Which teams have qualified for AFC Women's Champions League 2026-27?
AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-27 will feature a total of 12 teams.
The preparations for the AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-27 are in full swing as we now have all the 12 teams that will be playing the continental tournament.
The teams were decided after the end of the preliminary stage on Sunday (23rd August) with six teams booking their spot through this preliminary stage, joining the defending champions Naegohyang Women’s FC, Melbourne City FC, Hwacheon KSPO WFC, INAC Kobe Leonessa, Beijing Jingtan FC and Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC.
The group stage draw is scheduled for September 3rd with the tournament scheduled to begin on November 1st.
In this article we will take a look at the teams that have made their way to the AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-27 group stage.
Direct entrants
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There are a total of 12 teams who will take part in the group stage of AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-27, with 6 teams being the direct entrants without playing any qualification matches (preliminary stage).
This was due to the slot allocation from AFC based on various reasons such as the nation’s ranking and coefficient points.
The defending champions of AFC Women’s Champions League, Naegohyang Women’s FC of DPR Korea have directly received an entry to this edition’s AFC Women’s Champions League.
Melbourne City FC from Australia are another team that received a directly entry to this edition’s AFC Women’s Champions League.
The remaining four teams comprise of Hwacheon KSPO WFC from South Korea, INAC Kobe Leonessa from Japan, Beijing Jingtan Football Club from China and Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC from Vietnam.
Direct entries:
- Naegohyang Women’s FC
- Melbourne City FC
- Hwacheon KSPO WFC
- INAC Kobe Leonessa
- Beijing Jingtan Football Club
- Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC
Preliminary Stage entrants
Joining the direct entrants are six more teams that qualified for the AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-27 group stage through the Preliminary Stage matches. The Preliminary Stage was set up among six different groups with the toppers of each group booking their spot in the group stage.
IWL champions, East Bengal FC from Group A booked their ticket with an impressive 2-0 win over Malaysian side Sabah FA winning all three matches finishing with a perfect record of nine points.
Kaya FC-Iloilo from Group B qualified but only on goal difference after finishing level on points with TSL FC.
PFC Nasaf made good use of home ground advantage topping Group C and qualifying. From Group D, DPR Korea side 4.25 SC booked their place making them the second team from their country to book a place in this edition’s continental tournament.
Bam Khatoon FC and Ayeyawady FC-Women secured their spots by topping Group E and Group F respectively.
Preliminary Stage entrants:
- East Bengal
- Bam Khatoon FC
- Ayeyawady FC-Women
- PFC Nasaf
- 4.25 SC
- Kaya FC-Iloilo
How many teams will compete in AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-27?
A total of twelve teams will battle it out in the AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-27.
When is the group stage draw for AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-27 scheduled?
The group stage draw of AWCL 2026-27 will take place on 3rd September.
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Ayushman Sharma is a sports enthusiast with a deep love for football, following the game closely since 2018. A hardcore supporter of NorthEast United FC and FC Barcelona, he has also gained valuable on-ground experience by volunteering during FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Guwahati.