Kuala Lumpur
East Bengal FC have been drawn in Group B of the AFC Women’s Champions League Group Stage alongside defending champions Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC of China. The draw took place at the AFC House on Thursday.
The tournament, in its second edition, will feature 12 teams divided into three groups, playing in a centralised league format from November 9 to 23. East Bengal, winners of the 2024-25 Indian Women’s League, secured their first-ever continental group stage berth after topping Group E in the Preliminary Stage. They advanced ahead of Kitchee SC from Hong Kong and Phnom Penh Crown FC from Cambodia last month.
Group B promises to be challenging, with Wuhan Jiangda the clear favorites. The Chinese powerhouse has won five league titles and also lifted the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League trophy last season. East Bengal will also face Iran’s Bam Khatoon FC, making their fourth appearance in the tournament after reaching the quarterfinals last year, and Uzbekistan’s PFC Nasaf, 16-time national champions who, like East Bengal, progressed through the Preliminary Stage.
Matches will be staged across Myanmar, Vietnam, and China between November 9 and 23. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed clubs, will qualify for the Knockout Stage. The single-leg quarterfinals are scheduled for March 2026, with the semi-finals and final to follow in a centralised format from May 20 to 23, 2026.
For East Bengal, this marks a historic first step into continental women’s football, and their performance against strong opponents will be closely watched.
