Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee has officially awarded Japan the hosting rights for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2028, which also serves as the qualification tournament for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics.
The selection followed a comprehensive evaluation praising Japan's world-class facilities, low operational risks, and adherence to geographical rotation principles.
As part of a broader strategy to optimize age-group competitions, the AFC transferred the hosting rights for the 2027 AFC U-17 Asian Cup to Uzbekistan, while awarding the 2029 edition to Saudi Arabia.
In club football, the AFC approved structural reforms for the AFC Champions League Elite starting in the 2026-2027 season for its expanded 32-club format.
The tournament draw will now feature four pots instead of two, with each club playing two matches against opponents from every pot. Additionally, the final round of the league stage across the East and West regions will kick off simultaneously to ensure competitive fairness.
Regarding national team events, the AFC updated regulations for the U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers. Previous host nations retain their right to enter subsequent qualifiers as non-hosts, while associations that withdraw or fail to participate will be relegated to the development stage for the next cycle.
Vacant spots will be filled by the highest-ranked teams from the previous development stage to maintain a full 32-team quota, and tournaments will proceed without replacements if a team drops out after the final list is confirmed.
