East Bengal face Sabah FA in Group A decider at Likas Stadium on August 23, 2026

East Bengal will play Sabah FA at Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia in the AFC Women’s Champions League preliminary stage on Sunday, August 23, 2026, with kickoff at 17:30 IST. The winner of Group A will qualify for the main 2026-27 AFC Women’s Champions League tournament.

East Bengal enter the match as the 2025-26 Indian Women’s League champions and must finish top of their preliminary group to reach the main competition, as they did last season. Both East Bengal and Sabah FA have won their opening two games and sit on six points, making Sunday’s fixture the group decider.

East Bengal have recorded a 4-0 victory over Rajshahi Stars and a 12-0 win against Rovers FC in their two preliminary matches, leaving them with 16 goals scored and none conceded across the pair of games. Anthony Andrews is the head coach of the East Bengal Women’s team.

Sabah FA, the hosts of Group A, beat Rovers FC 13-0 and edged Rajshahi Stars 2-1 in their opening matches, giving them six points and a +14 goal difference. Sabah trail East Bengal on goal difference and are defending home advantage in Kota Kinabalu.

The outcome is straightforward: a victory for either side guarantees qualification for the main 2026-27 AFC Women’s Champions League. A draw would be sufficient for East Bengal to finish top because of their superior +16 goal difference compared with Sabah’s +14; Anthony Andrews would be aiming for a win to extend the side’s winning run.

In India, live streaming for East Bengal’s final preliminary-stage match will be available on FanCode, as it was for the club’s first two games. The fixture is East Bengal’s last in the AFC Women’s Champions League preliminary stage.

The winner of Sunday’s match will secure a place in the main 2026-27 AFC Women’s Champions League; a draw would see East Bengal finish top of Group A due to their +16 goal difference over Sabah’s +14.