2024–25 AFC Women's Champions League

The 2024–25 AFC Women's Champions League[1] is the first edition of the AFC Women's Champions League, Asia's premier club women's football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

2024–25 AFC Women's Champions League
Tournament details
DatesPreliminary stage:
25–31 August 2024
Competition proper:
3 October 2024 – 24 May 2025
TeamsCompetition proper: 12
Total: 21 (from 21 associations)
2025-26

Association team allocation

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Key principles for the competition were released by the AFC on 20 August 2023.[2] There is one entry per participating member association, with allocation based on the FIFA Women's World Ranking as of 15 March 2024. Clubs from the top ranked associations qualified directly to the group stage, with the remaining clubs starting from the preliminary stage.[3][4]

Originally, 22 (out of 47) member associations applied to enter the competition.[4] However, Naegohyang from North Korea withdrew before the draw.[5]

Rank[6] Member
association
Slots
Group
stage
Play-off
AFC World
1 7   Japan 1 0
3 12   Australia 1 0
4 19   China 1 0
5 20   South Korea 1 0
6 37   Vietnam 1 0
7 39   Philippines 1 0
8 40   Chinese Taipei 1 0
9 47   Thailand 1 0
10 48   Uzbekistan 0 1
11 54   Myanmar 0 1
12 61   Iran 0 1
13 66   India 0 1
14 74   Jordan 0 1
15 79   Hong Kong 0 1
17 93   Laos 0 1
18 96   Malaysia 0 1
19 100     Nepal 0 1
22 114   United Arab Emirates 0 1
28 137   Singapore 0 1
38 173   Bhutan 0 1
40 175   Saudi Arabia 0 1
Total Participating associations: 21 9 13
21

Associations that did not enter a team

Legend
  • W withdrew before the draw

Format

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The competition comprises:[3][7]

  • a preliminary stage (one group of four and three groups of three 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

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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:[7]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
  4. 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;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out, if only two teams are tied, and the teams in question have played their last group match against each other;
  8. Lower disciplinary score (direct red card = 3 points; double yellow card = 3 points; single yellow card = 1 point);[8]
  9. Drawing of lots

Schedule

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Stage Round Draw date Dates
Preliminary stage Matchday 1 18 July 2024 25–31 August 2024
Matchday 2
Matchday 3
Group stage Matchday 1 3–12 October 2024
Matchday 2
Matchday 3
Knockout stage Quarter-finals TBD 22–23 March 2025
Semi-finals 21–24 May 2025
Final

Teams

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Clubs from the top eight member associations qualified directly to the group stage, while the remaining 13 clubs entered at the preliminary stage.[4][5]

Preliminary stage

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Bhutan, Jordan, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia were the hosts of each group in the Preliminary stage.[5]

Seedings

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Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4

(H) Hosts

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Abu Dhabi Country Club 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3 9 Advance to group stage
2   Al Nassr (H) 3 2 0 1 6 1 +5 6
3   Young Elephants 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
4   Myawady 3 0 0 3 0 7 −7 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Young Elephants  1–2  Abu Dhabi Country Club
  • Yon Y.   83'
Report
Attendance: 50
Referee: Nodira Mirzoeva (Tajikistan)
Myawady  0–3  Al Nassr
Report
King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh
Attendance: 294
Referee: Mou Mingxing (China)

Abu Dhabi Country Club  1–0  Myawady
Report
King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh
Attendance: 50
Referee: Cha Min-ji (South Korea)
Al Nassr  3–0  Young Elephants
Report
King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh
Attendance: 181
Referee: Trần Thị Thanh (Vietnam)

Myawady  0–3  Young Elephants
Report
Al Nassr Club Stadium, Riyadh
Attendance: 11
Referee: Esra'a Al Mbaidin (Jordan)
Abu Dhabi Country Club  1–0  Al Nassr
Poudel   68' Report
King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh
Attendance: 600
Referee: Mahsa Ghorbani (Iran)

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Odisha 2 2 0 0 6 2 +4 6 Advance to group stage
2   Etihad (H) 2 1 0 1 6 2 +4 3
3   Lion City Sailors 2 0 0 2 1 9 −8 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Lion City Sailors  1–4  Odisha
Report
Attendance: 50
Referee: Park Se-jin (South Korea)

