Landmark #AWCL to take flight with Group Stage . — The quest to claim the first ever AFC Women’s Champions League™ crown will be taken on by the top 12 teams on the Continent when they kick off the Group Stage of the 2024/25 season on Thursday. Heralding a new dawn for the women’s game in Asia, three groups of four teams will be contested in a centralised league format from October 3 to 12 as they vie to secure progress to the last eight of the inaugural edition. Four clubs – Abu Dhabi Country Club, Bam Khatoon FC, Odisha FC and Sabah FA – qualified from the Preliminary Stage to join the rest of the cast, who hail from the top eight FIFA-ranked Member Associations. The thrilling action begins with Group A in China PR, where the Hankou Culture and Sports Center in Wuhan will serve as the centralised venue. Hosts Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC, who won their fourth league title in 2023, are targeting a winning start at 4pm. They are on track for a fifth consecutive league triumph, as they sit first with one game left in the current season. Their opponents are Abu Dhabi Country Club, who impressively won all three of their Preliminary Stage matches. Founded in 2005 as the first professional women’s side in the United Arab Emirates, they have won all 10 domestic league crowns on offer since 2012.At 8pm, Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC take to the pitch for their third Continental campaign having been involved in the AFC Women’s Club Championship in 2019 and 2023, reaching the Final in the latter. Eleven-time domestic league champions, the Korea Republic side will present a stern test for Sabah FA, who topped their Preliminary Stage group. Inaugural champions of the Malaysian league in 2023, Sabah are currently lying second with five games to go in the second season. On October 6, Group C’s quartet will embark on their journey at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Having clinched the title on their AFC Women’s Club Championship debut last year, Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies have their sights set on back to back Continental crowns. The Japanese side, champions of the last two domestic league seasons and currently two games into the 2024/25 campaign, will face Odisha FC at 3pm. Established in 2022, their Indian opponents have enjoyed a swift ascent and became the fifth different domestic league winner in 2023/24 with their first title, before following it up with a stellar Preliminary Stage campaign. Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC then commence their new season at 7pm, having claimed the 2024 domestic league title just last month – their sixth in a row and record 13th overall. The Vietnamese outfit will welcome Taichung Blue Whale Women’s Football Team, who possess Continental experience from their participation in the AFC Women’s Club Championship in 2022. The visitors won their fifth Chinese Taipei domestic league crown in 2023 and sit second after 10 games into the current edition, which began in April. Group B, which is hosted at the Pathum Thani Stadium in Thailand, also kicks off on October 6 and the opener takes place between 2023/24 A-League Women Premiers Melbourne City FC and Islamic Republic of Iran’s Bam Khatoon FC at 4pm. City’s Premier win was their third overall and first since 2020, adding to their four Grand Final victories; this will be the Australians’ first match of the new season. Founded in 1980, Bam Khatoon are the oldest club in this tournament and were involved in the last two editions of the AFC Women’s Club Championship, finishing as runners-up (West) in 2022. Record 10-time winners of the IR Iran league, including the last three seasons, Bam Khatoon won both of their Preliminary Stage matches. The final fixture of the opening matchday sees Kaya FC-Iloilo of the Philippines do battle with Thailand’s College of Asian Scholars at 8pm. Kaya won their first league title in 2023, losing just once as they became the first club-based team to do so. Their opponents lifted a record sixth Thai league trophy in 2024 and were East champions in the AFC Women’s Club Championship 2022. Following the Group Stage, the top two finishers of each group and the two best third-placed sides progress to the Quarter-finals. Scheduled for March 22 and 23, 2025, the four pairings will be determined by a Knockout Stage draw. The Semi-finals and Final – all single-leg ties – will be played in a centralised format from May 21 to 24, 2025 to crown the first ever AFC Women’s Champions League™ winners, who can expect at least USD1.3 million in prize money. Follow the latest news of the AFC Women’s Champions League™ 2024/25 here! All times indicated are in local time. |