Ndongo, Edimo Kingue and Khaitov flagged as threats as FC Goa head to Kuwait for AFC Challenge League opener
As of 2026-10-16, FC Goa will travel to Kuwait to begin their AFC Challenge League 2026-27 group-stage campaign, opening Group C against Tajik side Regar-TadAZ; three Regar-TadAZ players singled out as ones to watch are Ndongo, Edimo Kingue and Khaitov.
FC Goa arrive in Asia after a 3-0 defeat to FK Arkadag in the AFC Champions League Two preliminary stage and having already started their 2026-27 Indian Super League season, where they salvaged a point after coming from behind against Chennaiyin FC. East Bengal are competing separately in the AFC Champions League Two. Goa will complete all three of their AFC Challenge League group-stage fixtures in Kuwait within a seven-day window.
Regar-TadAZ enter the clash under head coach Alisher Tukhtaev, leading the Vysshaya Liga by three points with FC Istiklol holding a game in hand, and having won their last two league matches. The Tajik club reached the AFC Challenge League group stage after winning the 2025 Tajikistan Cup and then defeating Maziya SR&C in the qualifiers.
Ndongo, signed ahead of the AFC Challenge League campaign, made his debut in the qualifying game against Maziya SR&C and played a key role in securing a clean sheet in that match. The report describes him as a physically imposing defender strong in aerial duels and defensive contests, capable of operating as a right-back or as a defensive midfielder, and notes he has established himself as one of Regar-TadAZ’s regular starters.
Since Ndongo’s arrival, Regar-TadAZ have recorded six clean sheets in their last eight games across the league and the AFC Challenge League. That defensive record is presented alongside Ndongo’s versatility and the club’s recent form as reasons he is considered a player to monitor in the Group C opener.
Edimo Kingue, another Cameroonian signed ahead of the qualifiers, is described as a midfield presence with defensive midfield as his preferred position who has featured in every match since joining. The 22-year-old has started the last six games and completed the full 90 minutes in each of those starts; he is characterised as an effective ball-winner who can drive forward into attacking areas.
Kingue’s contributions include a league assist against Vakhsh — delivering a cross from the left that Manuel Joseph Mbollo finished — and an assist during a six-minute cameo against Maziya SR&C in the qualifiers, details the report provides when outlining his impact since joining.
Khaitov is profiled as a left-sided player who also drifts into central areas and has been used extensively on the left flank by Tukhtaev this season. The piece notes he has either scored or assisted six of Regar-TadAZ’s 25 league goals, scored in their most recent league victory, and supplied an assist in the AFC Challenge League qualifier against Maziya SR&C; it also records that he recently made his senior international debut in a friendly against China after featuring consistently in Tajikistan’s youth teams.
The article also records that FC Goa lack a recognised right-back and that Akash Singh struggled against Chennaiyin FC’s wingers in the ISL opener, identifying those factors as context for Khaitov’s potential threat from the left. Regar-TadAZ are managed by former Tajik international and midfielder Alisher Tukhtaev, who also represented the club during his playing career.
FC Goa’s first Group C game in Kuwait is against Regar-TadAZ, with all three group-stage matches scheduled to be played within seven days, completing their group fixtures in a single trip.