AFC Women’s Champions League 2025/26 expansion opens door for Vietnamese clubs
VOV.VN - The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced plans to expand the AFC Women’s Champions League 2025/26 from 19 to 26 teams, creating a valuable opportunity for Vietnamese side Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC to compete on a bigger stage.
According to the AFC, the draw for the preliminary stage will take place on July 3 at its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A total of 26 clubs from across Asia will participate this season, five more than the previous edition, with 19 entering from the preliminary round.
The draw will divide the 26 teams into five groups, four groups of four and one group of three, to compete in a centralised league format from August 23 to 31. Only the five group winners will progress to the tournament’s group stage.
They will join the seven highest-ranked clubs in the AFC Women’s Club Competition Ranking 2024/25: Melbourne City FC (Australia), Suwon FC Women (Republic of Korea), Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan), defending champions Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC (China), Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC (Vietnam), Bam Khatoon FC (Iran), and one yet-to-be-confirmed representative from the United Arab Emirates, forming a 12-team field.
Following the conclusion of the preliminary stage, a separate draw will be held in September to determine the group stage matchups for the 12 qualified clubs.
HCM City Women fall 0-2 to Wuhan Jiangda in AFC Champions League semi-final
VOV.VN - Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC suffered a 0-2 defeat to hosts Wuhan Jiangda FC in the semi-finals of the 2024-2025 AFC Women’s Champions League, held on May 21 in China.
