Media Moves to Leave AFC...Is East-West Separation of Asian Football Finally Realized
Oct 29, 2025
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It has been reported that the Japanese Football Association (JFA) is seriously considering withdrawing from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The Spanish daily La Repubblica reported on the 29th (Korea time) that `JFA has great dissatisfaction with the growing AFC dominance of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.'
This is not the first controversy over the separation of East and West Asia. In a situation where there is a great sense of cultural heterogeneity as well as the size of the vast continent, the question of whether it is right to compete as a continental federation called the AFC has continued. Apart from AFC, there are five regional federations, including the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF, 10 countries), the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF, 12 countries), the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF, 12 countries), the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF, 7 countries), and the Central Asian Football Federation (CAFA, 6 countries). Both of these regional federations also host separate competitions from the AFC. Each continental federation also has affiliated regional federations, but no continent has as many regional federations as Asia. In terms of size, compared to other continents, each regional federation has no problem even if it qualifies for the FIFA-hosted tournament. As such, there is a great sense of geographical and cultural heterogeneity.
Meanwhile, AFC's bias in the Middle East is getting worse day by day. Not only did it introduce a plan to play the final in Saudi Jeddah from the quarterfinals of the 2024-2025 Asian Champions League (ACLE) last season, but it also suddenly introduced a seed system to create an absolutely favorable schedule for the Saudi team. The fourth Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup, held this month, was also strongly criticized for actually helping the two teams advance to the finals by allowing them to play in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, ignoring opinions from other countries. Although Salman al-Khalifa, from Bahrain, was accused of being blatant in the Middle East after he took office as AFC chairman in 2013, the policy has not changed.
Japan, along with South Korea and China, has played a role in the AFC against the Middle East. If Japan's withdrawal from the AFC becomes a reality, it will inevitably cause considerable repercussions not only for Korea and China, but also for regional federations. La Repubblica predicted that if Japan withdraws from the AFC, not only Korea and EAFF member states, but also Australia and Southeast Asian countries will participate in the new East Asian Federation.
However, it is unclear whether AFC will agree to the East-West separation. There is a high possibility that they will not fully accept the situation in which the popularity and profits that they have been running are split into two. It is true that Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been taxed based on the so-called 'Oil Money', but the league system, national team popularity, and performance are still absolutely inferior to East Asia. If the movement to separate East and West becomes visible, it is expected to disrupt somehow.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
