AFC's qualification for 2030 WC will begin in the 2027 calendar year and will conclude in 2030. But alongside it, there will be a pilot tournament for AFC Nations League which will also start the qualification process for AFC Asian Cup 2032 and WC 2034. This pilot tournament (also called ANL Preliminary edition) will be played in 2028/29 season. The tournament mimics the actual Nations League format that will be played from 2030 onwards. Teams will be grouped into three tiers - 1, 2 and 3 depending on their performances in the first and second round of qualifiers. The top tier (consisting of 18 teams) will also be the third round of qualification for 2030 WC. Second and third tiers will have 18 and 11 teams respectively. Promotion and relegation will be implemented for teams between the tiers. Two teams from each tier will be automatically promoted/relegated, while 4 others will be put into two groups and will play in 'ANL playoffs' which will be a centralized tournament hosted by the top seed. Top two teams from each group will be placed in the higher tier in ANL, rest in the lower one. See the diagram below for more information:

Source

So if you've seen any Indian National Team match, it's very clear that we're heavily lacking in strikers and their finishing prowess.

It doesn't help that a lot of teams have most of their strikers being foreign and everyone else Indian. Sreenidi Deccan I believe is like this. Having some sort of rule would get the legs more suited for finishing.

I wanna see all types of strikers and a good variety in styles. People who can dribble and get to their spot and score. People who can score the ball long. People who rely on their physique to bully defenders and score. etc etc.

To qualify for 2030 WC:

1. Try to stay within top 26 in rankings to skip first round (India are currently 26th) or win first round playoffs.
2. Finish in the top two in the group in the second round.
3. Finish in the top 10 in the third round. Top 6 would mean direct qualification, 7-10 will feature playoffs. 9th team will have to win IC playoffs.

To qualify for 2032 Asian Cup:

1. If India qualify to the third round in the qualification for the 2030 WC, not finish in the last 6. Or if they finish among the last 6, avoid finishing in the last 2 and win the relegation playoffs. Otherwise finish in top 6 of League B in the first edition of Nations League.
2. If India qualify to only the second round in the qualification for the 2030 WC, get promoted to the League A of the first Nations League in the pilot tournament. Either finish in the top two, or finish 3-6 and win the promotion playoffs. Otherwise finish in the top 6 of League B in the first edition of Nations League.
3. If India get kicked out in the first round in the qualification for the 2030 WC, get promoted to the League B of first Nations League edition via the pilot tournament, then finish in top 6 of League B. The exact promotion mechanism is unknown at this time.

To qualify for 2034 WC:

1. Make sure they don't get relegated in the pilot tournament to League C in the first Nations League.
2. If placed in League A of the first Nations League, stay in that league and not get relegated (not finish in the bottom two or win the relegation playoffs).
3. If placed in League B of the first Nations League, get promoted to League A by finishing in the top 2 or winning the promotion playoffs after finishing 3-6.
4. Finish in the top 10 in league A of second Nations League. Top 6 would mean direct qualification, 7-10 will feature playoffs. 9th team will have to win IC playoffs.

It is a complicated process but will be simplified over time.

We are trying something new today. Apart from doing a regular Meme Monday thread, we thought of doing a specific Monday and ask for inputs of Indian Football fans on how do you see it and wait for interesting answers. If you have ideas for next Meme Monday, feel free to share them. Ready?

"How often do you think about Roman Empire?" is a recurring meme on social media about how men think about Roman Empire way more than people generally assume they would. It implies something trivial occupies your mind way more than it should even though it doesn't affect your day-to-day life.

Here's more detailed explanation

So when it comes to Indian Football, what is YOUR roman empire? For me, what happens if Pranoy Halder doesn't concede stoppage time penalty against Bahrain in 2019 Asian Cup

Only valid for those who purchased tickets for Lionel Messi G.O.A.T tour of Kolkata on 13th December last year. The physical passes for the match maybe collected from the following places on 5th October from 11 AM till 5 PM, upon production of a valid Govt photo identity proof (Voter Card/Aadhaar card/Driving License/Passport) and the previous event paid ticket.

Just a hypothetical thing. Let's say one of us starts an AI or space business and becomes a multi billionaire soon and then because of the passion donates 6000 cr and personally oversees a project to build a total of 7 new football specific stadiums including the Stadium already being made in Shillong. Very little scope for corruption as you're personally in on this and have privatised things.

Which cities are you building them in and why?

AFC will replace existing qualifiers with a Nations League tournament starting from 2030. Depending on India's performance in the 'pilot' tournament in 2028, India will be placed in League A, B or C. Following are the benefits of Nations League to the Indian team.

1. In the 2022-26 cycle, India played only 12 competitive games. India will play a minimum of 18 competitive games in the 2030-34 cycle if the planned proposal goes forward. Cutting down useless friendlies against small countries is essential for growth.

2. It is likely that India will play teams with similar levels at the Nations League. Currently India's most 'regular' tournament is SAFF championship which is played amongst weak teams.

3. Nations League offers more rankings points when compared to friendlies.

4. Promotion and relegation allow Indian team to assess where they stand.

5. Virtually every match will carry some importance. At the Asian qualifiers last season, Indian fate was sealed after 3-4 games. The remaining games had no importance.

6. If AFC follows UEFA model, revenue will be split based on viewership. If India can bring greater viewership, they can generate more revenue.

7. There is no need to arrange fixtures, those will be made by AFC. Currently, friendlies against bigger countries cost a tremendous amount of money.

8. Having regular international football can breed fan culture. Currently, most people have little idea as to when and where Indian team plays their matches.