Indian football clubs in Asian competitions
Indian football clubs have entered several Asian football competitions since the 1960s.[1] The Asian Champion Club Tournament started in 1967, but there was no Indian representative during that inaugural season. Indian teams have participated every year in Asia, except for the early years between the 1990s and early 2000s.[2]
Slots for Asian competitions
| Competition | Slots | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Men's | ||
| AFC Champions League Two Group Stage | Indian Super League champion | 1 |
| AFC Champions League Two Qualifier | AIFF Super Cup champion | 1 |
| Women's | ||
| AFC Women's Champions League Qualifier | Indian Women's League champion | 1 |
| SAFF Club Women's Championship | 1 | |
AFC competitions record
AFC Champions League Elite/AFC Champions League/Asian Club Championship/Asian Champion Club Tournament
1 Santosh Trophy winners entered tournament.
2 Federation Cup winners entered tournament.
| Year | Team | Progress | Score | Opponents | Venue(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | Mohun Bagan | First Round | 0–5 | Dalian | 0–1 in First leg 0–4 in Second leg |
| 1991–92 | East Bengal | Quarterfinals | 1–7 | Nissan | 1–3 in First leg 0–4 in Second leg |
| 1992–93 | Mohammedan | First Round | w/o1 | Fanja | Withdrew |
| 1993–94 | East Bengal | Second Round | 1–5 | South China | 0–1 in First leg 1–4 in Second leg |
| 1994–95 | East Bengal | First Round | w/o2 | Telephone Org. Thailand | 1–4 in First leg Withdrew after first leg |
| 1995–96 | East Bengal | Second Round | 2–3 | New Radiant | 0–3 in First leg 2–0 in Second leg |
| 1996–97 | None Entered | ||||
| 1997–98 | East Bengal | Second Round | 3–5 | Verdy Kawasaki | 2–5 in First leg 1–0 in Second leg |
| 1998–99 | Salgaocar | First Round | 1–4 | Beijing Guoan | 1–0 in First leg 0–4 in Second leg |
| 1999–2000 | None Entered | ||||
| 2000–01 | |||||
| 2001–02 | |||||
1 Mohammedan withdrew.
2 East Bengal withdrew after first leg.
| Year | Team | Progress | Score | Opponents | Venue(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC President's Cup1 | |||||
| 2005 | None Entered | ||||
| 2006 | |||||
| 2007 | |||||
| 2008 | |||||
| 2009 | |||||
| 2010 | |||||
| 2011 | |||||
| 2012 | |||||
| 2013 | |||||
| 2014 | |||||
| AFC Challenge League | |||||
| 2024–25 | East Bengal | Quarterfinals | 1–3 | Arkadag | 0–1 at Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata 1–2 at Arkadag Stadium, Arkadag |
| 2025–26 | None Entered | ||||
AFC women's competitions record
| Year | Team | Progress | Score | Opponents | Venue(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Women's Club Championship1 | |||||
| 2019 | None Entered | ||||
| 2021 | Gokulam Kerala2 | Third place | N/A | Amman Shahrdari Sirjan Bunyodkor |
Aqaba Development Corporate Stadium, Amman |
| 2022 | Gokulam Kerala | N/A | Bam Khatoon Sogdiana |
Markaziy Stadium, Qarshi Could not participate due to AIFF suspension | |
| 2023 | Gokulam Kerala | 2nd in Group Stage | N/A | Urawa Red Diamonds Hualien Bangkok |
Chonburi Stadium, Chonburi |
| AFC Women's Champions League | |||||
| 2024–25 | Odisha | 4th in Main Group Stage | N/A | Taichung Blue Whale Urawa Red Diamonds Hồ Chí Minh City |
Thống Nhất Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City |
| 2025–26 | East Bengal | 3rd in Main Group Stage | N/A | Wuhan Jiangda Nasaf Bam Khatoon |
Tazihu Football Training Centre, Wuhan |
SAFF mens's competitions record
| Year | Team | Progress | Score | Opponents | Venue(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAFF Club Championship1 | |||||
SAFF women's competitions record
| Year | Team | Progress | Score | Opponents | Venue(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAFF Women's Club Championship1 | |||||
| 2025 | East Bengal | 1st in Group Stage & Playoffs : Champion | N/A | APF Nasrin Transport United Karachi City |
Dasharath Rangasala, Kathmandu |
Other Asian competitions record
Invitational competitions won by Indian clubs/teams
| Clubs/teams | Tournaments | Confederation | Countries | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Army | Tribhuvan Challenge Shield | AFC | Nepal | 1955, 1956 | [3] |
| Mohammedan Sporting | Aga Khan Gold Cup | AFC | Bangladesh | 1960 | [4] |
| Birpur XI | Tribhuvan Challenge Shield | AFC | Nepal | 1967 | [3] |
