Representative image. Drat8sub, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
हिन्दी में सारांश Summary in Hindi
- ईस्ट बंगाल की महिला टीम 7 नवंबर 2026 को कोलकाता में उत्तर कोरिया के 4.25 SC से 2-0 से हार गई।
- च्छी तीसरे स्थान वाली दो टीमों में रहकर AFC Women's Champions League के क्वार्टर फाइनल में पहुंच गई।
- नुसार ईस्ट बंगाल इस प्रतियोगिता के नॉकआउट में पहुंचने वाला पहला भारतीय क्लब है।
বাংলায় সারাংশ Summary in Bangla
- 7 নভেম্বর 2026 কলকাতায় উত্তর কোরিয়ার 4.25 SC-র কাছে ইস্টবেঙ্গল মহিলা দল 2-0 গোলে হেরেছে।
- তবু AFC জানিয়েছে, সেরা দুই তৃতীয় স্থানের দলের একটি হয়ে তারা AFC Women's Champions League-এর কোয়ার্টার ফাইনালে উঠেছে।
- AIFF-এর কথায়, এই প্রতিযোগিতার নকআউটে ওঠা প্রথম ভারতীয় ক্লাব ইস্টবেঙ্গল।
Why it matters
East Bengal fans in Kolkata and across West Bengal now have a continental quarter-final to follow in March 2027, a stage no Indian club had reached before, according to the AIFF. For Indian women's football, it means an Indian club will play a knockout tie away against a group winner or the best runner-up, the AIFF said.
East Bengal women lost 2-0 to North Korea’s 4.25 SC in Kolkata on Saturday, 7 November 2026, but still made the quarter-finals of the AFC Women’s Champions League. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) said the Kolkata club is the first Indian side to reach the knockout stage of Asia’s top women’s club competition.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which runs the tournament, confirmed that East Bengal women went through as one of the two best third-placed teams across the three groups. The result at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan ended a group stage played entirely in Kolkata, the first time India hosted matches in this competition.
How East Bengal women lost 2-0 to 4.25 SC
The North Korean champions scored inside two minutes. According to the AIFF’s match report, Pak Ok-i crossed from the right and Han Jin-hong headed in. 4.25 SC kept pressing: a header went wide in the 22nd minute and a shot hit the post in the 29th.
The second goal came in the 43rd minute. A free-kick caused confusion in East Bengal’s penalty area, and Oh Sol-song finished into the bottom corner, the AIFF said. Sportstar reported that the visitors had 70% of the ball in the first half and eight attempts on goal to East Bengal’s two.
Goalkeeper Elangbam Panthoi Chanu made saves in both halves, including one from a curling free-kick five minutes after the restart. East Bengal pushed forward late but did not score. 4.25 SC finished the group with three wins from three and nine points, the AFC said.
Why a defeat was enough for the AFC Women’s Champions League quarter-finals
Eight teams reach the knockout stage: the three group winners, the three runners-up and the two best third-placed sides, according to the AFC. In Group B, 4.25 SC finished first and South Korea’s Hwacheon KSPO WFC (Women’s Football Club) second on six points after beating Ho Chi Minh City 3-1 earlier on Saturday.
Ho Chi Minh City finished bottom without a point. That left East Bengal women third on three points, from their 2-1 win over Ho Chi Minh City on 1 November. The AIFF called that win decisive. Before the last match, East Bengal stood on a goal difference of minus two, and Sportstar reported they could afford to lose by up to three goals. A 2-0 defeat kept them ahead of Myanmar’s Ayeyawady FC, who also finished third in their group on three points.
| Third-placed team | Group | Points | Goal difference | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Jingtan (China) | C | 6 | not given | Through |
| East Bengal (India) | B | 3 | minus 4 | Through |
| Ayeyawady FC (Myanmar) | A | 3 | minus 6 | Out |
In Group C, the AFC said Uzbekistan’s PFC (Professional Football Club) Nasaf, Australia’s Melbourne City and Beijing Jingtan all finished on six points and all three went through, with Nasaf top. The AIFF named Melbourne City as the best second-placed side, which leaves Beijing as the best third-placed team and East Bengal as the second-best, as Sportstar also reported.
What East Bengal’s first knockout spot means for Indian women’s football
The AIFF described the result as history for an Indian club in the AFC Women’s Champions League. Sportstar called East Bengal the first Indian women’s team to reach the knockout stage. The club came close a year ago: in their debut season in the competition, they missed the quarter-finals on goal difference, according to the AIFF.
This season East Bengal women, the reigning Indian Women’s League (IWL) champions, also became the first Indian club to play in the group stage in back-to-back seasons, the AIFF said in August. They earned that by winning all three preliminary matches in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, including a 12-0 win over Rovers FC of Guam.
Their path through the AFC Women’s Champions League group stage was tight. After a 1-4 defeat to Hwacheon on 4 November, the AIFF said a draw against 4.25 SC would have guaranteed a place, and that a defeat could still be enough. That is how it turned out.
For Kolkata, the week also brought continental women’s club football to the city for the first time. The AIFF noted that 1 November was the first matchday of the competition on Indian soil, and East Bengal’s 2-1 win that day came through two goals by Ugandan striker Fazila Ikwaput.
East Bengal women’s road from August to March
The campaign so far, from AIFF and AFC reports:
- August 2026: preliminary stage in Kota Kinabalu. Wins of 4-0 over Rajshahi Stars (Bangladesh) and 12-0 over Rovers FC (Guam), then 2-0 over Sabah FA (Malaysia) on 23 August.
- 3 September: group stage draw puts East Bengal in Group B with 4.25 SC, Hwacheon KSPO and Ho Chi Minh City, with Kolkata as host.
- 1 November: East Bengal 2, Ho Chi Minh City 1.
- 4 November: East Bengal 1, Hwacheon KSPO 4. Fazila Ikwaput scored first, but Hwacheon scored four times, three of them after half-time.
- 7 November: East Bengal 0, 4.25 SC 2. Through as a best third-placed team.
- 3 December: knockout stage draw at AFC House, Kuala Lumpur.
- 27 and 28 March 2027: quarter-finals, according to the AIFF.
Who East Bengal could face next and when
The quarter-final opponent in the AFC Women’s Champions League will be known at the 3 December draw. The AIFF said East Bengal will be unseeded and will play away against one of three teams: defending champions Naegohyang Women’s FC of North Korea, who topped Group A, Group C winners PFC Nasaf, or Melbourne City. Kick-off times for the quarter-finals were not given in the AFC and AIFF reports read.
Before that, the domestic season starts for East Bengal women. Khel Now reported that the IWL begins on 13 November, with East Bengal playing Gokulam Kerala at the Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal; its report did not give a kick-off time. More West Bengal news is on our West Bengal page, and the full AFC match report is on the AFC website.
Frequently asked questions
Did East Bengal women qualify for the AFC Women's Champions League quarter-finals?
Yes. The AFC said East Bengal went through as one of the two best third-placed teams despite losing 2-0 to 4.25 SC on 7 November 2026.
Who scored in East Bengal vs 4.25 SC?
Han Jin-hong in the 2nd minute and Oh Sol-song in the 43rd scored for 4.25 SC, according to the AIFF and Sportstar.
When is the AFC Women's Champions League quarter-final draw?
On 3 December 2026 at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur. The AIFF says East Bengal will be unseeded and play away against Naegohyang, PFC Nasaf or Melbourne City.