The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today announced that the cast of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2025/26 are set to discover their Group Stage opponents on Thursday when the official draw takes place at 3 pm.

To be conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, the 12-strong final line-up for the second edition will be divided into three equal groups and do battle in a centralised league format between 9th to 23rd November.

The teams comprise the Continent’s top six clubs - as per the AFC Women’s Club Competition Ranking 2024/25 - and six more that came through the Preliminary Stage, which featured a record 19 sides.

China PR’s Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC will return to defend their title, while eight clubs are set for their Group Stage debuts: Tokyo Verdy Beleza, ISPE WFC, Lion City Sailors FC, PFC Nasaf, East Bengal FC, Suwon FC Women, Stallion Laguna FC and Naegohyang Women’s FC, with the latter four sides also making their Continental debuts.

The teams have been seeded for the draw based on the Competition Ranking, with title-holders Wuhan Jiangda as the top seed and the three hosts in a separate pot.

The matches in Myanmar will be held between 9th to 15th November, with games in Vietnam scheduled for 13th to 19th November and fixtures in China to be played from 17th to 23rd November.

Following the Group Stage, eight clubs, the top two finishers of each group and the two overall best third-placed clubs, will advance to the Knockout Stage, with the single-leg Quarter-final pairings to be decided by a draw and played in March 2026.