Three Ho Chi Minh City players East Bengal must account for in AWCL Group B opener
East Bengal will face Ho Chi Minh City at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on November 1, with the group-stage fixture scheduled to kick off at 08:00 PM IST; this piece identifies three Ho Chi Minh City players East Bengal must be wary of. East Bengal reached the group stage after topping their preliminary group with 18 goals scored and none conceded across three games.
East Bengal, crowned 2026-27 Indian Women’s League champions, have been drawn in Group B alongside Ho Chi Minh City, Hwacheon KSPO and April 25 SC for the 2026-27 AFC Women’s Champions League group stage. Ho Chi Minh City qualified as one of six direct entrants and enter the match on the back of sustained domestic success: the club has won the V-Women’s League for eight consecutive seasons, has been described as lifting the title 11 times in the last 12 seasons and the run has been called a record-extending 15th overall triumph. In the 2026 V-Women’s League campaign they went unbeaten through their first 10 games with nine wins and one draw, then lost their final two matches, finishing with 32 goals scored, seven conceded and 26 points.
Trần Thị Thu Xuân was named Best Player in the 2026 V-Women’s League and operates as a versatile presence in Ho Chi Minh City’s midfield. She is noted for technical control and composure under pressure, with the ability to play line-breaking passes from various midfield positions and to create chances; she also contributed two goals in the domestic season.
Phan Thị Trang occupies an advanced midfield role, where her link-up play and timing of forward runs are integral to Ho Chi Minh City’s attacking patterns. She scored four goals during the domestic season, played a part in the side’s title campaign that has been described as a record-extending triumph, and is expected to provide both pressing intensity and late runs into the box during the group-stage campaign.
K’Thủa is described as an explosive winger who combines pace with physicality to threaten full-backs and penetrate into the final third. She finished the 2026 V-Women’s League with nine goals — including a five-goal haul in a single game — and was one of three scorers for Ho Chi Minh City during their run to the quarterfinals of the 2025-26 AFC Women’s Champions League.
East Bengal’s opening match against Ho Chi Minh City on November 1 at Kishore Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata, at 08:00 PM IST will be their first fixture in Group B and sets the tone for their group-stage campaign in the 2026-27 AFC Women’s Champions League.