Kuala Lumpur
East Bengal FC has been placed in Group A for the 2024-25 AFC Challenge League, alongside Nejmeh SC (Lebanon), Bashundhara Kings (Bangladesh), and Paro FC (Bhutan). The draw took place at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday.
The group stage features five groups: three with four teams from the West and two with three teams from the East. Matches will occur over three days from October 26 to November 2 in a centralized round-robin format. Group A will be hosted by Paro FC at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu.
East Bengal FC secured their place in the AFC Challenge League by winning the 2024 Kalinga Super Cup. They faced Altyn Asyr FC (Turkmenistan) in the AFC Champions League Two qualifying round but lost 2-3, leading to their current placement. This is East Bengal’s first continental club competition group stage appearance since the 2015 AFC Cup, with their best performance being a semi-final spot in the 2013 AFC Cup.
Nejmeh SC, AFC Cup runners-up in 2005, qualified as the 2023-24 Lebanese Premier League champions. East Bengal previously met Nejmeh in the 2010 AFC Cup Group Stage, suffering losses both home and away.
Bashundhara Kings earned their spot as the 2023-24 Bangladesh Premier League champions, marking their fifth consecutive group-stage appearance in an AFC club competition. Paro FC, the 2023 Bhutan Premier League champions, made their continental debut after defeating Church Boys United (Nepal) in the qualifiers.
The top teams from the group stage will advance to the quarter-finals, with matches set between March 5-13, 2025. Semi-finals will be held from April 9-17, 2025, and the final is scheduled for May 10, 2025.
