Odisha FC Women drafted into Group C of AFC Women's Champions League 2024-25
(Courtesy :Â Odisha FC Media)
The Juggernauts have excelled in the Indian Women’s League, taking their form into the Asian stages.
Odisha FC Women created history by confirming their place in the AFC Women’s Champions League(AWCL) with a 2-1 victory over Jordan’s Etihad Club in the final Group B match of the preliminary round. Jennifer Kankam scored two goals for Odisha and helped her team to qualify for the group stages.
Earlier the Juggernauts defeated Lion City Sailors of Singapore by a staggering 4-1 scoreline. Their achievement is a significant milestone for Indian football as they are the only club from the SAFF region, that has managed to qualify for the group stages. The women’s team has left their men’s counterparts far behind in terms of squad building, player potential, and silverware.
With two wins in two matches in the preliminary round, Odisha FC topped their group to reach the AWCL group stages. If Odisha failed to beat Etihad then they would have failed to qualify for the prestigious tournament but evidently, the Kalinga Warriors were more than up to the task.
Odisha FC Women drafted into Group C of AFC Women’s Champions League 2024-25
Following their scot-free preliminary stage record, they have been drawn alongside Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan, Ho Chi Minh City FC of Vietnam, and Taichung Blue Whale of Chinese Taipei in group C.
The group stage matches will begin in October. Odisha FC qualified for the inaugural edition of the AFC Women’s Champions League after winning the Indian Women’s League (IWL) 2023-24 title. It is also important to note that it was the Juggernauts’ second outing in the IWL when they won it, after making it to the quarter-finals in their debut season (IWL 2022-23).
About AWCL
It will be the first edition of Asia’s premier women’s club football tournament organized by the AFC. A total of 13 teams participated in the Preliminary round in which the teams were divided into four groups. Out of these teams, the top-ranked teams from each group qualified for the group stages. In the group stages, a total of 12 teams are present and they have been divided into three groups of four.
Format of AWCL
The top two teams for each group will directly qualify for the quarterfinals. After this qualification, the two best third-placed teams from the remaining competitors among the three groups will qualify for the quarterfinals too.
The group stages are bound to be a big test for Odisha FC Women’s team, who will be harboring huge expectations on their shoulders. The AWCL semifinals and final will take place in a centralized venue with the knockout stages commencing from mid-March.
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