Etihad  5–0  Lion City Sailors
Report
Prince Mohammed Stadium, Zarqa
Attendance: 110
Referee: Plong Pich Akara (Cambodia)

Odisha  2–1  Etihad
Yeboah   27', 70' Report Jbarah   57'
Prince Mohammed Stadium, Zarqa
Attendance: 200
Referee: Rebecca Durcau (Australia)

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Sabah (H) 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 4 Advance to group stage
2   Nasaf 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
3   APF 2 0 1 1 0 1 −1 1
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
APF  0–1  Nasaf
Report Niber-Lawrence   49'
Attendance: 75
Referee: Tian Jin (China)

Sabah  0–0  APF
Report
Likas Stadium, Kota Kinabalu
Attendance: 2,983
Referee: Azusa Sugino (Japan)

Nasaf  1–2  Sabah
Njolle   83' Report
Likas Stadium, Kota Kinabalu
Attendance: 3,683
Referee: Tian Jin (China)

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Bam Khatoon 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 6 Advance to group stage
2   Kitchee 2 1 0 1 1 2 −1 3
3   Royal Thimphu College (H) 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Royal Thimphu College  1–2  Bam Khatoon
Report
Attendance: 2,400
Referee: Khin Nyein Chan (Myanmar)

Kitchee  1–0  Royal Thimphu College
Fu Chiu Man   41' Report
Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu
Attendance: 1,700
Referee: Nurul Ain Izatty Zainal (Malaysia)

Bam Khatoon  2–0  Kitchee
Report
Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu
Attendance: 450
Referee: Supiree Testhomya (Thailand)

Group stage

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The group stage was played from 6 to 12 October 2024. The four teams in each of the three groups played one another in a centralised single round-robin format.[3] The top two finishers in each group, together with the two best third-placed teams, advanced to the knockout stage. China, Thailand and Vietnam were the hosts of the three groups.[5]

Seedings

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Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4

(H) Hosts
Winners of the preliminary stage, whose identity was not known at the time of draw

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Incheon Red Angels 3 2 1 0 7 2 +5 7 Advance to Quarter-finals
2   Abu Dhabi Country Club 3 1 2 0 6 5 +1 5
3   Wuhan Jiangda (H) 3 1 0 2 8 4 +4 3
4   Sabah 3 0 1 2 2 12 −10 1
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Wuhan Jiangda  1–2  Abu Dhabi Country Club
Mupopo   4' Report Juma   90', 90+3'
Attendance: 1,049
Referee: Rebecca Durcau (Australia)
Incheon Red Angels  3–0  Sabah
Report
Attendance: 136
Referee: Mahsa Ghorbani (Iran)

Sabah  0–7  Wuhan Jiangda
Report
Abu Dhabi Country Club  2–2  Incheon Red Angels
Report
Attendance: 178
Referee: Alesar Baddour (Syria)

Sabah  2–2  Abu Dhabi Country Club
Report
Attendance: 158
Referee: Supiree Testhomya (Thailand)
Wuhan Jiangda  0–2  Incheon Red Angels
Report
Attendance: 795
Referee: Veronika Bernatskaya (Kyrgyzstan)

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Melbourne City 3 3 0 0 9 1 +8 9 Advance to Quarter-finals
2   Bam Khatoon 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
3   Kaya–Iloilo 3 0 2 1 1 5 −4 2
4   College of Asian Scholars (H) 3 0 1 2 1 5 −4 1
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Melbourne City  2–1  Bam Khatoon
Report
Attendance: 391
Referee: Kim Yu-jeong (South Korea)
Kaya–Iloilo  0–0  College of Asian Scholars
Report
Attendance: 611
Referee: Bùi Thị Thu Trang (Vietnam)

Bam Khatoon  1–1  Kaya–Iloilo
Ghanbari   39' (pen.) Report Onrubia   90+4'
Attendance: 120
Referee: Ranjita Devi (India)
College of Asian Scholars  0–3  Melbourne City
Report
Attendance: 414
Referee: Yang Shu-ting (Chinese Taipei)

Melbourne City  4–0  Kaya–Iloilo
Report
Attendance: 150
Referee: Khuloud Khudoum (United Arab Emirates)
College of Asian Scholars  1–2  Bam Khatoon
Waenngoen   30' Report

