2025–26 East Bengal FC Women season

East Bengal Women
2025–26 season
OwnerEmami East Bengal Football Club Pvt. Ltd.
Head coachAnthony Andrews
StadiumEast Bengal Ground
Indian Women's Leaguepre-season
Calcutta Football Leaguepre-season
AFC Champions LeagueGroup stage
SAFF Club ChampionshipWinners
All statistics correct as of 20 December 2025.

The 2025–26 season is the 7th season in the history of East Bengal Women. The team would compete in the Indian Women's League and the Calcutta Women's Football League and also, would participate in the 2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League and 2025 SAFF Women's Club Championship after being champions of the 2024–25 Indian Women's League.[1]

Background

East Bengal Women's team won their inaugural Indian Women's League in the 2024–25 season and qualified for the 2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League and inaugural 2025 SAFF Women's Club Championship.[1] East Bengal extended the contracts of fourteen players for the season – Goalkeepers: Panthoi Chanu, Mamani Das, Defenders: Sarita Yumnam, Sathi Debnath, Supriya Kispotta, Riya Sarkar, Midfielders: Karthika Angamuthu, Sandhiya Ranganathan, Sangita Basfore, Thandamoni Baskey, Forwards: Soumya Guguloth, Sulanjana Raul, Sandhya Maity, Resty Nanziri.[2] The club also roped in the Golden Boot winner of the 2024–25 Indian Women's League, Ugandan national team striker Fazila Ikwaput for the season, along with Indian national team players: Shilky Devi Hemam and Payal Basude.[3]

Current squad

As of 1 August 2025[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  IND Panthoi Chanu Elangbam
2 DF  IND Sweety Devi Ngangbam (captain)
3 MF  IND Riya Sarkar
4 DF  IND Ashalata Devi Loitongbam
5 DF  IND Astam Oraon
6 DF  IND Sarita Yumnam
7 MF  IND Soumya Guguloth
8 MF  IND Sangita Basfore
9 FW  IND Anju Tamang
10 FW  UGA Fazila Ikwaput
11 MF  IND Priyangka Devi Naorem
12 FW  IND Sandhiya Ranganathan
14 MF  IND Karthika Angamuthu
15 MF  IND Sushmita Bardhan
16 FW  UGA Resty Nanziri
17 MF  IND Sathi Debnath
18 MF  IND Thandamoni Baskey
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF  IND Shilky Devi Hemam
20 MF  UGA Amnah Nababi
21 DF  GHA Abena Anoma Opoku
22 FW  IND Sulanjana Raul
23 FW  IND Titli Sarkar
26 FW  IND Priyanka Sujeesh
27 MF  IND Cindy Remruatpuii Colney
30 MF  IND Deblina Bhattacharjee
33 DF  NGA Maureen Tovia Okpala
34 FW  IND Sandhya Maity
41 GK  IND Buli Sarkar
62 MF  IND Sushmita Lepcha
77 MF  IND Sonali Chemate
DF  IND Supriya Kispotta
GK  IND Melody Chanu Keisham
GK  IND Payal Basude

Competitions

Overall record

Competition First match Last match Starting round Final position Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
AFC Women's Champions League 25 August 2025 20 November 2025 Preliminary round Group stage 5 2 1 2 5 7 −2 040.00
Indian Women's League 24 December 2025 League 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !
Calcutta Women's Football League 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !
SAFF Club Women's Championship 8 December 2025 20 December 2025 Group Stage Winners 5 4 1 0 16 0 +16 080.00
Total 10 6 2 2 21 7 +14 060.00

Last updated: 20 December 2025
Source: Soccerway

AFC Women's Champions League

East Bengal qualified for the 2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League after being the champions of the 2024–25 Indian Women's League.[1] East Bengal was grouped into group E of the Preliminary round alongside Kitchee of Hong Kong and Phnom Penh Crown of Cambodia, with all the matches of the group set to be played at the RSN Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.[5] East Bengal roped in 4 new foreigners ahead of the tournament along with Resty Nanziri who was retained from the last season – compatriots Fazila Ikwaput and Amnah Nababi from Uganda, and defenders: Abena Anoma Opoku from Ghana and Maureen Tovia Okpala from Nigeria.[6] In the opening match against Phnom Penh Crown on 25 August, East Bengal won 1–0 to begin the campagin with Fazila Ikwaput scoring the only goal of the match.[7] On 31 August, East Bengal faced Kitchee and drew 1–1 and topped the group and secured a qualification for the group stages of the AFC Women's Champions League.[8]

Preliminary Round

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 East Bengal 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 4 Advance to group stage
2 Kitchee 2 0 2 0 4 4 0 2
3 Phnom Penh Crown (H) 2 0 1 1 3 4 −1 1
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts


Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss   Void

25 August 2025 Preliminary Round Phnom Penh Crown 0–1 East Bengal Phnom Penh, Cambodia
19:00 UTC+7
(17:30 IST)
Report Ikwaput 70' Stadium: National Sports Complex
Attendance: 786
Referee: Oh Hyeon-jeong (South Korea)
31 August 2025 (2025-08-31) Preliminary Stage East Bengal 1–1 Kitchee Phnom Penh, Cambodia
19:00 UTC+7
(17:30 IST)
Basfore 11' Report Mei 59' Stadium: National Sports Complex
Attendance: 253
Referee: Haruna Kanematsu (Japan)

Group stage

East Bengal was grouped into Group-B alongside hosts Wuhan Jiangda of China, Bam Khatoon from Iran and Nasaf from Uzbekistan, with all the matches to be played at the Hankou Cultural Sports Centre in Wuhan, China.[9] On 17 November 2025, East Bengal faced Bam Khatoon in the opening match of the group stage and won 3–1 with goals from Shilky Devi Hemam, Fazila Ikwaput and Resty Nanziri to register their first ever win in the AWCL group stages.[10]


Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Wuhan Jiangda (H) 3 2 1 0 7 1 +6 7 Advance to Knockout stage
2 Nasaf 3 1 1 1 4 2 +2 4
3 East Bengal 3 1 0 2 3 6 −3 3
4 Bam Khatoon 3 1 0 2 2 7 −5 3
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss   Void

17 November 2025 (2025-11-17) MD1 Bam Khatoon 1–3 East Bengal Wuhan, China
15:00 UTC+8
(13:30 IST)
Report
Stadium: Hankou Cultural Sports Centre
Attendance: 268
Referee: Casey Reibelt (Australia)
20 November 2025 (2025-11-20) MD2 East Bengal 0–2 Wuhan Jiangda Wuhan, China
15:00 UTC+8
(13:30 IST)
Report
Stadium: Hankou Cultural Sports Centre
Attendance: 625
Referee: Kim Yu-jeong (South Korea)
23 November 2025 (2025-11-23) MD3 East Bengal 0–3 Nasaf Wuhan, China
15:00 UTC+8
(13:30 IST)
Report
Stadium: Hankou Cultural Sports Centre
Attendance: 354
Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan)



SAFF Club Women's Championship

East Bengal participated in the inaugural SAFF Club Women's Championship as the sole representative from India after becoming champions of the 2024–25 Indian Women's League.[11] The tournament consists of teams from hosts Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan, alongside East Bengal with all the matches to be played at the Dasharath Rangasala in Kathmandu.[12] On 8 December, East Bengal debuted in the tournament with a 4–0 victory over Transport United of Bhutan with Fazila Ikwaput scoring a brace and Sulanjana Raul and Resty Nanziri scoring the rest.[13] East Bengal continued their winning run in the second match with a 2–0 victory over Karachi City with Sulanjana Raul and Resty Nanziri scoring again for East Bengal.[14] In the third match, East Bengal thrashed Nasrin of Bangladesh 7–0 with Fazila Ikwaput scoring five goals herself, and the rest two scored by Jyoti Chouhan and Sulanjana Raul, as East Bengal qualified for the final of the tournament with a game to spare.[15] On 17 December, East Bengal played out a goalless draw in the last match of the league phase against APF of Nepal in a regulation match as both teams already qualified for the final.[16]

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification EAB APF TRU KAC NAS
1 East Bengal (C) 4 3 1 0 13 0 +13 10 Advance to final 0–0 2–0
2 APF (H) 4 2 2 0 5 0 +5 8 0–0 1–0
3 Transport United 4 0 3 1 1 5 −4 3 0–4 1–1
4 Karachi City 4 0 2 2 0 3 −3 2 0–0 0–0
5 Nasrin 4 0 2 2 1 12 −11 2 0–7 0–4
Source: SAFF
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(C) Champions; (H) Hosts
2025 in SAFF
Men's
U-17 Championship U-19 Championship
Women's
U-17 Championship U-20 Championship Club Championship
Matches
8 December 2025 (2025-12-08) Group stage Transport 0–4 East Bengal Kathmandu, Nepal
14:00 UTC+5:45
(13:45 IST)
Report
Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala
Attendance: 125
Referee: Zin Mar Oo (Myanmar)
Man of the Match: Fazila Ikwaput (East Bengal)
11 December 2025 (2025-12-11) Group stage East Bengal 2–0 Karachi City Kathmandu, Nepal
14:00 UTC+5:45
(13:45 IST)
Report Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala
Attendance: 305
Referee: Anjana Rai (Nepal)
Man of the Match: Sulanjana Raul (East Bengal)
14 December 2025 (2025-12-14) Group stage Nasrin 0–7 East Bengal Kathmandu, Nepal
18:00 UTC+5:45
(17:45 IST)
Report
Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala
Attendance: 299
Referee: Keomany Phengmeuagkhoun (Laos)
Man of the Match: Fazila Ikwaput (East Bengal)
17 December 2025 (2025-12-17) Group stage East Bengal 0–0 APF Kathmandu, Nepal
18:00 UTC+5:45
(17:45 IST)
Report Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala
Attendance: 8,323
Referee: Yapa A. Pabasara Minisarani (Sri Lanka)
Man of the Match: Anjana Rana Magar (APF)
Final match
20 December 2025 (2025-12-20) Final East Bengal 3–0 APF Kathmandu, Nepal
17:00 UTC+5:45
(16:45 IST)
Report Stadium: Dasharath Rangasala
Attendance: 8,253
Referee: Keomany Phengmeuagkhoun (Laos)
Man of the Match: Shilky Devi Hemam (East Bengal)



