East Bengal’s continental journey has taken another step forward, but this time the road home will run through Kolkata. After becoming the first Indian women’s club to reach the AFC Women’s Champions League group stage in consecutive seasons, East Bengal have been handed a demanding Group B draw featuring South Korea’s Hwacheon KSPO WFC, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City WFC and DPR Korea’s 4.25 Sports Club.
The significance of the draw extends beyond the opposition. Kolkata will host the entire Group B campaign from November 1 to 7, making it the first time the AFC Women’s Champions League will be staged in India. For a club that has rapidly established itself as the dominant force in Indian women’s domestic football, the home setting offers an opportunity to turn continental progress into a genuine breakthrough.
The Moshal Girls arrive at the group stage with momentum and growing continental confidence. East Bengal retained the Indian Women’s League title in May, sealing the championship with two matches to spare after a 2-0 win over Nita Football Academy. They eventually finished the campaign as champions, underlining their dominance at home. Their continental campaign has followed the same upward curve.
In August, Anthony Andrews’ side began the AFC Women’s Champions League preliminary stage with a 4-0 victory over Bangladesh’s Rajshahi Stars. Olivia Anokye scored twice, while Astam Oraon and Soumya Guguloth were also on target. East Bengal then produced an extraordinary 12-0 victory over Guam’s Rovers FC before overcoming Malaysia’s Sabah FA 2-0 in the decisive encounter to finish top of their preliminary group with a perfect record. Olivia Anokye and Soumya Guguloth scored in the second half against Sabah to secure qualification.
That result made East Bengal the first Indian women’s club to qualify for the AFC Women’s Champions League group stage in consecutive seasons. This is no longer about celebrating East Bengal merely for reaching Asia’s elite. The club now has to behave like a continental contender. Hosting the group stage in Kolkata removes one major disadvantage, but it also removes excuses. The expectation should be clear: compete, not simply participate.
Hwacheon KSPO WFC represents the South Korean challenge, while Ho Chi Minh City WFC brings Vietnamese experience and 4.25 Sports Club adds another North Korean opponent to a group that will demand tactical adaptability. The competition format gives East Bengal reason for optimism. The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four, with the top two from each group and the two best third-placed teams advancing to the quarter-finals. That means East Bengal do not necessarily need to dominate the group. They need to collect enough points, manage the three-match schedule intelligently and avoid allowing one poor performance to derail the campaign.
And unlike last season, they now know what continental football feels like. East Bengal’s debut group-stage campaign in 2025-26 began impressively with a 3-1 victory over Iranian club Bam Khatoon. But defeats against China’s Wuhan Jiangda and Uzbekistan’s PFC Nasaf eventually ended their run. They finished third in their group with three points and missed out on the quarter-finals after losing the best-third-placed comparison on goals scored.
The difference between domestic dominance and continental success is often not talent alone. It is the ability to manage pressure, take limited chances and remain competitive when the opposition is technically and tactically stronger. East Bengal have already demonstrated that they can score heavily against weaker opposition. The next question is whether they can find another level against established Asian clubs.
Playing Group B in Kolkata gives East Bengal an advantage that few Indian women’s clubs have previously enjoyed at this level. There will be no long journey into unfamiliar conditions for the hosts. Instead, the players will have familiar surroundings, home support and the opportunity to create an atmosphere around women’s club football that extends beyond the results. That matters because the AFC Women’s Champions League is still helping define the landscape of elite women’s club football in Asia.
For Indian football, East Bengal’s progress offers a chance to demonstrate that the country’s domestic champions can increasingly compete beyond the national stage. Head coach Anthony Andrews has already become one of the most successful coaches in the Indian Women’s League, winning four titles, including consecutive championships with East Bengal in 2024-25 and 2025-26. He also guided the club through this year’s preliminary round unbeaten.
There is a difference between qualifying and progressing. East Bengal have mastered the first part. From November 1, against Ho Chi Minh City, the real examination begins. They will then face Hwacheon KSPO on November 4 before completing the group against 4.25 Sports Club on November 7, with all three matches taking place in Kolkata. For a club that has conquered India twice in succession, this is the natural next ambition.
East Bengal have already proved they belong at the continental table. In November, in front of their home crowd, they will discover whether they are ready to stay there.
