Kuala Lumpur, Sep 11 (IANS) East Bengal FC were placed alongside defending champions Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC of China in Group B of the AFC Women’s Champions League Group Stage, following the draw conducted at the AFC House here on Thursday.
Twelve teams were divided into three groups for the second edition of the AFC Women’s Champions League and will battle in a centralised league format between November 9 to 23.
East Bengal, the champions of the 2024-25 Indian Women’s League, qualified for the Group Stage in their maiden continental appearance after emerging as Group E toppers in the Preliminary Stage, ahead of Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) and Phnom Penh Crown FC (Cambodia), which was played in Cambodia last month.
Group B comprises defending champions and hosts Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC of China, Iran’s Bam Khatoon FC, East Bengal FC of India and Uzbekistan’s PFC Nasaf.
East Bengal FC’s biggest challenge will be Wuhan Jiangda WFC, five-time champions of the Chinese Women’s Super League and the champions of the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League 2024-25.
Iran’s Bam Khatoon FC are making their fourth appearance in an AFC competition and were quarter-finalists last season. PFC Nasaf are record 16-time champions of the Uzbekistan Women’s League and, like East Bengal, navigated the Preliminary Stage to qualify for the Group Stage for the first time.
The group stage matches in Myanmar will be held between November 9 and 15, with games in Vietnam scheduled for November 13 to 19 and fixtures in China to be played from November 17 to 23.
Following the Group Stage, eight clubs – the top two finishers of each group and the two overall best third-placed clubs – will advance to the Knockout Stage, with the single-leg quarter-final pairings to be decided by a draw and played in March 2026.
The centralised semi-finals and final are scheduled for May 20 to 23, 2026.
AFC Women’s Champions League 2025-26 Group Stage Draw
Group A: Melbourne City FC (AUS), Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC (VIE, hosts), Stallion Laguna FC (PHI), Lion City Sailors FC (SGP)
Group B: Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC (CHN, hosts), Bam Khatoon FC (IRN), East Bengal FC (IND), PFC Nasaf (UZB)
Group C: Suwon FC Women (KOR), Tokyo Verdy Beleza (JPN), Naegohyang Women’s FC (PRK), ISPE WFC (MYA, hosts)
–IANS
bc/ab