| Brothers Club Kerala | Tribhuvan Challenge Shield | AFC | Nepal | 1969 | [3] |
| Bangalore XI | Tribhuvan Challenge Shield | AFC | Nepal | 1982 | [3] |
| Punjab Electricity Board | Tribhuvan Challenge Shield | AFC | Nepal | 1984 | [3] |
| Darjeeling United | Birthday Cup | AFC | Nepal | 1985 | [3] |
| East Bengal | Central Asia Champions' Cup | AFC | Sri Lanka | 1985 | [5] |
| East Bengal | Wai Wai Cup | AFC | Nepal | 1993 | [6] |
| Kerala SC | POMIS Cup | AFC | Maldives | 1993 | [7] |
| Belgeria SC | Budha Subba Gold Cup | AFC | Nepal | 1999 | [3] |
| East Bengal | ASEAN Club Championship | AFC | Indonesia | 2003 | [8] |
| Mahindra United | POMIS Cup | AFC | Maldives | 2003 | [9] |
| East Bengal | San Miguel International Cup | AFC | Nepal | 2004 | [10] |
Statistics
Head to head (men's)
Head-to-head records against clubs form 35 nations whom they have played to date only in AFC Competitions.
| Against | Region | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | %Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | AFF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0.00 |
| Bangladesh | SAFF | 35 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 57 | 33 | +24 | 45.71 |
| Bahrain | WAFF | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 14.29 |
| Bhutan | SAFF | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 66.67 |
| China | EAFF | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 29 | −28 | 11.11 |
| Hong Kong | EAFF | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 32 | −9 | 23.53 |
| Indonesia | AFF | 12 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 23 | −13 | 8.33 |
| Iran | CAFA | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 18 | −13 | 14.29 |
| Iraq | WAFF | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 27 | −16 | 28.57 |
| Israel | – | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 0.00 |
| Japan | EAFF | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 39 | −35 | 14.29 |
| Jordan | WAFF | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 16 | 36 | −20 | 28.57 |
| Kuwait | WAFF | 14 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 12 | 49 | −37 | 0.00 |
| Laos | AFF | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | +0 | 50.00 |
| Lebanon | WAFF | 17 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 35 | −17 | 17.65 |
| Malaysia | AFF | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 19 | 23 | −4 | 35.71 |
| Maldives | SAFF | 46 | 33 | 4 | 9 | 111 | 49 | +62 | 71.74 |
| Myanmar | AFF | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 57.14 |
| Nepal | SAFF | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 49 | 11 | +38 | 71.43 |
| Oman | WAFF | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 20 | −1 | 45.45 |
| North Korea | EAFF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 50.00 |
| Pakistan | SAFF | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 1 | +15 | 80.00 |
| Philippines | AFF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100.00 |
| Qatar | WAFF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
| Saudi Arabia | WAFF | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 25 | −23 | 0.00 |
| Singapore | AFF | 25 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 31 | −9 | 52.00 |
| Syria | WAFF | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 21 | −16 | 10.00 |
| South Korea | EAFF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 0.00 |
| Sri Lanka | SAFF | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 6 | +18 | 80.00 |
| Tajikistan | CAFA | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0.00 |
| Thailand | AFF | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 23 | −11 | 20.00 |
| Turkmenistan | CAFA | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 20 | 23 | −3 | 20.00 |
| Chinese Taipei | EAFF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 100.00 |
| United Arab Emirates | WAFF | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 0.00 |
| Uzbekistan | CAFA | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 32 | −29 | 0.00 |
| Vietnam | AFF | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 15 | −3 | 30.00 |
| Yemen | WAFF | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 50.00 |
| Cambodia | AFF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100.00 |
| Total | 36 nations | 376 | 136 | 66 | 174 | 555 | 685 | −130 | 36.17 |
- Last Updated on 27 November 2025.
