AFC Women’s Champions League
Khatoon lands defending champion Naegohyang in group stage
Iran’s Bam Khatoon has been drawn alongside defending champion Naegohyang Women’s FC of North Korea, Japan’s INAC Kobe Leonessa and Myanmar’s Ayeyawady FC in Group A of the upcoming AFC Women’s Champions League.
The draw for the group phase of the Asian elite club competition took place at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, with 12 teams divided into four groups.
The Iranian top-flight champion will open its campaign against INAC Kobe Leonessa at Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar, on November 1, before taking on Naegohyang at the same venue three days later. Khatoon will conclude its group campaign against the hosts on Nov. 7.
The top two teams from each of the three groups will be joined by the two best third-placed teams in the quarterfinals, which will be hosted by the three group winners and the best-ranked runner-up in single-leg ties in March.
Elsewhere, North Korean debutant 4.25 SC was pitted against South Korea’s Hwacheon KSPO WFC, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC and Indian host East Bengal FC in Group B.
Australian Group C top seed Melbourne City FC will have to contend with China’s Beijing Jingtan FC, Kaya FC-Iloilo of the Philippines and group host PFC Nasaf of Uzbekistan.
The semifinals and final – scheduled for May 2027 – will be played at a centralized venue.
Khatoon won the preliminary group in August to secure a third successive appearance in the main-round group stage in as many editions.
Iranian international striker Sara Didar was on target either side of Maryam Dini’s strike as Khatoon defeated CSKA Dushanbe in Hisor, Tajikistan, in its preliminary-stage opener. Didar then scored a 95th-minute equalizer to salvage a point for her side in a 1-1 stalemate against Saudi champion Al Nassr.
Didar was also the hero for Marziyeh Jafari’s side in the must-win encounter against Etihad Club, scoring twice late in the game to help Khatoon come from behind to defeat the Jordanian outfit 3-1 and pip Al Nassr to the top spot in the group.
Khatoon enjoyed an impressive run in the inaugural 2024/25 season, reaching the quarterfinals before losing 1-0 to South Korea’s Incheon Red Angels in Incheon.
The following season, however, was one to forget for Jafari’s team, which suffered an early exit after finishing bottom of its group with three points.