East Bengal set to become first Indian club to host AFC Women’s Champions League matches

The IWL Champions East Bengal women's team is all set to host one of the three groups of the 2026/2027 AFC Women's Champions League in November.

East Bengal has recently booked their spot for the main draw of the competition with three successive wins in the preliminary round in Malaysia.

That also made them the first Indian club to qualify for the second consecutive group stage at this competition and will now be the first Indian club to host the Continent’s premier women’s club tournament.

A cast of 12 clubs has been finalised following the conclusion of the Preliminary Stage, which will be split into three groups of four clubs each to contest a single round-robin centralised league.

Eight sides, comprising the three group winners, three group runners-up and two overall best-ranked third-placed teams, will advance to the Knockout Stage.

The clubs will discover their Group Stage fate on September 3 (Thursday) with the draw ceremony at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

These 12 teams have been seeded into four pots:

Pot 1: Naegohyang Women’s FC (PRK; Titleholder), Melbourne City FC (AUS; Rank: 1), Hwacheon KSPO WFC (KOR; 2)

Pot 2: INAC Kobe Leonessa (JPN; 3), Beijing Jingtan Football Club (CHN; 4), Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC (VIE; 5)

Pot 3: Bam Khatoon FC (IRN; 7), Kaya FC-Iloilo (PHI; 9), East Bengal FC (IND; 11-Host)

Pot 4: 4.25 Sports Club (PRK; 13), PFC Nasaf (UZB; 14-Host), Ayeyawady FC - Women (MYA; 15-Host)

The country protection principle will be enforced, meaning that the two DPR Korea clubs (Naegohyang and 4.25 Sports Club) will not be drawn into the same group.

A Knockout Stage draw will be held in December 2026 before the commencement of the Quarter-finals, which will be hosted by the top four clubs.

The three group winners and best-ranked runner-up team will host the four quarter-finals, which will be played in March as single-leg ties.