Khovd Western Crowned 2024 Women's League Champion

Image property of the Mongolian Football Federation

The Mongolian Women's League concluded on 14 October 2024 with Khovd Western raising the hardware as this year's champions. The final matches were only a formality, however, as the club had secured the title before the final matchday. This season marked the first time the club fielded a side in the competition since 2021, its first championship, and its first season finishing in the top two spots.

The season kicked off on 10 August 2024 and was broken into three rounds. Every club played each other once per round, for a total of twelve matches played per club.

Last season's champion Kharaatsai FC finished runner-up while 2015's inaugural league champion Khad FC rounded out the top three positions. New Yarmag FC, also making its first appearance since 2021, finished in the fourth and final position.

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Unsurprisingly, Khovd Western dominated the individual award categories, taking home three of the four most prestigious accolades.

Kharaatsai FC striker E. Ankhtuya prevented a clean sweep by taking home the award for her position. She was the only player to reach a double-digit goal tally with ten strikes and the only player to remain on the list from last season. In 2023, she was league's joint top scorer with thirteen goals for Kharaatsai.

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Despite the positives of the season, some disturbing trends continued in women's football in Mongolia in 2024. The number of clubs participating in the league decreased for the third consecutive season. After peaking at a 12-team field in 2021, the table steadily decreased to 7, 5, and now 4 over the past three years. This is the smallest number of clubs to ever participate in the league. Fewer clubs means lower interest, lower investment, and fewer opportunities for female players to develop at the highest level.

Perhaps also a sign of decreased interest and investment is the ephemeral nature of the clubs that participate. Three of the five clubs that competed in 2023 were absent in 2024, including upstart Storm FC that came out of nowhere in 2022 and won the title. Last year's runner-up Ilch FC also did not enter the latest edition of the competition either. Stories like this one are extremely common each year.

As fans of Mongolian football, let's hope these trends reverse starting in 2025.