Ho Chi Minh City, 10 September, 2025 – Vietnam women’s football has received a major boost after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officially announced that Ho Chi Minh City Women’s Football Club will host one of the group stages of the 2025/26 AFC Women’s Champions League. The matches are scheduled to take place from November 13 to 19 in Ho Chi Minh City.
As reigning champions of the 2024 Vietnamese Women’s National Championship, Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC automatically qualified for the group stage thanks to their high ranking on the AFC women’s club coefficient table. This hosting role gives them a significant advantage as they aim to replicate, or even surpass, their achievement of reaching the semifinals in last year’s edition.
Following the completion of the qualification round on August 31, AFC confirmed the 12 clubs that will compete in the group stage of the 2025/26 AFC Women’s Champions League. These 12 teams will be divided into three groups, with matches taking place at centralized venues in Vietnam, Myanmar, and China.
The draw for the group stage will be conducted tomorrow, September 11, where Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC will discover their opponents. Thanks to their host status, coach Doan Thi Kim Chi’s team will avoid facing two formidable sides early on — defending champions Wuhan Jiangda from China and Myanmar’s ISPE. They will also be kept apart from Japanese powerhouse Tokyo Verdy Beleza and Iran’s Bam Khatoon, as these teams fall within the same original Pot 2 seeding group.
For Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC, the opportunity to play at home represents more than just familiar conditions. It also provides the chance to leverage strong local support, something that was instrumental in their impressive run to the semifinals last year. Playing in front of passionate home fans at a packed stadium could give the team the extra push needed to challenge the region’s elite once again.
Head coach Doan Thi Kim Chi has expressed confidence in her squad’s preparation and ambition: “Competing in the AFC Women’s Champions League is always a great honor. Hosting a group stage in Ho Chi Minh City gives us motivation to fight harder and represent Vietnamese women’s football with pride.”
The AFC Women’s Champions League 2025/26 marks a new era for women’s club football in Asia, with the tournament growing in stature and competitiveness. For Vietnam, securing hosting rights once again highlights the trust placed by AFC in the country’s football infrastructure and organizational capabilities.
With the draw just around the corner, anticipation is building as Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC prepare to welcome Asia’s best to Vietnam in November, determined to make another deep run in the continent’s premier women’s club competition.
Ha Linh
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