AFC Women’s Champions League 2025/26: Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC qualify directly for the group stage.
With their achievement of reaching the semi-finals in the 2024/25 AFC Women’s Champions League, Vietnam’s sole representative – Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC – has been granted a direct entry into the group stage of the upcoming 2025/26 season, bypassing the qualifying round.
04/07/2025 16:34:31
Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC, along with the top seven clubs from the 2024/25 AFC Women’s Champions League – including Melbourne City (Australia), Suwon FC Women (Korea Republic), Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan), defending champions Wuhan Jiangda Women (China), Bam Khatoon (Iran), and an as-yet-unconfirmed representative from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – will qualify directly for the group stage of the 2025/26 AFC Women’s Champions League. They will be joined by five additional teams advancing from the qualifying round.
The 2025/26 season marks a significant step in the competition’s development, with the number of participating clubs rising from 21 in the inaugural season to 26. Among them, 19 clubs will compete in the qualifying round. For the first time, clubs from Cambodia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Guam, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Mongolia will enter the continental stage.
At the qualifying round draw held on July 3, the 19 teams were divided into five groups – four groups of four teams and one group of three. These matches will be played in a centralized tournament format from August 23 to August 31, 2025. The five best-performing teams will advance to the group stage.
Following the conclusion of the qualifying round, another official draw will be conducted in September 2025 for the 12 clubs qualified for the group stage of the 2025/26 AFC Women’s Champions League, which is scheduled to kick off in November.