Indian Women's League

East Bengal is the defending champions of the Indian Women's League.

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
3 Gokulam Kerala 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
4 Nita 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
5 East Bengal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Sribhumi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Kickstart 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 0 Relegation to Indian Women's League 2
Updated to match(es) played on 20 December 2025. Source: I_League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots
Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss   Void

TBC Sribhumi v East Bengal TBC
15:30
24 December 2025 Sethu v East Bengal Kalyani
15:00 Stadium: Kalyani Stadium
27 December 2025 East Bengal v Garhwal United Kalyani
15:00 Stadium: Kalyani Stadium
30 December 2025 East Bengal v Sesa Kalyani
15:00 Stadium: Kalyani Stadium
2 January 2026 Nita v East Bengal Kalyani
15:00 Stadium: Kalyani Stadium
6 January 2026 Kickstart v East Bengal Kalyani
15:00 Stadium: Kalyani Stadium
9 January 2026 Gokulam Kerala v East Bengal Kalyani
15:00 Stadium: Kalyani Stadium



Calcutta Women's Football League

Statistics

Goal scorers

As of 14 December 2025
Rank No. Pos. Nat. Name AFC Women's Champions League SAFF Club Championship Indian Women's League Kanyashree Cup Total
1 10 FW Fazila Ikwaput 2 7 9
2 16 MF Resty Nanziri 1 2 3
22 FW Sulanjana Raul 0 3 3
4 8 MF Sangita Basfore 1 1
19 MF Shilky Devi Hemam 1 0 1
99 FW Jyoti Chouhan 0 1 1
Own Goals 0 0 0
Total 5 13 18

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "IWL 2024-25: East Bengal wins Indian Women's League title, qualifies for AFC Women's Champions League". Sportstar. 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  2. ^ "East Bengal retains 14 players, including Ugandan Resty Nanziri, ahead of AFC Women's Champions League campaign". Sportstar. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  3. ^ "East Bengal signs IWL golden boot winner Fazila Ikwaput ahead of AFC Women's Champions League". Sportstar. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Indian Women's League Squad". AIFF. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  5. ^ "Who are East Bengal's opponents in the preliminary stage of AFC Women's Champions League?". Sportstar. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  6. ^ Giri, Rahul (25 August 2025). "Torchbearers on Asian Soil: East Bengal Women Begin AFC Champions League Quest in Cambodia". Rev Sportz. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  7. ^ "East Bengal starts AFC Women's Champions League on a high, beats Phnom Penh Crown 1-0". Sportstar. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  8. ^ "East Bengal draws 1-1 with Kitchee, qualifies for group stage of AFC Women's Champions League". Sportstar. 31 August 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  9. ^ "Hopefuls learn Group Stage challengers". The AFC. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Group B: Bam Khatoon FC (IRN) 1-3 East Bengal FC (IND)". AFC. 17 November 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  11. ^ "Five Clubs to Compete in Inaugural SAFF Women's Club Championship – SAFF". saffederation.org. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  12. ^ "SAFF Women's Club Championship announced; inaugural edition to be held in December". Khel Now. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  13. ^ "East Bengal beats Bhutan's Transport United in its SAFF Women's Club Championship opener". Sportstar. 8 December 2025. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  14. ^ "East Bengal defeats Pakistan's Karachi City in SAFF Women's Club Championship 2025". Sportstar. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  15. ^ "East Bengal thrashes Nasrin Sports Academy to qualify for SAFF Women's Club Championship 2025 final". Sportstar. 14 December 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  16. ^ "East Bengal and APF play out goalless draw in SAFF Women's Club Championship 2025". Sportstar. 17 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.