Wuhan Jiangda, who hosted the group stage, opened their campaign with a 2-1 defeat against  UAE’s Abu Dhabi Country Club of UAE. They recovered from the setback to beat Malaysia’s Sabah 7-0 with Yao Wei netting once. 

Another defeat, this time to Korea Republic’s Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC saw Wuhan Jiangda finishing third in Group A but they advanced as one of the two best third placed sides. 

Up next were the mighty Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies of Japan in the quarter-finals, which saw Yao Wei and her teammates fighting valiantly to emerge 6-5 winners on penalties, something which the midfielder believes showed the progression of the team. 

“During the group stage, we weren’t at our best but we were a little bit lucky to still be able to push through and qualify for the next stage,” said Yao Wei.

“After that, we worked hard to improve because we knew we needed to be better. Against Urawa, I think we saw a lot of progress. 

“We have shown that we have the ability and capability to win the title.”

With the semi-finals and final being hosted in Wuhan, Yao Wei is hopeful they club will put on a better show compared to last time.

Being a native of Wuhan, the 27-year-old is determined to land the coveted title and take Wuhan Jiangda to the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in 2026.

“Yes, I was injured before but now I have recovered with some special training so that I can come back to the game. 

“As a local Wuhan player, it’s our first time experiencing playing at the Asian level and we want to savour this by winning the title at home in front of our own fans.

“We are very happy to reach the last four and we will do our best to show our best performance on the pitch to win the match.”