KUALA LUMPUR : The quest for the AFC Women’s Champions League title begins on November 1, when 12 clubs compete in the group stage of Asia’s premier women’s club football competition.
The third edition of the tournament will feature three groups of four teams, with clubs playing a single round-robin league at centralised venues through November 7.
Defending champions Naegohyang Women’s FC will be among the contenders, alongside directly qualified teams Melbourne City FC, Hwacheon KSPO WFC, INAC Kobe Leonessa, Beijing Jingtan Football Club and Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC.
They will be joined by six teams that secured qualification through the preliminary stage, which concluded in August.
Bam Khatoon FC, Ho Chi Minh City and Melbourne City are the only clubs to have competed in all three editions of the competition.
Five teams — Hwacheon KSPO, INAC Kobe Leonessa, Beijing Jingtan, 4.25 SC and Ayeyawady FC Women — will make their debut in an AFC competition.
Eight teams will progress to the quarter-finals in March 2027, comprising the three group winners, three runners-up and the two best third-placed teams across the groups.
The quarter-finals will be played as single-leg ties, with the semi-finals and final scheduled to take place at a centralised venue in May 2027, when Asia’s next women’s club champions will be crowned.
