September 30 – The inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League is poised for kickoff this week with three centralised groups of four clubs each open the group stage to qualify eight teams to the knock-out rounds.
Group A action in Wuhan, China, will see Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC, the reigning Chinese league champions, open against Abu Dhabi Country Club.
Wuhan Jiangda, who are on course for a fifth consecutive domestic title, will be looking to start strong on home turf. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Country Club, the most dominant women’s side in the UAE with 10 league titles, arrive after an impressive unbeaten run in the Preliminary Stage.
Later in Group A, Korea Republic’s Hyundai Steel Red Angels will take on Malaysia’s Sabah FA. Hyundai Steel, 11-time league champions and finalists in the 2023 AFC Women’s Club Championship, will be a tough opponent for Sabah, the inaugural champions of the Malaysian league, who are currently second in their domestic competition.
Group C action will begin at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Defending AFC Women’s Club Championship winners, Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies, will face Indian league champions Odisha FC. Urawa are targeting back-to-back continental crowns, while Odisha will look to build on their rapid rise, having clinched their first domestic title last season.
Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC, fresh off their 2024 domestic league title – an impressive sixth straight win – will meet Chinese Taipei’s Taichung Blue Whale. The Vietnamese side, boasting 13 league titles, will aim to start strong against the visitors, who bring AFC Women’s Club Championship experience and five domestic league titles to their name.
Group B action kicks off at Pathum Thani Stadium in Thailand, where Australia’s Melbourne City FC, A-League Women Premiers in 2023/24, will face IR Iran’s Bam Khatoon FC. This marks City’s debut in the competition, while Bam Khatoon, the oldest club in the tournament with three consecutive league titles, return for their third AFC campaign.
Rounding out the opening day, the Philippines’ Kaya FC-Iloilo will take on Thailand’s College of Asian Scholars. Kaya FC recently made history as the first club-based team to win the Philippine league, while their Thai opponents are the dominant force in their domestic league, with six titles and an AFC Women’s Club Championship East title.
Following the Group Stage, the top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed sides will advance to the Quarter-finals, set for March 2025. The Knockout Stage will conclude with the Semi-finals and Final in May 2025, where the first-ever AFC Women’s Champions League winners will be crowned, with a prize of at least $1.3 million at stake.
This tournament marks a major milestone in women’s football in the region, with the Asia’s top clubs battling it out for bragging rights over the entire continent.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1734940465labto1734940465ofdlr1734940465owedi1734940465sni@g1734940465niwe.1734940465yrrah1734940465
