Landmark AFC Women’s Champions League™ to kick off with 22 clubs - how to watch the draw

2 min read 16 July 2024

Kuala Lumpur: 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.

The official draw ceremonies for both the Preliminary Stage and Group Stage will be conducted on Thursday, July 18 at the AFC House, starting from 5pm AEST.

Twenty-two Member Associations (MAs) 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.

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

The remaining 14 clubs 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 August 25 and 31, 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:

Rank	Member Association	Club
1	Japan	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies
2	DPR Korea	Naegohyang Women's FC
3	Australia	Melbourne City FC
4	China PR	Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
5	Korea Republic	Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
6	Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC
7	Philippines	Kaya FC-Iloilo
8	Chinese Taipei	Taichung Blue Whale Women’s Football Team
9	Thailand	TBC*
10	Uzbekistan	PFC Nasaf
11	Myanmar	Myawady Women Football Club
12	Islamic Republic of Iran	Bam Khatoon FC
13	India	Odisha Football Club
14	Jordan	Etihad Club
15	Hong Kong, China	TBC*
16	Laos	Young Elephants FC
17	Malaysia	Sabah FA
18	Nepal	APF Football Club
19	United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi Country Club
20	Singapore	Lion City Sailors FC
21	Bhutan	RTC FC
22	Saudi Arabia	Al Nassr Club