Women’s football in Asia has entered a transformative phase, and at the heart of this evolution lies the AFC Women Champions League (AWCL).
Launched in the 2024–25 season, the competition has quickly established itself as the continent’s premier stage for women’s club football, providing a professional platform for domestic champions to showcase their strength and to measure themselves against Asia’s elite. The tournament’s inaugural edition saw Wuhan Jiangda (China) edge Melbourne City (Australia) in a tense penalty shootout final, marking both a historic conclusion and a glimpse of what this new competition can achieve.
The second edition, set for November 2025, is already shaping up to be broader, more competitive, and more inclusive with clubs from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and beyond making historic breakthroughs.
From Inauguration to Expansion
The 2024–25 season was a landmark. For the first time, women’s domestic champions across Asia had a continental competition comparable to the men’s AFC Champions League. The format included preliminaries, group stages, and knockouts, culminating in a showcase final. Wuhan Jiangda’s victory not only underlined Chinese dominance but also revealed the level of resilience needed in continental competition. Despite struggling in the group stage, they rallied through penalty shootouts in the knockout rounds to emerge victorious a story that set the tone for the unpredictable and high-quality football the AWCL promises.
For 2025–26, the competition has grown. A 19-team preliminary round was introduced, giving opportunities to clubs from emerging leagues. Six preliminary qualifiers join six automatic entrants from stronger leagues to make a 12-team group stage. The direct qualifiers include Wuhan Jiangda, Melbourne City, Suwon FC (Korea), Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), and Bam Khatoon FC (Iran).
The Rise of Emerging Clubs
Perhaps the most striking story of the 2025–26 edition is the emergence of clubs from nations with less-established women’s football structures.
- East Bengal (India): Riding on their maiden Indian Women’s League triumph, the Kolkata-based club scripted history by qualifying for the group stage after defeating Phnom Penh Crown and drawing with Kitchee SC in Cambodia. Their Ugandan striker Fazila Ikwaput and Indian midfielder Sangita Basfore were key, underlining the impact of smart recruitment alongside a strong local core.
- ISPE WFC (Myanmar): Entered as unbeaten domestic champions and swept through the preliminary stage, winning all matches. Their dominance showcased the strength of Myanmar’s development system.
- Lion City Sailors (Singapore): Became the first Singaporean club to qualify, thanks to experienced Japanese imports and a breakthrough 15-year-old talent, Nur Ain Salleh.
- Naegohyang Women’s FC (North Korea): Displayed total dominance, scoring 23 goals without conceding in the preliminary stage—an indicator of North Korea’s centralised football structure feeding talent directly into elite clubs.
- Stallion Laguna FC (Philippines): Qualified as the best second-placed team, their success built on big-margin victories that highlighted the importance of goal difference in tournament strategy.
These stories illustrate that the AWCL is not just a contest for established giants but also a launchpad for emerging markets.
The Powerhouses Remain
Even as new names rise, traditional giants continue to set the benchmark.
Wuhan Jiangda (China) are with five consecutive league titles and now a continental crown, they are the team to beat. Their resilience in penalty shootouts showed the importance of mental strength at this level. Melbourne City (Australia), went unbeaten in their domestic league and reached the AWCL final, showcasing tactical adaptability and squad depth. Despite losing the final, their performances cemented them as one of Asia’s elite clubs. Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan), often described as a “talent factory,” they supply players to both domestic and international leagues. Their challenge remains sustaining success amid constant player turnover.
Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) are with six consecutive league titles and a semi-final run in the AWCL debut season, they are steadily raising Vietnam’s profile in continental women’s football. Bam Khatoon (Iran) with a decade of domestic dominance has made them regional stalwarts. Their quarter-final appearance last season reflects how West Asia’s women’s football is catching up. Suwon FC (South Korea) enter as domestic champions but face questions after a poor 2025 league campaign, reflecting how maintaining form across seasons is a real challenge.
Strategic Lessons from the AWCL
The first two seasons of the competition have already offered key insights:
- Domestic dominance is not enough: Wuhan Jiangda’s struggles in the group stage proved that continental competition requires tactical adaptability and mental toughness beyond domestic superiority.
- Foreign recruitment matters: From East Bengal’s use of Ikwaput to Ho Chi Minh City’s signing of Sabrina Cabrera, targeted foreign talent has helped emerging clubs close the gap with traditional powers.
- Goal difference is decisive: Stallion Laguna’s qualification as the best second-placed team highlighted how exploiting weaker opponents and maximising margins can decide progression.
- League strength fuels continental progress: Consistent domestic champions like Bam Khatoon or Ho Chi Minh City are better equipped to compete internationally, showing the importance of strong national leagues.
Implications for Indian Football
For India, East Bengal’s breakthrough is especially significant. Following Odisha FC’s debut in the inaugural edition, East Bengal’s qualification ensures back-to-back Indian representation in the group stage. It validates the Indian Women’s League (IWL) as a credible pathway and inspires a new generation of players. The media coverage and fan support around East Bengal’s achievement have also created unprecedented visibility for women’s football in the country.
Coach Anthony Andrews described the qualification as more than just a club victory it is “a new aspiration for Indian girls to dream of playing continental football.” This impact, both symbolic and practical, could reshape how women’s football is perceived and supported domestically.
The 2025–26 AWCL group stage will take place from November 9–23, 2025, with the group draw set for September 11 in Kuala Lumpur. The competition promises fascinating matchups, where newcomers like East Bengal and Lion City Sailors will test themselves against continental giants like Wuhan Jiangda and Tokyo Verdy Beleza. The broader implications are just as exciting. The AWCL is fostering a more interconnected football ecosystem in Asia, where domestic success, strategic planning, and international exposure feed into one another.
The competition is also creating compelling narratives of underdogs rising, giants asserting, and entire nations investing in women’s football.
The AFC Women’s Champions League is still in its infancy, but its impact is already profound. The inaugural season proved the concept; the second season is proving the depth. Established powers from China, Japan, Korea, and Australia remain strong, but the rise of East Bengal, Lion City Sailors, ISPE WFC, and others signals that the competitive base is expanding rapidly. This is not just about trophies it is about creating aspirations, opportunities, and professional pathways for women across Asia.
The AWCL has become the stage where domestic dreams meet continental ambitions, and in just two seasons, it has already changed the conversation about women’s football in Asia. As the group stage in November approaches, one thing is certain: the AWCL is no longer an experiment—it is the future of Asian women’s football.
