East Bengal Drawn with Wuhan Jiangda, Bam Khatoon & Nasaf in AFC Women’s Champions League

Kuala Lumpur, Sep 11 : East Bengal FC have been drawn into Group B of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2025-26, where they will face defending champions Wuhan Jiangda FC (China PR), Bam Khatoon FC (Iran) and PFC Nasaf (Uzbekistan).

The draw, conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, placed the Indian Women’s League champions in their maiden continental group stage campaign. East Bengal qualified after topping Group E in the Preliminary Stage last month in Cambodia, finishing ahead of Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) and Phnom Penh Crown FC (Cambodia).

Group B matches will be hosted by Wuhan Jiangda from November 17 to 23, with East Bengal opening their campaign against Bam Khatoon on November 17. They will face Wuhan Jiangda on November 20 before concluding against Nasaf on November 23.

The 12 participating clubs have been split into three groups for the second edition of the tournament. The top two sides from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will progress to the quarterfinals scheduled for March 2026. The semi-finals and final will be staged from May 20 to 23, 2026.

East Bengal’s toughest test will be against Wuhan Jiangda, five-time Chinese Women’s Super League winners and the reigning continental champions. Bam Khatoon, making their fourth appearance in an AFC competition, were quarterfinalists last season, while Uzbekistan’s PFC Nasaf, 16-time domestic champions, also qualified for the group stage for the first time.

The other groups feature Melbourne City, Ho Chi Minh City, Stallion Laguna and Lion City Sailors in Group A, while Group C includes Suwon FC Women, Tokyo Verdy Beleza, Naegohyang Women’s FC and ISPE WFC.