to skyrocketing player salaries.
That's why the shift to the new format went smoothly without much confusion.
As a result, you don't hear those stories anymore about clubs or leagues going bankrupt, which used to be a common headline.
Even a country like Italy, which has missed the World Cup multiple times, now has enough financial muscle to make an offer to Pep.
That's a stark contrast to the Japan Football Association, which is so cash-strapped there isn't even a rumor of hiring a foreign coach anymore.
FIFA, meanwhile, expanded the Club World Cup to compete with the Champions League,
but it was a mess early on and there were doubts it would even happen.
That's because FIFA pushed it through unilaterally and couldn't get anyone on board.
UEFA does it for the development of European football, FIFA does it for the money — completely different motivations.
Playing against far-off countries would just add travel burden for no real point.
That stays true regardless.
If this happens, friendlies will disappear.
Try to understand.
And the rest of scrub-tier Asia is going to sink even further.
Everyone else: "Let's crush FIFA with everything we've got!"
Japan's just going to sink along with the rest of scrub-tier Asia at this rate.
Africa's about the only option left.
It's a joint league between Europe and North/Central America, so South America's in there too.
Africa is also planning to start its own Nations League from 2029.
Well, the World Cup already lost that old sense of tension after expanding the field so much.
Kind of like a League Cup setup?
Japan would join the Nations League too, right?
Well, only if the AFC gets in.
I really hope they do.
I bet other Asian countries feel the same way.
That's impossible without geographic and cultural proximity.
These things are basically home-and-away (H&A) by nature.
People who seem like genuine soccer fans post this kind of thing a lot, but do they actually think it's possible? China or South Korea, at least on the same landmass, seem more plausible.
I just mean it's more plausible than South America joining lol, nothing more than that.
But if Australia can be part of Asia, the chances aren't zero.
In the end it comes down to passion, money, and political clout.
There's also a classification that lumps Australia in with Asia.
Background and Key Points of the Debate
UEFA turned Europe’s international friendlies into a “league format” with the Nations League launched in 2018, significantly boosting broadcast revenue in the process, while CONCACAF has run its own Nations League since 2019. What’s institutionally new this time is that it would be the first framework merging these two continental confederations. On the thread, opinions split between those who see it as a countermove to FIFA’s Club World Cup expansion and the Infantino administration, and those who view it as simply another revenue-expansion scheme. What the thread didn’t touch on is that the authority to set international match windows technically belongs to FIFA, meaning the tournament’s realization would require FIFA’s coordination and approval as a precondition. There were also posts saying “Japan should leave the AFC too,” but while Australia did switch from the OFC to the AFC in 2006, changing confederations is no easy feat given the steep geographic and political hurdles involved.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Soccer] UEFA-CONCACAF Joint Nations League Concept Emerges — Is the AFC Interested in Joining Too? Canada’s National Team Coach Also Welcomes It: “I’d Love to Do It”.”
Leave a Reply