2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Preliminary stage: 25–31 August 2025 Competition proper: 3 October 2025–23 May 2026 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 12 Total: 26 (from 26 associations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 45 |
| Goals scored | 184 (4.09 per match) |
| Attendance | 55,676 (1,237 per match) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 23 November 2025. | |
The 2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League is the second edition of the AFC Women's Champions League, Asia's premier club women's football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Wuhan Jiangda are the defending champions.
Association team allocation
There is one entry per participating member association, with allocation based on the FIFA Women's World Ranking. Teams from the top seven ranked associations qualified directly to the group stage, with the remaining teams starting from the preliminary stage.[1][2] Ranking for AFC Women's Club Competition are made with 70% of AFC club points and 30% of national team points as per FIFA rankings.[3]
- Legend
Did not participate
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Associations that did not enter a team:
- Legend
- W: withdrew before the draw
Format
The competition consists of the following:[1][4][5]
- A preliminary stage (one group of three and four groups of four teams) in centralised venues;
- A main tournament with 12 teams (three groups of four teams) in centralised venues;
- Quarter-finals hosted by the group winners and the best second-placed team;
- Semi-finals and final in a centralised venue.
Tiebreakers
Teams in the preliminary stage and the group stage are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:[4]
- Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Penalty shoot-out, if only two teams are tied, and the teams in question have played their last group match against each other;
- Lower disciplinary score (direct red card = 3 points; double yellow card = 3 points; single yellow card = 1 point);[6]
- Drawing of lots.
Schedule
| Stage | Round | Draw date | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Matchday 1 | 3 July 2025 | 25 August 2025 |
| Matchday 2 | 28 August 2025 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 31 August 2025 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 11 September 2025 | 13 November 2025 (Group A) 17 November 2025 (Group B) 9 November 2025 (Group C) |
| Matchday 2 | 16 November 2025 (Group A) 20 November 2025 (Group B) 12 November 2025 (Group C) | ||
| Matchday 3 | 19 November 2025 (Group A) 23 November 2025 (Group B) 15 November 2025 (Group C) | ||
| Knockout stage | Quarter-finals | 8 January 2026 | 22–23 March 2026 |
| Semi-finals | 20 May 2026 | ||
| Final | 23 May 2026 |
Teams
Team locations
Location of the 2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League teams
Red: Group A; Blue: Group B; Green: Group C; Yellow: eliminated in Preliminary stage
Red: Group A; Blue: Group B; Green: Group C; Yellow: eliminated in Preliminary stage
Entrants
| Team | Qualifying method | App. (last) |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne City | 2024–25 A-League Women premiers | 2nd (2024–25) |
| Suwon | 2024 WK League champions | 1st |
| Tokyo Verdy Beleza | 2024–25 WE League champions | 1st |
| Wuhan Jiangda | 2024 Chinese Women's Super League champions | 2nd (2024–25) |
| Hồ Chí Minh City | 2024 Vietnamese Women's National League champions | 2nd (2024–25) |
| Bam Khatoon | 2024–25 Kowsar Women Football League champions | 2nd (2024–25) |
| Team | Qualifying method | App. (last) |
|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi Country Club | 2024–25 UAE Women's Football League champions | 2nd (2024–25) |
Preliminary stage
Seedings
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
- Bold indicates teams qualified for the final tournament
(H) Hosts
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ISPE (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | +19 | 9 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 | Stallion Laguna | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 4 | +16 | 6 | |
| 3 | Khovd Western | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 16 | −10 | 3 | |
| 4 | Strykers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 27 | −25 | 0 |
| ISPE | 9–0 | Strykers |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Stallion Laguna | 6–1 | Khovd Western |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| Khovd Western | 0–8 | ISPE |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Strykers | 0–13 | Stallion Laguna |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Stallion Laguna | 1–3 | ISPE |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
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| Strykers | 2–5 | Khovd Western |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
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Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nasaf (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 9 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 | College of Asian Scholars | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 6 | |
| 3 | Al Nassr | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 3 | |
| 4 | APF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 0 |
| College of Asian Scholars | 2–0 | Al Nassr |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Nasaf | 3–0 | APF |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| APF | 0–4 | College of Asian Scholars |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Kanyanat 34', 45+6', 54', 63' |
| College of Asian Scholars | 1–2 | Nasaf |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lion City Sailors | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 9 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 | Etihad | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 6 | |
| 3 | Sdyushor SI–Asiagoal | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 | |
| 4 | Kelana United (H) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 |
| Etihad | 0–2 | Lion City Sailors |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Takeuchi 11', 40' |
