AFC Women’s Champions League: East Bengal Drawn with Hwacheon KSPO, Ho Chi Minh City

New Delhi: East Bengal FC have been drawn alongside Hwacheon KSPO WFC (Republic of Korea), Ho Chi Minh City WFC (Vietnam) and 4.25 SC (DPR Korea) in Group B of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2026-27 Group Stage, following the draw conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday.

Kolkata will host Group B from November 1 to 7, 2026, marking the first time the AFC Women's Champions League will be played in India.

The Moshal Girls secured their place in the Group Stage for the second consecutive year after finishing atop Group A of the Preliminary Stage in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, ahead of Sabah FA (Malaysia), Rovers FC (Guam), and Rajshahi Stars FC (Bangladesh).

The third edition of the AFC Women’s Champions League will see 12 teams compete across three groups of four each in a centralised league format.

East Bengal FC, the Indian Women's League champions, will aim to qualify for the quarterfinals for the first time. Their opponents, Hwacheon KSPO WFC, are the WK League champions, while Ho Chi Minh City WFC are the Vietnamese Women's League Champions and 4.25 SC are the DPR Korea Women's Premier League champions.

Following the Group Stage, the three group winners, three runners-up and the two best-ranked third-placed teams will advance to the Knockout Stage.

The Quarterfinal matchups will be decided by a separate draw scheduled in December 2026, and will be played in March 2027. The three group winners and the best-ranked runner-up will host the Quarter-final fixtures. IANS

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