Odisha FC drawn alongside Etihad Club and Lion City Sailors FC in Group B of the preliminary stage of AFC Women's Champions League 2024-25
Indian Women's League (IWL) 2023-24 champions Odisha FC have been drawn alongside Jordan outfit Etihad Club and Singaporean Lion City Sailors FC in Group B of the preliminary stage of the AFC Women's Champions League 2024-25. The draw was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, July 18.
Based on the FIFA Women’s World Rankings of their member associations, the clubs were seeded and in pots for the draw. The rankings were considered as of March 15, 2024. 30 teams will play in the preliminary stage.
The preliminary stage will feature four groups – one group of four teams and three groups of three. The group winners will then qualify for the 12-team group stage, joining the other eight clubs that have qualified directly. Odisha FC’s matches at the preliminary stage of the AFC Women's Champions League will be played in Jordan between August 25 and 31 since Etihad Club is the host side in Group B.
If Odisha FC finishes at the top of their preliminary stage group and qualifies for the group stage, they will be placed in Group C. The group already has Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies from Japan, Chinese Taipei’s Taichung Blue Whale Women's Football Team, and hosts of AFC Women’s Champions League 2024-25, Ho Chi Minh City Women's FC from Vietnam.
Gokulam Kerala women’s team was the only other Indian side to have participated in this tournament, which was then known as the AFC Women’s Club Championship. In their first season in 2021, the Kerala outfit finished third and finished second in the group stage in 2023.
Odisha FC’s road to AFC Women’s Champions League 2024-25 final
The top two teams of each group and the two best third-placed sides will advance to the AFC Women's Champions League 2024-25 quarterfinals, which will be played on March 22 and 23, 2025.
A knockout stage draw will be conducted before the quarterfinals to choose the four pairings. It will be played in a single-leg format, with the higher-ranked team of each game will be the host of the tie.
However, the semifinals and finals will also be single-leg ties but at centralized venues. They will be played out from May 21 to 24, 2025, to determine the first-ever champions of the AFC Women’s Champions League.