Top scorers
- As of 30 June 2019
| Pos | Player | Team | ACL2/AC | ACL/ACC | ACWC | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranti Martins | Dempo East Bengal |
22 | — | — | 22 |
| 2 | Sunil Chhetri | Churchill Brothers Bengaluru FC |
18 | 1 | — | 19 |
| 3 | Bhaichung Bhutia | East Bengal JCT Mohun Bagan |
4 | 2 | 8 | 14 |
| 4 | Sisir Ghosh | Mohun Bagan | — | 11 | 2 | 13 |
| Jeje Lalpekhlua | Mohun Bagan | 12 | 1 | — | 13 | |
| 6 | Beto | Dempo | 12 | — | — | 12 |
| 7 | Chidi Edeh | Dempo East Bengal |
9 | — | — | 9 |
| 8 | Debasish Roy | East Bengal | — | 8 | — | 8 |
| 9 | Carlton Chapman | East Bengal JCT |
— | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Cristiano Junior | East Bengal | 6 | — | — | 6 | |
| Sony Norde | Mohun Bagan | 6[21] | — | — | 6 | |
| Yusif Yakubu | Mahindra United East Bengal |
6[11][18] | — | — | 6 |
See also
- AFC Champions League Elite
- AFC Champions League Two
- AFC Challenge League
- Indian Super League
- I-League
- Indian football league system
- Australian soccer clubs in continental competitions
- Bangladeshi football clubs in Asian competitions
- Chinese football clubs in Asian competitions
- Hong Kong football clubs in Asian competitions
- Indonesian football clubs in Asian competitions
- Iranian football clubs in Asian competitions
- Iraqi football clubs in Asian competitions
- Japanese football clubs in Asian competitions
- Malaysian football clubs in Asian competitions
- Myanmar football clubs in Asian competitions
- Philippine football clubs in Asian competitions
- Qatari football clubs in Asian competitions
- Saudi Arabian football clubs in Asian competitions
- South Korean football clubs in Asian competitions
- Thai football clubs in Asian competitions
- Vietnamese football clubs in Asian competitions
References
- ^ Chaudhuri, Arunava. "Indian Clubs in the Asian Cup Winners Cup". indianfootball.de. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ Mukherjee, Soham; Easwar, Nisanth V (1 April 2020). "How have Indian clubs fared in AFC Champions League and AFC Cup?". goal.com. Goal. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g Atsushi Fujioka; Biplav Guatam; Malik Riaz Hai Naveed (1996). "Nepal — List of Champions and Cup Winners: Tribhuvan Challenge Shield – Other Cup Tournaments". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ Tom Lewis; Neil Morrison; Novan Herfiyana; Karel Stokkermans (2003). "Aga Khan Gold Cup (Dhaka, Bangladesh): Aga Khan Gold Cup 1960". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ Chakraborty, Sabyasachi (29 May 2020). "THROWBACK: When East Bengal FC became the Champions of Central Asia!". BADGEB. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ The World Sports Today (1 August 2020). "100 years of East Bengal: A timeline of Kolkata giant's key milestones". The World Sports Today. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ Hoodh Ali; Mikael Jönsson; Hans Schöggl (1997). "Maldives - List of Cup Winners: POMIS Cup (President of Maldives Invitational Soccer Cup)". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ Nayak, Nicolai (26 July 2020). "Making a mark in Asia: East Bengal's 2003 Asean Cup win – a defining moment for Indian club football". www.scroll.in. Scroll. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ^ Shahyb, Mohamed (21 September 2003). "Local teams struggle while foreign teams confirm participation in POMIS Cup". haveeru.com. Haveeru Daily. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
- ^ "East Bengal win Nepal tournament". Football Asia. 3 January 2005. Archived from the original on 12 January 2005. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ a b c "Afc Cup 2006". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ a b c "Afc Cup 2008". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ "Ranti Martins Profile". Soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri Profile". Soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri named among 13 strikers to choose all-time best three in AFC Cup". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Afc Cup 2004". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ "Afc Cup 2005". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Afc Cup 2007". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Jeje Lalpekhlua Profile". Soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ "Chidi Edeh Profile". Soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ "Sony Norde Profile". Soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
Further reading
- Ghosh, Soumo (22 September 2021). "The Last Goal – Remembering Cristiano Junior". the-aiff.com. New Delhi: All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2023.