| Sdyushor SI–Asiagoal | 1–3 | Etihad |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| Lion City Sailors | 3–1 | Kelana United |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
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| Lion City Sailors | 3–0 | Sdyushor SI–Asiagoal |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naegohyang | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | +23 | 9 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 | Kaohsiung Attackers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | RTC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 3 | |
| 4 | Master (H) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | −21 | 0 |
| Kaohsiung Attackers | 2–0 | RTC |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Naegohyang | 11–0 | Master |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| RTC | 0–7 | Naegohyang |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Master | 0–5 | Kaohsiung Attackers |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Kaohsiung Attackers | 0–5 | Naegohyang |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Master | 0–5 | RTC |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Bengal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 | Kitchee | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3 | Phnom Penh Crown (H) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 1 |
| Phnom Penh Crown | 0–1 | East Bengal |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Ikwaput 70' |
| Kitchee | 3–3 | Phnom Penh Crown |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| East Bengal | 1–1 | Kitchee |
|---|---|---|
| Basfore 11' | Report | Ho Mui Mei 59' |
Best runners-up ranking
Since Group E only had three teams, the results against fourth-placed teams in other groups were omitted for this ranking.
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Stallion Laguna | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 3 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 | B | College of Asian Scholars | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | |
| 3 | C | Etihad | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | D | Kaohsiung Attackers | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 3 | |
| 5 | E | Kitchee | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
Group stage
The draw was conducted on September 11, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur,[8] with matches to be played in three centralised venues.
Seedings
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wuhan Jiangda (4) (H, TH) Melbourne City (1) Suwon (2) |
Tokyo Verdy Beleza (3) Hồ Chí Minh City (5) (H) Bam Khatoon (7) |
Stallion Laguna (9) East Bengal (11) Naegohyang (13) |
Nasaf (14) ISPE (15) (H) Lion City Sailors (23) |
(H) Hosts
(TH) Title holders
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne City | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | +15 | 9 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Hồ Chí Minh City (H) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | |
| 3 | Stallion Laguna | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Lion City Sailors | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | −12 | 0 |
| Melbourne City | 5–0 | Lion City Sailors |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Lion City Sailors | 0–2 | Hồ Chí Minh City |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Stallion Laguna | 5–0 | Lion City Sailors |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Melbourne City | 3–0 | Hồ Chí Minh City |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wuhan Jiangda (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 7 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Nasaf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | |
| 3 | East Bengal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Bam Khatoon | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 3 |
| Wuhan Jiangda | 1–1 | Nasaf |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| East Bengal | 0–2 | Wuhan Jiangda |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Nasaf | 0–1 | Bam Khatoon |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| East Bengal | 0–3 | Nasaf |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Wuhan Jiangda | 4–0 | Bam Khatoon |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo Verdy Beleza | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 7 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Naegohyang | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | Suwon | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | |
| 4 | ISPE (H) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | −9 | 0 |
| Verdy Beleza | 4–0 | Naegohyang |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| ISPE | 0–1 | Verdy Beleza |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Naegohyang | 3–0 | Suwon |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Suwon | 0–0 | Verdy Beleza |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Naegohyang | 3–0 | ISPE |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Ranking of second-placed teams
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | Naegohyang | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | Seeded in Knockout stage draw |
| 2 | A | Hồ Chí Minh City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | Unseeded in Knockout stage draw |
| 3 | B | Nasaf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 |
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Discilpinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Discilpinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Ranking of third-placed teams
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | Suwon | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | Advance to Knockout stage (unseeded) |
| 2 | A | Stallion Laguna | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 | |
| 3 | B | East Bengal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 |
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Discilpinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Discilpinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Knockout stage
The knockout stage will be played in a single-leg knockout format. The semi-finals and the final match will be played in a centralised location.
