2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League
International football competition
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The 2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League was the second edition of the AFC Women's Champions League, Asia's premier club women's football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
DatesPreliminary stage:
25–31 August 2025
Competition proper:
3 October 2025 – 23 May 2026
25–31 August 2025
Competition proper:
3 October 2025 – 23 May 2026
TeamsCompetition proper: 12
Total: 26 (from 26 associations)
Total: 26 (from 26 associations)
Champions
Naegohyang (1st title)
Naegohyang (1st title)Runners-up
Tokyo Verdy Beleza
Tokyo Verdy Beleza Suwon Sports Complex in Suwon hosted the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Preliminary stage: 25–31 August 2025 Competition proper: 3 October 2025 – 23 May 2026 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 12 Total: 26 (from 26 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Naegohyang (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Tokyo Verdy Beleza |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 52 |
| Goals scored | 207 (3.98 per match) |
| Attendance | 77,547 (1,491 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Holly McNamara Kim Kyong-yong(4 goals each) |
| Best player | Kim Kyong-yong[1] |
| Fair play award |  Hồ Chí Minh City |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
Wuhan Jiangda were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Suwon in quarter finals.
Association team allocation
There is one entry per participating member association, with allocation based on the FIFA Women's World Ranking. Teams from the top seven ranked associations qualified directly to the group stage, with the remaining teams starting from the preliminary stage.[2][3] Ranking for AFC Women's Club Competition are made with 70% of AFC club points and 30% of national team points as per FIFA rankings.[4]
- Legend
Did not participate W: withdrew before the draw
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Associations that did not enter a team:
Format
The competition consists of the following:[2][5][6]
- A preliminary stage (one group of three and four groups of four 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
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:[5]
- Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- 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;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Penalty shoot-out, if only two teams are tied, and the teams in question have played their last group match against each other;
- Lower disciplinary score (direct red card = 3 points; double yellow card = 3 points; single yellow card = 1 point);[7]
- Drawing of lots.
Schedule
| Stage | Round | Draw date | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary stage | Matchday 1 | 3 July 2025 | 25 August 2025 |
| Matchday 2 | 28 August 2025 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 31 August 2025 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 11 September 2025 | 13 November 2025 (Group A) 17 November 2025 (Group B) 9 November 2025 (Group C) |
| Matchday 2 | 16 November 2025 (Group A) 20 November 2025 (Group B) 12 November 2025 (Group C) | ||
| Matchday 3 | 19 November 2025 (Group A) 23 November 2025 (Group B) 15 November 2025 (Group C) | ||
| Knockout stage | Quarter-finals | 15 January 2026 | 28–29 March 2026 |
| Semi-finals | 20 May 2026 | ||
| Final | 23 May 2026 |
Teams
Team locations
ISPE
Location of the 2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League teams
Red: Group A; 
Blue: Group B; 
Green: Group C; 
Yellow: eliminated in Preliminary stage
Red: Group A; 
Blue: Group B; 
Green: Group C; 
Yellow: eliminated in Preliminary stageEntrants
| Team | Qualifying method | App. (last) |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne City |
2024–25 A-League Women premiers | 2nd (2024–25) |
 Suwon |
2024 WK League champions | 1st |
| NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza |
2024–25 WE League champions | 1st |
 Wuhan Jiangda |
2024 Chinese Women's Super League champions | 2nd (2024–25) |
| Hồ Chí Minh City |
2024 Vietnamese Women's National League champions | 2nd (2024–25) |
 Bam Khatoon |
2024–25 Kowsar Women Football League champions | 2nd (2024–25) |
| Team | Qualifying method | App. (last) |
|---|---|---|
 Abu Dhabi Country Club |
2024–25 UAE Women's Football League champions | 2nd (2024–25) |
Preliminary stage
Seedings
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
- Bold indicates teams qualified for the final tournament
(H) Hosts
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  ISPE (H) |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | +19 | 9 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 |  Stallion Laguna |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 4 | +16 | 6 | |
| 3 |  Khovd Western |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 16 | −10 | 3 | |
| 4 |  Strykers |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 27 | −25 | 0 |
| ISPE | 9–0 | Strykers |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Stallion Laguna | 6–1 | Khovd Western |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| Khovd Western | 0–8 | ISPE |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Strykers | 0–13 | Stallion Laguna |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Stallion Laguna | 1–3 | ISPE |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| Strykers | 2–5 | Khovd Western |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
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Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Nasaf (H) |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 9 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 |  College of Asian Scholars |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 6 | |
| 3 |  Al Nassr |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 3 | |
| 4 |  APF |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 0 |
| College of Asian Scholars | 2–0 | Al Nassr |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Nasaf | 3–0 | APF |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| APF | 0–4 | College of Asian Scholars |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| College of Asian Scholars | 1–2 | Nasaf |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
