Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President, has congratulated Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies after they defeated South Korea’s Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC to be crowned champions of the AFC Women’s Club Championship 2023 on Friday, May 10 evening.
The triumph capped a superb debut campaign for Urawa, who scored a tournament-most 22 times and conceded just one goal enroute to winning all four of their matches.
Both teams had emerged top of their respective groups last November, when the tournament kicked off with eight sides from eight different Member Associations – its largest ever cast – for the fourth and final edition, ahead of the commencement of the AFC Women’s Champions League from the 2024/25 season onwards.
Shaikh Salman said: “On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to congratulate Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies for their success in the AFC Women’s Club Championship™ 2023, which was achieved with their exciting performances in the tournament.
“Credit must also go to Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC for playing their part in an absorbing Final battle after their own thrilling displays, while both the Japan Football Association and Korea Football Association should be recognised for their firm commitment towards developing women’s football.
“We are also grateful for the efforts from the Japan Football Association in staging the finale of this competition, as they showcased their outstanding organisational capabilities once again.
“More significantly, the involvement of a record number of teams in this edition of the AFC Women’s Club Championship, which began in 2019, reflects the ever-growing nature of the women’s game in Asia and bodes well for the landmark season of the AFC Women’s Champions League that will be launched later this year.
“The AFC’s Vision underlines our ambitions for women’s football to shine and I am confident that the AFC Women’s Champions League will be a transformative step in elevating the standards of the game to a new level.”
The key dates and entry criteria for the highly anticipated maiden season of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2024/25 were unveiled in April, starting with the Preliminary Stage from August 25 to 31. That is slated to be followed by the Group Stage, which will feature 12 clubs, from October 6 to 12, with the Final Stage, comprising the Semi-finals and the Final, to unfold at a central venue over single legs from May 21 to 24, 2025.