AFC announces great news for a Vietnamese football team

For the third straight year, Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club will represent Vietnamese women's football in the AFC Women's Champions League 2026/27, securing an automatic place in the group stage.

Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club will continue to represent Vietnamese women's football in the AFC Women's Champions League 2026/27, marking their third consecutive appearance in Asia's most prestigious club competition. Thanks to reaching the quarterfinals last season and winning the 2025 National Women's Football Championship, coach Đoàn Thị Kim Chi's team has been granted a direct group-stage berth by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), bypassing the qualifying round.

According to the schedule, the draw for the group stage and match fixtures will take place on July 2 at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 2026/27 season will be the largest since the tournament's inception, featuring 30 clubs. Among them, 24 teams will compete in the qualifying round, divided into six groups playing a single round-robin from August 17 to 23, with the top six advancing to the group stage.

Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club, along with five other clubs with the best continental performances and rankings, received direct entry into the group stage. The other five representatives are Naegohyang (DPR Korea), Melbourne City FC (Australia), Hwacheon KSPO WFC (South Korea), INAC Kobe Leonessa (Japan), and Beijing Jingtan FC (China). Bypassing the qualifiers gives the Vietnamese side extra time to prepare its squad and build tactical plans for the continental campaign.

This marks the third consecutive time Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club has participated in Asia's top women's football competition. In the last two seasons, the city team advanced past the group stage and into the knockout rounds. Although they have yet to cause an upset against top representatives from China or DPR Korea, that achievement still demonstrates the significant progress of Vietnamese women's football on the international stage.

Ahead of the tournament, coach Đoàn Thị Kim Chi's squad is in impressive form. The team recently successfully defended the National Cup title and currently leads the 2026 National Women's Football Championship standings after the first three matchdays. Stability in personnel, playing style, and experience accumulated from continental campaigns give Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club a solid foundation to aim for a deeper run.

Continuing to participate in the AFC Women's Champions League is not only a well-deserved reward for the Vietnamese champions but also affirms the increasingly solid position of Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club on the Asian stage. With their professional foundation and thorough preparation, the Vietnamese representative is expected to continue delivering positive performances and making further marks in the 2026/27 season.