Draw
The draw will be held in January 2026. For the quarter-finals, teams will be seeded based on their performance in the group stage. The three group winners and the best second-placed team will be seeded and will also be the hosts for the match. Teams from the same group will not be drawn against each other.
| Seeded | Unseeded |
|---|---|
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| TBD March – TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD Seeded | ||||||||||
| 20 May – TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD Unseeded | ||||||||||
| QF1 Winner | ||||||||||
| TBD March – TBD | ||||||||||
| QF2 Winner | ||||||||||
| TBD Seeded | ||||||||||
| 23 May – TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD Unseeded | ||||||||||
| SF1 Winner | ||||||||||
| TBD March – TBD | ||||||||||
| SF2 Winner | ||||||||||
| TBD Seeded | ||||||||||
| 20 May – TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD Unseeded | ||||||||||
| QF3 Winner | ||||||||||
| TBD March – TBD | ||||||||||
| QF4 Winner | ||||||||||
| TBD Seeded | ||||||||||
| TBD Unseeded | ||||||||||
Quarter-finals
| Seeded 1 | v | Unseeded 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Seeded 2 | v | Unseeded 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Seeded 3 | v | Unseeded 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Seeded 4 | v | Unseeded 1 |
|---|---|---|
Semi-finals
| QF1 Winner | v | QF2 Winner |
|---|---|---|
| QF3 Winner | v | QF4 Winner |
|---|---|---|
Final
| SF1 Winner | v | SF2 Winner |
|---|---|---|
Statistics
Top scorers
- As of 23 November 2025 Group stage onwards.
Players in bold are still active in the competition.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Holly McNamara | Melbourne City | 3 |
| 2 | Alexia Apostolakis | Melbourne City | 2 |
| Danella Butrus | Melbourne City | ||
| Tayla Christensen | Stallion Laguna | ||
| Moka Hiwatari | Tokyo Verdy Beleza | ||
| Deven Jackson | Melbourne City | ||
| Chandler McDaniel | Stallion Laguna | ||
| Song Ji-yoon | Suwon | ||
| Leticia McKenna | Melbourne City | ||
| Ri Su-jong | Naegohyang | ||
| Wang Shuang | Wuhan Jiangda | ||
| Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva | Nasaf | ||
| Mavis Owusu | Wuhan Jiangda |
See also
Notes
- ^ ISPE played their home match at Thuwunna Stadium, instead of their regular home stadium Mandalar Thiri Stadium, Mandalay
- ^ Kelana United played their home match at Hang Jebat Stadium, instead of their regular home stadium Arena MBSJ, Kelana Jaya
References
- ^ a b "AFC unveils key details for inaugural AFC Women's Champions League 2024/25". The AFC. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Landmark AFC Women's Champions League™ to kick off with 22 clubs". the-AFC. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ a b "AFC Women's Club Competitions Ranking 2024/25" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Conference. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ a b "AFC Women's Champions League 2024/25 - Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "#AWCL - All you need to know". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "AFC Competition Operations Manual (Edition 2023)" (PDF). AFC. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "AWCL Preliminary Stage draw finalised". AFC. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ "Hopefuls learn Group Stage challengers". The AFC. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
External links
- Official website
- AFC Calendar 2025–26 (Updated on 15 May 2025) (Archived1, Archive2, Archive3)
- AFC Calendar 2025–26 (Updated on 4 Aug 2025) (Archive1, Archive2, Archive3)