Three East Bengal foreign players to watch in AFC Champions League Two
On 13th August 2026 in a qualifying fixture, East Bengal FC defeated Kuwaiti side Al-Arabi 4-1 to secure qualification for the AFC Champions League Two 2026-27.
The club were placed in Pot 4 and drawn into Group D for the West region, alongside Al-Hussein SC (Jordan), Al-Shorta (Iraq) and Al-Seeb (Oman). East Bengal begin their continental campaign on 16th September in Amman, where they will face three-time successive Jordanian Pro League winners Al-Hussein FC.
Dani Ramírez is a 34 year old Spanish midfielder and a product of La Fabrica (Real Madrid CF academy) who has played professionally for more than a decade. His club résumé includes Valencia CF B, Getafe CF B, LKS Lodz and Lech Poznan in Poland, as well as spells in the Belgian first division and the Turkish first division before he moved to India to join Punjab FC for the 2025-26 season. With Punjab FC he made 17 appearances, scoring 5 goals and providing 3 assists. Dani signed for East Bengal in the first week of July and has featured six times in the Durand Cup, scoring once and supplying 2 assists.
Mohammed Rashid is a 31 year old Palestinian international who serves as captain of East Bengal and joined the club in 2025. He has played in Indonesia, Egypt, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and India. Since signing for East Bengal he has scored 5 goals and provided 4 assists. Rashid also has prior AFC Champions League Two experience with Bali United FC, for whom he played 6 matches in the 2023-24 season and recorded 2 goals and 1 assist; he is described as a player who frequently covers large distances, reads opposition transitions and creates chances even when deployed in defensive roles.
Chris Ikonomidis is a 31 year old Australian international and one of East Bengal's new signings for the 2026-27 season, carrying experience from the UEFA Europa League and the AFC Champions League. He progressed through the Atalanta youth system before moving to S.S. Lazio and later returned to Australia with Perth Glory, where he won the A-League title in his first season and received the A-League Young Footballer of the Year award. He subsequently played for Melbourne Victory, scoring 5 goals in more than 70 appearances, and made 10 goal contributions in 35 appearances across two seasons with Macarthur FC prior to joining East Bengal. In his first 2 games with East Bengal, Chris has already provided 2 assists in both matches that he played; despite being injured for East Bengal’s upcoming match against Al-Hussein on 16th September, Chris should be fit to play for the rest of the matches in the tournament.
East Bengal will meet Al-Hussein on 16 September 2026 at 9:30 PM IST at the Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan.