Three years. Three AFC Women’s Champions League campaigns. Three home Quarter Finals!
Melbourne City has continued its remarkable record on the continental stage, securing the right to host another AFC Women’s Champions League Quarter Final for the third consecutive season.
Saturday night’s dramatic 2-0 win over Beijing Jingtan FC in Uzbekistan ensured Michael Matricciani’s side would once again enjoy home advantage in the knockout stages, with Aideen Keane’s 89th-minute strike proving crucial.
Heading into the final Group Stage fixture knowing a victory by two or more goals would secure a home Quarter Final, Melina Ayres’ early penalty put us on track before Keane delivered the all-important second goal in the dying stages.
It means City has now earned hosting rights in every edition of the competition since its inception in 2024/25.
And if history is anything to go by, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about another big night of continental football in Melbourne!
Our first home Quarter Final came at AAMI Park in March 2025, when City cruised past Chinese Taipei’s Taichung Blue Whale 3-0 to book a place in the Semi Finals of the inaugural competition.
Earlier this year, we backed it up with another memorable victory, defeating Uzbekistan’s PFC Nasaf 2-1 at the Home of the Matildas thanks to a spectacular late winner from Chinaza Uchendu.
Now, the opportunity awaits to make it three Quarter Final victories in as many seasons.
What happens next?
Our 2026/27 home Quarter Final is scheduled for the weekend of 27–28 March 2027, with the exact match details and venue to be confirmed.
We’ll discover our opponents when the knockout-stage draw takes place on January 14 next year, with three potential challengers possible:
- East Bengal FC (India)
- Hwacheon KSPO WFC (South Korea)
- INAC Kobe Leonessa (Japan)
There’s still a little wait before knockout football returns, but one thing is already certain – we’ll have another chance to get behind our City Women on home soil as we look to reach the final four of Asia’s premier women’s club competition for the third straight season!
Stay tuned for further fixture and ticketing details.
