AFC Professional Football Committee approves key decisions to raise Asian club footbal

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s commitment towards strengthening the professional standards of the Continental club game was further reinforced today after the AFC Professional Football Committee concluded its first meeting held virtually.

Led by Chairperson Park Ji-sung, the Committee approved several amendments to the AFC Club Competitions - Entry Regulations (Edition 2023), which will take effect from the 2025/26 season with a focus on Article 3. Slot Allocation, Article 6. Club Licensing Criteria and Article 8. Integrity of AFC Club Competitions.

At the same time, the Committee also approved the Entry Regulations Edition (2025), with enhancements introduced to Criterion 4 Organisation of a Professional Football League – Part 1 Competition Format, Part 2 Governance and Regulations, and Part 4 Media.

Scheduled to be implemented from the 2026/27 season, the amended criteria have been established to accommodate the existing requirements and realities of the AFC’s Member Associations (MAs), and formulated based on the comprehensive findings from the AFC Club Competitions 2023/24 Benchmarking Report as well as constructive consultation and dialogue sessions with the relevant stakeholders.

Members of the Committee also discussed the establishment of the AFC Professional Football Strategy, which aims to drive the professional standards of Asian club football in the coming years. Whilst the process encompasses situational, internal and external analyses, strategic planning and implementation, the scope of the comprehensive strategy extends beyond competitions to include several critical areas off the pitch.

The Committee was also updated on the status of the Confederation’s Club Licensing Compliance Audits, the progress of the Club Licensing Regulations’ roadmap, emerging trends concerning Homegrown Players, the pivotal role of the AFC’s revamped competitions in increasing exposure and opportunities for the AFC’s MAs, and the new spectatorship record observed in the AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25.

Similarly, the impact of the numerous workshops and seminars organised to further improve the professional capabilities of clubs, which include the highly successful AFC Professional Football Seminar 2024, was also shared with the members.

All decisions must now be ratified by the AFC Executive Committee before taking effect and all amendments will be communicated to all MAs and made available on the-AFC.com in due course.