AFC Women's Champions League Draw: Beijing Women Drawn with Melbourne City, Kaya FC and Nasaf Women

On September 3 Beijing time, the group-stage draw ceremony for the 2026/27 AFC Women's Champions League was held this afternoon at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Beijing Jingtan Women, the Chinese Women's Super League champions who entered the draw as a second-tier team, were placed in Group C alongside Australia's Melbourne City Women, the Philippines' Kaya FC Women and Uzbekistan's Nasaf Women.

A total of 12 teams will participate in this edition of the AFC Women's Champions League group stage. Based on AFC club rankings and the principle of avoiding teams from the same association, the teams were divided into three groups of four. Group C will be hosted by the Uzbekistan zone, with the lineup set as Melbourne City Women (Australia), Beijing Jingtan Women (China), Kaya FC Women (Philippines) and Nasaf Women (Uzbekistan).

In terms of the opponents' quality, Group C is expected to be highly competitive. Melbourne City Women are a traditional powerhouse in the Australian Women's Super League, with physical play and tempo changes at the top Asian level; Kaya FC Women have represented the Philippines in continental competitions for years and feature a sharp counterattacking style; Nasaf Women are an Uzbek powerhouse and will benefit from being the host, with home atmosphere and physical management potentially creating additional challenges for away teams.

According to the format, the group stage will be held in November 2026 in a centralized single round-robin format. The top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams among the three groups, for a total of eight teams, will advance to the knockout stage. The knockout draw will take place in December, with the quarterfinals scheduled for March 2027 as single-match contests, and the semifinals and final scheduled for May.

Beijing Jingtan Women won the Chinese Women's Super League title last season, earning direct qualification for the AFC Champions League main competition. The club stated that the AFC Women's Champions League group stage will be one of the season's key focuses, and that it will prepare squad rotations and plans for international matches in advance for the intensive tournament schedule in November.