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Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Lion City Sailors |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 9 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 |  Etihad |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 6 | |
| 3 |  Sdyushor SI–Asiagoal |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 | |
| 4 |  Kelana United (H) |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 |
| Etihad | 0–2 | Lion City Sailors |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Sdyushor SI–Asiagoal | 1–3 | Etihad |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| Lion City Sailors | 3–1 | Kelana United |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| Lion City Sailors | 3–0 | Sdyushor SI–Asiagoal |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naegohyang |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | +23 | 9 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 |  Kaohsiung Attackers |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 |  RTC |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 3 | |
| 4 |  Master (H) |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | −21 | 0 |
| Kaohsiung Attackers | 2–0 | RTC |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Naegohyang | 11–0 | Master |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| RTC | 0–7 | Naegohyang |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Master | 0–5 | Kaohsiung Attackers |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Kaohsiung Attackers | 0–5 | Naegohyang |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  East Bengal |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 |  Kitchee |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3 |  Phnom Penh Crown (H) |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 1 |
| Phnom Penh Crown | 0–1 | East Bengal |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Kitchee | 3–3 | Phnom Penh Crown |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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| East Bengal | 1–1 | Kitchee |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
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Best runners-up ranking
Since Group E only had three teams, the results against fourth-placed teams in other groups were omitted for this ranking.
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Stallion Laguna |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 3 | Advance to group stage |
| 2 | B | College of Asian Scholars |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | |
| 3 | C | Etihad |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | D | Kaohsiung Attackers |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 3 | |
| 5 | E | Kitchee |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
Group stage
The draw was conducted on September 11, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur,[9] with matches to be played in three centralised venues.
Seedings
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wuhan Jiangda (4) (H, TH) Melbourne City (1) Suwon (2) |
NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza (3) Hồ Chí Minh City (5) (H) Bam Khatoon (7) |
Stallion Laguna (9) East Bengal (11) Naegohyang (13) |
Nasaf (14) ISPE (15) (H) Lion City Sailors (23) |
(H) Hosts
(TH) Title holders
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne City |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | +15 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Hồ Chí Minh City (H) |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | |
| 3 | Stallion Laguna |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Lion City Sailors |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | −12 | 0 |
| Lion City Sailors | 0–2 | Hồ Chí Minh City |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Stallion Laguna | 5–0 | Lion City Sailors |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Melbourne City | 3–0 | Hồ Chí Minh City |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wuhan Jiangda (H) |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Nasaf |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | |
| 3 | East Bengal |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Bam Khatoon |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 3 |
| East Bengal | 0–2 | Wuhan Jiangda |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Nasaf | 0–1 | Bam Khatoon |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| East Bengal | 0–3 | Nasaf |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Wuhan Jiangda | 4–0 | Bam Khatoon |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo Verdy |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Naegohyang |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | Suwon |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | |
| 4 | ISPE (H) |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | −9 | 0 |
| NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza | 4–0 | Naegohyang |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| ISPE | 0–1 | NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Naegohyang | 3–0 | Suwon |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Naegohyang | 3–0 | ISPE |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Ranking of second-placed teams
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | Naegohyang |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | Seeded in knockout stage draw |
| 2 | A | Hồ Chí Minh City |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | Unseeded in knockout stage draw |
| 3 | B | Nasaf |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 |
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Discilpinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Discilpinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Ranking of third-placed teams
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | Suwon |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage (unseeded) |
| 2 | A | Stallion Laguna |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 | |
| 3 | B | East Bengal |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 |
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Discilpinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Discilpinary points; 5) Drawing of lots.
