Group Stage to spark quest for #AWCL glory
.
— Asia’s elite are set to stake their claim for the ultimate prize in the AFC Women’s Champions League™ (AWCL) when the 2025/26 season kicks off its highly anticipated group showdowns on November 9 (Sunday).

The 12 contenders for the trophy in the second edition of the Continental club showpiece were split into three groups in September, which will be played in centralised venues.

The top six clubs as per the AFC Women’s Club Competition Ranking 2024/25 obtained direct entry to the Group Stage, with the remaining six qualifying via the Preliminary Stage, which featured a record 19 sides and concluded in August.

Reigning champions Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC will aim to defend their crown, while eight teams are set for their Group Stage debuts: Tokyo Verdy Beleza, ISPE WFC, Lion City Sailors FC, PFC Nasaf, East Bengal FC, Suwon FC Women, Stallion Laguna FC and Naegohyang Women’s FC—with the latter four also making their Continental debuts.

The action gets underway first in Group C, which runs from November 9 to 15 at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar. Six years after their first Continental experience, Tokyo Verdy Beleza return to the Asian stage at 3pm in their opener. Beleza, who emerged as champions of the AFC Women’s Club Championship 2019, will hope to replicate the success; their maiden Japanese league triumph came in 2024/25 and they currently sit third in the new season. Facing them are DPR Korea champions Naegohyang Women’s FC, who clinched their second title in 2023/24 to qualify for the Preliminary Stage. They cruised through Group D with a perfect record, scoring 23 goals and conceding none to progress and become the first women’s club from DPR Korea to play in the Finals of an AFC competition.

At 7pm, hosts ISPE WFC will make their second Continental appearance after placing third in the AFC Women’s Club Championship™ 2022 (East). Winners of a joint-record third domestic title in 2024 after an unbeaten campaign, ISPE topped Group A in the Preliminary Stage to become the first-ever Myanmar representative in the AWCL Group Stage. The current Myanmar league leaders welcome Korea Republic’s Suwon FC Women, who ended a 15-year wait for league success in 2024 by clinching their second title, and finished seventh in the recently concluded 2025 season.

Staged at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Group A kicks off on November 13 with a 3pm clash between 2024/25 runners-up Melbourne City FC and debutants Lion City Sailors FC. City retained their Premier title in 2024/25—their fourth overall—with an unbeaten campaign and the Australian outfit, who opened their 2025/26 league campaign with a draw on Saturday, will aim to go a step further in their second AWCL quest. The Sailors, who clinched three consecutive domestic titles in 2024, won all three fixtures in the Preliminary Stage to make history as the first Singaporean side to qualify for the Group Stage; they placed third in the 2025 league season.

Record 14-time Vietnamese league champions Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC, who won their seventh title in a row last month to complete a domestic double, take to the pitch at 7pm as last season’s Semi-finalists eye a deeper run in their second AWCL campaign. Waiting in the wings to challenge them are Philippines’ Stallion Laguna FC, who lifted their maiden major trophy in 2024 with domestic cup success and missed out on the 2025 league title on goal difference; they booked their place here as the best runners-up from the Preliminary Stage.

Wuhan’s Hankou Culture and Sports Center is the backdrop for Group B and the first match features Bam Khatoon FC, who are making their fourth appearance in AFC competition – the most of any women’s club in Asia. They reached the last eight in their maiden AWCL campaign and are currently leading the 2025/26 Islamic Republic of Iran league, staying on track to win a record 12th—and fifth consecutive—title. Their 3pm clash takes place against India’s East Bengal FC, who won their first-ever league crown in 2024/25 and secured qualification as Group E winners in the Preliminary Stage.

AWCL holders Wuhan Jiangda commence their title defence on home soil at 7pm, fresh off scaling new heights after winning the first-ever match in FIFA Women’s Champions Cup history last month. While the China PR side ended the 2025 domestic league season in fifth, having won five titles in a row prior, they remain tough opponents for PFC Nasaf, who arrived here by topping Group D in the Preliminary Stage. The visitors, who are the first from Uzbekistan to be in the AWCL Group Stage, have dominated domestically—they achieved a double in 2024 and are poised to clinch a record 17th league title, which would be their fourth in a row, having been unbeaten in the league since 2022.

Find the full AWCL schedule here and follow the latest news here!

All times indicated are in respective local times.
###