East Bengal qualify for 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two group stage with 4-1 win over Al-Arabi

East Bengal secured a place in the group stages of the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two with a 4-1 victory over Al-Arabi SC at home in the qualifier recently. The win ends a one-year absence from continental competition and marks the club’s return to Asia’s second-tier club tournament for the first time since 2015.

The Kolkata club has competed in AFC tournaments intermittently since the mid-1980s and remains one of India’s most experienced sides at continental level despite never winning an AFC title. East Bengal first appeared in an AFC competition in the 1985-86 Asian Club Championship after winning a Central Asian qualifying event; they also began their 1985-86 campaign with a 7-0 victory over Nepal’s New Road Team.

In that 1985-86 qualification series East Bengal won all five matches and scored 20 goals, with Biswajit Bhattacharya contributing five of those strikes to secure progression to the Asian Club Championship group stage. In the group phase they faced Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia and Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian of Indonesia, drawing attention when Debashish Roy scored in a 2-1 defeat to Al-Ahli and the side also lost 2-0 to Krama Yudha to exit the group.

East Bengal’s later early continental campaigns included a one-match exit in the 1998-99 Asian Club Championship, when they lost 6-0 to China’s Dalian Wanda in the first round. The club also featured regularly in the AFC Asian Cup Winners’ Cup during the 1990s, entering that competition on five occasions and reaching the quarterfinals in 1991-92 after defeating Abahani Dhaka before losing 7-1 on aggregate to Nissan Motors FC (now Yokohama F. Marinos).

Further Cup Winners’ Cup appearances saw East Bengal eliminate Al Zawraa only to fall in the second round in 1993-94, win a preliminary qualifying match but fail to reach the main draw in 1994-95, lose to New Radiant in the 1995-96 second round, and record an 11-0 first-round victory over Tribhuvan in 1997-98 before a 5-3 second-round loss to Verdy Kawasaki in their final participation in that tournament.

East Bengal’s single AFC Challenge League appearance came in 2024-25 after they qualified by winning the 2024 Super Cup. In the group stage they were drawn with Paro FC, Bashundhara Kings and Nejmeh FC, beginning with a 2-2 draw against Paro, following with a 4-0 win over Bashundhara Kings and sealing the section with a 3-2 victory over Nejmeh to top the group. In the quarterfinals they lost the first leg 1-0 to FK Arkadag, drew the second leg 1-1 after taking an early lead, and conceded two late goals as the hosts won the tie.

East Bengal have appeared most frequently in the competition that was rebranded as AFC Champions League Two, having debuted in the AFC Cup in 2004 alongside Mahindra United. In 2004 they finished top of a group containing Geylang United, Negeri Sembilan and Island Football Club after winning four of six matches; Cristiano Jr scored six of the club’s 14 group goals. The 2004 campaign ended in a quarterfinal exit after a 0-0 Salt Lake first leg against Al-Jaish and a 3-0 defeat in the return match. Subsequent AFC Cup and Asian Cup campaigns produced mixed results: a 2005 group-stage exit with two wins, a 2008 group-stage campaign in which they won two of six while Lebanese side Safa topped the group, a 2010 campaign with six defeats conceding 20 and scoring five, a 2011 run with no wins and three draws, and another six-loss group in 2012.

East Bengal’s deepest run came in 2013 under Trevor James Morgan and Marcos Falopa when they won four of six group matches against Tampines Rovers, Sai Gon Xuan Thanh and Selangor to top their section. They beat Yangon United 5-1 in the Round of 16 with Chidi Edeh scoring a hat-trick, then defeated Semen Padang 2-1 on aggregate after Ryuji Sueko’s first-leg winner and a second-leg equaliser from James Moga, becoming the first-ever Indian side to reach the semifinals of the AFC Asian Cup; their run ended with a 7-2 aggregate loss to Al-Kuwait. East Bengal returned to the AFC Cup in 2015, finishing third in their group with one victory from six matches against opponents that included Kitchee FC and JDT.

With qualification secured, East Bengal will compete in the group stage of the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two; Antonio Habas needs to prepare his side for that stage, according to the source commentary. The club’s immediate confirmed assignment is participation in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two group stage.