East Bengal Women to host Ho Chi Minh City WFC in AFC Women’s Champions League group opener
East Bengal Women will begin their 2026-27 AFC Women’s Champions League group-stage campaign against Ho Chi Minh City WFC at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday, 1 November (2026). Kick-off is scheduled for 8 PM IST and the match will be shown live on Fancode.
East Bengal qualified for the AFC Women’s Champions League for the second consecutive season after coming up short in the group stages last time around, and they will carry the expectations of Indian women’s football into the competition. The Moshal Girls will look to use home advantage as they aim to progress beyond the group phase this year. Anthony Andrews’ players have been urged to keep a solid defensive shape while seeking to be creative and efficient in the final third.
East Bengal’s planned approach is to trouble Ho Chi Minh City on the attack while remaining defensively organised to frustrate their opponents. The side will need innovation and efficiency in forward areas to extract a positive result from the opener.
Ho Chi Minh City are described as the most decorated women’s football club from Vietnam, having dominated their domestic scene for many decades, though they are yet to secure continental glory in the AFC Women’s Champions League. The Vietnamese club will aim to dominate the group stages and look to combine entertaining, unpredictable attacking play with a compact defensive shape.
Both teams are intent on starting their campaigns with a win, with East Bengal expected to field a fully-fit squad and Ho Chi Minh City likely to bring their strongest available side for the group stage fixtures. That mutual urgency sets up a competitive opening match for control of the group.
The AFC Women’s Champions League lands in India for the very first time, and tickets are live on @district_india. For coverage, the match will be available to viewers on Fancode.
A victory for East Bengal would provide an ideal start and set up the remainder of the group stages favourably, while a defeat would make progression more difficult; the result will be crucial to which side can take early control of the group.