On Saturday, December 20, 2025, East Bengal FC women’s team created history after winning their maiden title of the SAFF Women’s Club Championship held in Kathmandu, Nepal.
In the final match, they defeated APF Football club by a score of 3-0 at the Dasharath Stadium. With the win, they are now the first women’s club from India to win an international competition. The Kolkata women’s team had previously won the title of the Indian Women’s League.
East Bengal’s top scorer and Uganda’s star striker, Fazila Ikwaput, was the highlight player of the tournament. She ended her campaign with nine goals from five matches played. Her performance earned her the golden boot. Meanwhile, Shikly Devi scored her first goal for the team in the finals.
East Bengal sets a dominant fight in the final
East Bengal FC and APF Football Club faced each other for the second time after ending in a 0-0 draw when they first clashed in the final group match. Preparing to make a strong comeback, East Bengal returned back in dominance, facing APF FC for the second and final time.
The IWL Champions started off aggressively. They tried to keep the advantage on their side against the defensive APF FC and went on to score their first goal. A direct hit from Sarita Yumnam against APF’s defender Man Maya Damai got East Bengal FC the lead in the match.
Next came Shilky Devi, who gave Bengal their second goal in the 35th minute of the game. Ashalata Devi made a brilliant cross from the right flank and passed it to Shilky, who then scored it into the net, putting East Bengal FC at 2-0.
APF FC tried to counter back by coming closer to a goal in the final minutes of the first quarter, but a couple of missed shots could not result in any balls going into the net. Later in the second quarter, Bengal striked again and got their third goal within 20 seconds.
A missed pass from APF defender landed the ball to Bengal FC’s Soumya Gugolith, who then passed it to Fazila, and she scored a shot from outside the box after APF FC goalkeeper Anjana fumbles with the ball.
Until the second quarter, East Bengal FC led 3-0 over APF FC. The final victory got the Bengal women to claim their fifth straight win of the championship.
