Odisha FC Women To Face Singapore’s Lion City Sailors In Asian WCL Opener

Bhubaneswar: Odisha FC have been drawn alongside Etihad Club (Jordan) and Lion City Sailors FC (Singapore) in Group B for the preliminary stage of the 1st AFC Women’s Champions League (WCL) 2024-25.

The Group B matches will be held in Jordan from August 25 to 31.

The draw, conducted in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, pits Odisha FC against Lion City Sailors FC on August 25 and Etihad Club on August 31.

The Bhubaneswar-based side qualified for AFC Women’s Champions League by winning the 7th edition of Indian Women’s League (IWL) at Kalinga Stadium here on March 24.

Thirteen contesting teams in the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League have been divided into four groups – one group of four teams and three groups of three teams each.

The four group winners will qualify for the 12-team group stage, joining eight clubs that have qualified directly.

If Odisha FC top their preliminary stage group and qualify for the group stage, they will be placed in Group C, along with Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies (Japan), Taichung Blue Whale Women’s Football Team (Chinese Taipei) and hosts Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC (Vietnam).

The group stage will feature three groups of four teams, and will be contested in a centralised league format from October 6 to 12.

The top two finishers of each group and the two best third-placed sides will progress to the quarterfinals, to be played on March 22 and 23, 2025.

A knockout stage draw will be conducted prior to the quarterfinals to determine the four pairings, which will be contested in a single-leg format, with the higher-ranked team of each tie to serve as the home side.

This will be followed by a centralised Finals, which will see the semis and final – all single-leg ties – being played from May 21 to 24, 2025, to determine the first ever champions of the AFC Women’s Champions League.