IWL champions for the third consecutive time, Gokulam Kerala will participate in the AFC Women’s Club Championship for the second time. They failed to compete last year due to FIFA temporarily banning AIFF after a memorable debut season. The Malabarians finished third on that occasion in 2021 securing a historical win over Uzbek side Bunyodkor.
The AFC Women’s Club Championship 2023 is the fourth edition of the premier Asian club competition for women’s football and will be the last. The Women’s Club Championship will be replaced by the brand-new AFC Women’s Championship from next season. It will not be an invitational tournament anymore. The 2023 tournament will be held in a centralized league format.
For the first time participating teams from east and west of Asia will be playing in two mixed groups. Eight teams will be divided into two groups of four. The winning teams from each group will advance to the final. Group A consists of Urawa Red Diamonds, Hualien Women, Bangkok FC and Gokulam Kerala while Sydney FC, Red Angels Women’s FC, FC NASAF and Bam Khatoon FC make the Group B. The matches will be played from November 6-12, 2023.
Group A
Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)
Hualien Women (Taiwan)
Bangkok FC (Thailand)
Gokulam Kerala (India)
Gokulam Kerala will face tough competition as expected at this stage. The most difficult opposition they are going to face is undoubtedly Urawa Red Diamonds. The club playing in the Japan women’s league, WE League, will be the prime contenders to win Group A. Four players from the squad - Hana Takahashi, Hikaru Naomoto, Kiko Seike and Rion Ishikawa were named in the recently concluded Women’s World Cup squad for Japan. The IWL champions will have the chance to face them along with clubs from Taiwan and Thailand.
Fixtures
Monday, 1 November 2023
Urawa Red Diamonds vs Gokulam Kerala (15:00)
Thursday, 9 November 2023
Gokulam Kerala vs Hualien Women (15:00)
Sunday, 12 November 2023
Bangkok FC vs Gokulam Kerala (19:00)
The matches will be played in a centralized zone in Chonburi province, Thailand at the Chonburi Stadium.
Note: All Timings are in Indian Standard Time (IST)
