Asia's football body Wednesday announced an expansion of the flagship Asian Cup from 16 to 24 teams but killed off the lower-level Challenge Cup as part of a regional shake-up. The 2019 Asian Cup will climb to 24 teams but next month's Challenge Cup in the Maldives will be the last, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said. Preliminary qualifying for the Asian Cup and World Cup will also be combined, the body said following an executive committee meeting.