Lion City Sailors become first Singapore team to reach AFC Women’s Champions League group stage

SINGAPORE – The Lion City Sailors made history on Aug 28 by becoming the first team from Singapore to qualify for the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Champions League.

Needing just a victory against home side Kelana United to seal top spot in the preliminary round’s Group C, the Sailors recorded an impressive 3-1 win at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka, courtesy of goals from Japanese imports Ami Takeuchi and Miyu Inayama and Singaporean teenage sensation Nur Ain Salleh.

Sailors coach Daniel Ong said “there were no words” to describe his feelings after the win.

He added: “We are a young team and definitely there’s a lot of things that need to be addressed but the players and backroom staff are always very supportive and always giving their best for the team...

“We have been doing well in the past few games leading up to this. The momentum has been good and we showed that we are able to link up well, especially in the attacking third.”

On Aug 25, the Sailors clinched a shock 2-0 victory over Jordan’s Etihad Club in their opener to secure their first win in the continental event and put themselves in the driving seat for a place in the group stage.

Etihad’s 3-1 win over Kyrgyzstan’s Sdyushor SI-Asiagoal earlier on Aug 28 meant the Sailors could confirm top spot and qualify for the tournament proper with a win over Kelana, the reigning Malaysian champions, who boast several Indonesian internationals in their ranks.

Since head-to-head records are used as the tiebreak criterion when teams are level on points, the Sailors’ tally of six points ensures that Etihad cannot overtake them, even if the Singaporean side lose their final Group C match against Sdyushor on Aug 31.

The Sailors’ Singaporean forward Raeka Ee called it “a very significant moment for women’s football in Singapore”.

“We are very proud and honoured to have represented Singapore positively on the continental stage and to have done what we have done so far,” added the 21-year-old.

“Coming into this competition, we were seen as underdogs and never stopped believing in ourselves. Eventually, we pulled this off and we will continue to back each other up and press on for the last game.”

The five group winners and the best-placed runner-up will advance to the 12-team group stage from Nov 9 to 23, joining the continent’s top six clubs: Melbourne City (Australia), Suwon FC (South Korea), Wuhan Jiangda (China), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Bam Khatoon (Iran) and Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan) – national attacker Danelle Tan’s club.

The first iteration of the tournament was staged as the AFC Women’s Club Championship from 2019 to 2023, before it was rebranded as the Women’s Champions League in 2024.

In the inaugural edition of the revamped tournament, the Sailors did not make it out of the preliminary round and suffered heavy defeats by India’s Odisha FC (4-1) and Etihad (5-0).

With those lessons in mind, they strengthened their squad for the 2025-26 edition by signing five Japanese players – Takeuchi, Inayama, Eri Kitagawa, Sakurako Ohashi and Riari Kitaoka – and it has worked a treat for the three-time Women’s Premier League (WPL) champions.

Inayama and Takeuchi combined for the opener against Kelana in the 11th minute, when they exchanged neat passes in the middle of the pitch before the latter surged into the box for a shot at goal. Kelana goalkeeper Nurdiana Syafiqah parried her effort, but the ball went into the path of Inayama, who slotted home.

In the 63rd minute, 15-year-old Ain converted from close range after a goalmouth scramble and six minutes later, Takeuchi scored the Sailors’ third goal of the night.

The Japanese midfielder, who previously featured in the competition for Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies, got on the end of Ain’s pass and found the net with a deflected shot from just inside the box.

This is the third goal of the campaign for the 19-year-old, who scored a brace against Etihad.

The hosts grabbed a consolation goal in added time through Indonesian midfielder Viny Silfianus, whose effort from just after the halfway line bounced over Sailors goalkeeper Nur Izairida Shakira and into the net.