Football

HCM City will host one of three groups of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2025-26 which will be kicked off in November. VNS Photo Như Huy

HÀ NỘI Hồ Chí Minh City, Việt Nam’s national women’s football champions, are gearing up for a stronger run in the AFC Women’s Champions League 2025-26 after being awarded the right to host a group stage this November.

The city’s squad made history last year by becoming the first Southeast Asian women’s club to reach the semi-finals of this continental competition, falling 2-0 to Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC of China, who went on to claim the title.

Coach Đoàn Thị Kim Chi and her team hope that playing on home soil will spark an even better performance this time around.

Joining HCM City as hosts are defending champions Wuhan Jiangda and ISPE Women’s FC of Myanmar. The three teams will compete against nine others in the group stage, with opponents to be confirmed during the official draw on September 11 at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The tournament’s second edition features 12 teams divided into three groups, battling it out in a centralised league format from November 9 to 23.

The line-up includes the continent’s top six clubs according to the AFC Women’s Club Competition Ranking 2024-25, alongside six qualifiers who emerged from a record 19-team preliminary round concluded on August 31.

Matches will be staged across three venues: Myanmar hosts games from November 9 to 15, Việt Nam from November 13 to 19, and China from November 17 to 23.

After the group stage, the top two teams from each group plus the two best third-placed teams will progress to the knockout quarter-finals, single-leg matches scheduled for March 2026. The quarter-final pairings will be determined by draw.

With history already made and home advantage secured, HCM City’s women’s team are ready to write an even more remarkable chapter in Southeast Asian football.

“All teams have heavily invested both in terms of personnel and expertise for the tournament. It will certainly be a huge challenge for us to repeat our achievement last season," coach Chi said.

"However, we will try our best to compete well, earning positive results for us in particular and Vietnamese women’s football in general.”

Chi and her team are currently in Hà Nội for the campaign. At the same time, she is seeking foreign and overseas Vietnamese players to strengthen their squad for the Asian tournament.

Chi said four foreign and two overseas Vietnamese players were important in HCM City's remarkable achievement last season.

In the April National Cup, where foreigners were not allowed to compete, overseas Vietnamese Asley Trâm Anh and Chelsea Lê contributed significantly to helping HCM City win the title.

Unfortunately, they could not support Chi's campaign in November as they returned home for personal plans, while the foreigners ended their contracts after the Asian event.

“It's tough to find players at the moment because none want a short-term contract. We are positively searching for someone and also asking partners to help," said Chi.

Financial problems also force the club managers to consider carefully in selecting players. Signing good players means the transfer fee and salary are very high. With their limited financial conditions, Chi must find someone who fits not only their budget but also their playing style and culture.

“We have contacted and researched some different players. But at present we have not found anyone yet. If we can't find high-quality players, we hope to find someone suitable for our playing style,” Chi added. VNS