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Urawa Red Diamonds 3 3 0 0 21 0 +21 9 Advance to Quarter-finals
2   Hồ Chí Minh City (H) 3 2 0 1 6 4 +2 6
3   Taichung Blue Whale 3 1 0 2 5 5 0 3
4   Odisha 3 0 0 3 1 24 −23 0
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Urawa Red Diamonds  17–0  Odisha
Report
Attendance: 186
Referee: Pansa Chaisanit (Thailand)
Hồ Chí Minh City  3–1  Taichung Blue Whale
Report Huang Ke-sin   85'
Attendance: 1,086
Referee: Khin Nyein Chan (Myanmar)

Taichung Blue Whale  0–2  Urawa Red Diamonds
Report
Attendance: 162
Referee: Tian Jin (China)
Odisha  1–3  Hồ Chí Minh City
Yeboah   63' Report
Attendance: 682
Referee: Yu Hong (China)

Taichung Blue Whale  4–0  Odisha
Report
Attendance: 135
Referee: Edita Mirabidova (Uzbekistan)
Urawa Red Diamonds  2–0  Hồ Chí Minh City
Report
Attendance: 1,097
Referee: Hyeon-Jeong Oh (South Korea)

Ranking of second-placed teams

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Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 C   Hồ Chí Minh City 3 2 0 1 6 4 +2 6 Seeded in Quarter-finals draw
2 A   Abu Dhabi Country Club 3 1 2 0 6 5 +1 5 Unseeded in Quarter-finals draw
3 B   Bam Khatoon 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Discilpinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.

Ranking of third-placed teams

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Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A   Wuhan Jiangda 3 1 0 2 8 4 +4 3 Advance to Quarter-finals
2 C   Taichung Blue Whale 3 1 0 2 5 5 0 3
3 B   Kaya–Iloilo 3 0 2 1 1 5 −4 2
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Discilpinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.

Knockout stage

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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.[7]

Draw

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  • For the quarter-finals draw, teams will be seeded based on their performance in the group stage.
    • Three group winners and the best second-placed team will be seeded, and the remaining four teams will be unseeded.
    • The seeded teams will be drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the quarter-final match.
    • Teams from the same group cannot be drawn against each other.
  • In the semi-finals, the winners of the quarter-final 1 will play against the winners of the quarter-final 2 and the winners of the quarter-final 3 against the winners of the quarter-final 4.
  • The winners of the semi-final 1 will be designated as the "home" team for the final.[7]
Seeded Unseeded

Top scorers

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  Team eliminated for this round.
  Player is not in the team but the team is still active for this round.

Updated for matches on 12 October 2024.

Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 QF SF F Total
1   Terry Engesha   Incheon Red Angels 2 2 1 5
2   Miki Ito   Urawa Red Diamonds 4 4
  Yuzuho Shiokoshi   Urawa Red Diamonds 3 1
4   Lourdes Bosch   Melbourne City 1 2 3
  Deng Mengye   Wuhan Jiangda 3
  Huỳnh Như   Hồ Chí Minh City 2 1
  Mei Shimada   Urawa Red Diamonds 2 1
  Mariana Speckmaier   Melbourne City 1 1 1
9   Zahra Ghanbari   Bam Khatoon 1 1 2
  Chen Jin-wen   Taichung Blue Whale 2
  Naeema Juma   Abu Dhabi Country Club 2
  Kabange Mupopo   Wuhan Jiangda 1 1
  Ririka Tanno   Urawa Red Diamonds 1 1
  Fuka Tsunoda   Urawa Red Diamonds 1 1
Note
  • Goals scored in the qualifying play-offs and matches voided by AFC are not counted when determining top scorer.

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "AFC Executive Committee approves biggest prize purse in Asian club football history from 2024/25; announces AFC Women's Champions League". AFC. 14 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Key principles of landmark AFC Women's Champions League approved by AFC Women's Football Committee". AFC. 20 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "AFC unveils key details for inaugural AFC Women's Champions League 2024/25". The AFC. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Landmark AFC Women's Champions League™ to kick off with 22 clubs". the-AFC. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d "#AWCL draw to mark battle lines for maiden season". AFC. 12 July 2024.
  6. ^ "FIFA Women's World Ranking as of 15 March 2024". AFC. 15 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d "AFC Women's Champions League 2024/25 - Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  8. ^ "AFC Competition Operations Manual (Edition 2023)" (PDF). AFC. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
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