Knockout stage
The knockout stage is being played in a single-leg knockout format. The semi-finals and the final match will be played in a centralised location.[10]
Draw
The draw was held on 15 January 2026. For the quarter-finals, teams were seeded based on their performance in the group stage. The three group winners and the best second-placed team were seeded, hosting the match. Teams from the same group could not be drawn against each other.[10]
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 29 March – Melbourne | ||||||||||
| Melbourne City | 2 | |||||||||
| 20 May – Suwon | ||||||||||
| Nasaf | 1 | |||||||||
| Melbourne City | 1 | |||||||||
| 28 March – Tokyo | ||||||||||
| Tokyo Verdy Beleza | 3 | |||||||||
| Tokyo Verdy Beleza | 5 | |||||||||
| 23 May – Suwon | ||||||||||
| Stallion Laguna | 0 | |||||||||
| Tokyo Verdy Beleza | 0 | |||||||||
| 28 March – Vientiane | ||||||||||
| Naegohyang | 1 | |||||||||
| Naegohyang | 3 | |||||||||
| 20 May – Suwon | ||||||||||
| Hồ Chí Minh City | 0 | |||||||||
| Naegohyang | 2 | |||||||||
| 29 March – Wuhan | ||||||||||
| Suwon | 1 | |||||||||
| Wuhan Jiangda | 0 | |||||||||
| Suwon | 4 | |||||||||
Quarter-finals
| Naegohyang | 3–0 | Hồ Chí Minh City |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane (Laos)
Attendance: 105
Referee: Veronika Bernatskaia (Kyrgyzstan)
| Melbourne City | 2–1 | Nasaf |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Wuhan Jiangda | 0–4 | Suwon |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Semi-finals
| Melbourne City | 1–3 | NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Naegohyang | 2–1 | Suwon |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Final
Top scorers
Team eliminated for this round / inactive for this round / Matches voided by AFC / Player left the team
| Rank | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | QF | SF | F | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Holly McNamara |
Melbourne City |
2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||
| Kim Kyong-yong |
Naegohyang |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Moka Hiwatari |
NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza |
2 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| Yuzuho Shiokoshi |
NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza |
1 | 2 | ||||||
| 5 | Miharu Shinjo |
NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza |
1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Alexia Apostolakis |
Melbourne City |
1 | 1 | ||||||
| Danella Butrus |
Melbourne City |
1 | 1 | ||||||
| Leticia McKenna |
Melbourne City |
2 | |||||||
 Deven Jackson |
Melbourne City |
2 | |||||||
| Aideen Keane |
Melbourne City |
1 | 1 | ||||||
| Kim Hye-yong |
Naegohyang |
1 | 1 | ||||||
| Ri Su-jong |
Naegohyang |
2 | 1 | ||||||
| Haruhi Suzuki |
Suwon |
1 | 1 | ||||||
| Song Ji-yoon |
Suwon |
2 | |||||||
| Chandler McDaniel |
Stallion Laguna |
2 | |||||||
| Tayla Christensen |
Stallion Laguna |
2 | |||||||
| Wang Shuang |
Wuhan Jiangda |
2 | |||||||
 Mavis Owusu |
Wuhan Jiangda |
2 | |||||||
| Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva |
Nasaf |
2 | |||||||
- Note
- Goals scored in the preliminary stage and matches voided by AFC are not counted when determining top scorer.