club "girls" The Emirati is in the first level of the AFC Women’s Champions League draw
KUALA LUMPUR, June 30, 2027 (WAM) – The third edition of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-2027 is witnessing record participation, with 30 clubs registered from 29 national federations on the continent, an increase of five clubs compared to the last edition, in confirmation of the continued growth of women’s football in Asia.
The Emirati participation in the tournament is highlighted by the “Girls” Club, which is witnessing its first appearance in the AFC competitions, after it came in the first level of the draw according to the classification of the Asian Women’s Club Competitions 2024-2025, occupying sixth place, to be among the most prominent clubs participating in the preliminary round.
The Asian Football Confederation announced today that the draw ceremony for the first round will be held the day after tomorrow, Thursday, at the federation’s headquarters in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, with the participation of 24 clubs, which will be distributed into 6 groups, each containing 4 teams, to compete in the combined league system during the period from August 17 to 23, with the winner of each group qualifying for the group stage.
The clubs that qualified from the preliminary round will join the clubs that qualified directly, which are: defending champion Niguihiang Women from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Melbourne City of Australia, Hwacheon KSBO from the Republic of Korea, ENAC Kobe Leonessa from Japan, Beijing Jingtan from China, and Ho Chi Minh City Women from Vietnam.
The tournament witnesses the participation of clubs from four national federations for the first time, namely Bangladesh, Lebanon, Tajikistan and East Timor, and 13 clubs also make their first appearance in the AFC competitions, including the UAE Girls Club.
According to the distribution of the draw levels, the first level includes, in addition to the Iranian club, Bam Khatoon, New Taipei City Hang Yuan of Taiwan, Kaya Iloilo of the Philippines, and East Bengal of India, while the other levels include the rest of the participating clubs, in addition to a special level for the host clubs.
The draw for the group stage is scheduled to be held next September with the participation of 12 clubs, with the competitions for this round starting in November 2026, to complete the competition for the title of the third edition of the AFC Women’s Champions League.
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