Indian Women’s League Champions Odisha FC will also vie for USD1.3 million winners cheque

Heralding a new era of success and progress for women’s football in Asia, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed today the number of participating teams for the highly-anticipated inaugural season of the AFC Women’s Champions League, which will get underway in August later this year. 

Twenty-two Member Associations (MAs) including India who have expressed interest in taking part will each be represented by one club for the landmark 2024-25 campaign of the showpiece, which was announced last August during the 2nd AFC Executive Committee meeting, which was held virtually. Chaired by the AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the same is part of the 47 member governing body of association football in Asia with a aim at propelling continental football to new heights while fostering greater growth and inclusivity.

Clubs from the top eight MAs, as ranked according to the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking (as of 15 March 2024) led by Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies, will qualify directly to the Group Stage, which comprises three groups of four teams to be contested in a centralised league format from 6 to 12 October, 2024.

The remaining 14 clubs including current Indian Women’s League (IWL) champions Odisha FC^ will have to make it through the Preliminary Stage that features four groups – two groups of four teams and two groups of three - to be played in a centralised league format between 25 and 31 August, with the four group winners qualifying for the Group Stage.

Jordan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Thailand will host one group each in the Preliminary Stage, while China PR and Vietnam will be hosting one group each in the Group Stage. The third remaining host for the Group Stage will be identified after the Draw Ceremony and confirmed prior to the commencement of the Group Stage.

The list of clubs and their respective MA rankings can be found below:

 The official draw ceremonies for both the Preliminary Stage and Group Stage will be conducted on Thursday, 18 July at the AFC House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 The dynamic format, aligned with the AFC’s determination for women’s football to flourish, will see the top two finishers of each group and the two best third-placed sides progress to the Quarter Finals to be played on 22 and 23 March 2025. A Knockout Stage draw will be conducted prior to the Quarter Finals to determine the four pairings, which will be contested in a single-leg format, with the higher-ranked team of each tie to serve as the home side.

This will be followed by a centralised Finals, which will see the Semi Finals and Final – all single-leg ties – being played out from 21 to 24 May, 2025. The AFC Women’s Champions League will also feature an attractive prize purse – every participating club in the Group Stage will each receive a minimum of USD100,000, with additional monies available depending on their eventual placing, meaning that the first ever champions of the prestigious tournament can expect to be rewarded with at least USD1.3 million.

 * Clubs to be confirmed following completion of ongoing domestic competition(s)

 ^ The Bhubaneswar-based side won 10 of its 12 games to finish at the top of the IWL league table with 31 points, two points ahead of previous edition champions Gokulam Kerala FC during the season 2023-24.