East Bengal Draw Al Hussein, Al Shorta and Al Seeb in AFC Champions League Two Group D
East Bengal FC will face a demanding test on their return to continental football after being drawn alongside Al Hussein SC of Jordan, Al Shorta SC of Iraq and Al Seeb Club of Oman in Group D of the AFC Champions League Two 2026-27.
The draw was conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday, August 18, setting up an intriguing group for the Indian Super League champions as they prepare to return to Asia's second-tier men's club competition.
The Kolkata giants enter the tournament with momentum after securing their place in the group stage through a convincing 4-1 victory over Kuwait's Al Arabi SC in the Preliminary Stage last Wednesday. The qualification represents an important moment for East Bengal, who will now make their ninth appearance in the group stage of the continent's second-tier club competition. It will also be their first group-stage appearance since 2015, when the tournament was known as the AFC Cup.
Three champions among East Bengal's opponents
East Bengal's Group D assignment brings together clubs with strong domestic credentials. Al Hussein SC enter the competition as the Jordanian Pro League champions for 2025-26, giving the Red and Golds an opponent with recent title-winning experience.
Iraq's Al Shorta SC finished runners-up in the Iraq Stars League in the 2025-26 season. The Baghdad-based club will provide another significant challenge as East Bengal look to navigate a group featuring teams from three different West Asian footballing environments.
The fourth team in the group, Al Seeb Club, arrives as the 2025-26 Oman Professional League champions. The composition of the group means East Bengal will have to deal with three teams that have recently competed at the top of their respective domestic leagues.
For the Indian champions, the challenge will be to translate their domestic success into consistent performances against experienced continental opposition.
East Bengal returns after more than a decade.
The group-stage qualification is particularly significant given East Bengal's history in the competition. The Kolkata club last appeared in the group stage of the second-tier continental competition in 2015. Their return comes after winning the Indian Super League in the 2025-26 season and subsequently navigating the preliminary stage of the AFC Champions League Two.
Their 4-1 victory over Al Arabi demonstrated the attacking quality required to progress from the preliminary round, but the group stage will present a considerably longer test. Unlike a single knockout tie, East Bengal will have to perform consistently across six group matches, with each opponent visited home and away.
The format leaves little room for extended poor runs, particularly because only the top two teams will progress.
The 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two group stage features 32 teams, divided equally between the West and East Zones. The teams have been split into eight groups of four, with East Bengal placed in Group D. Each club will play the other three teams twice, once at home and once away, in a double-round-robin format.
That means East Bengal will play six group-stage matches. The equation is straightforward: the top two teams from each group will advance to the Round of 16.
For East Bengal, securing points at home could prove especially important before they travel to Jordan, Iraq and Oman for the away fixtures. The ability to manage the demands of travelling across different countries and playing in unfamiliar conditions will be another important component of their continental campaign.
The tournament will offer East Bengal an opportunity to measure themselves against some of the stronger clubs from the West Asian region. Their domestic title has already established them as India's champions. Now they will have the opportunity to demonstrate how that level translates to continental competition. The group also presents a mixture of challenges. Al Hussein and Al Seeb enter as domestic champions, while Al Shorta bring the pedigree of an established Iraqi club.
East Bengal's performance across the six matches will therefore provide a clearer picture of where the Indian champions stand against their counterparts from across Asia. The club's opening objective will be qualification for the Round of 16. From there, the knockout format provides the possibility of progressing further into the competition.
The continental calendar stretches into 2027.
The AFC Champions League Two campaign will run deep into the following year. The group stage begins on September 15, 2026, and concludes on December 9. East Bengal will therefore have to balance their continental commitments with their domestic schedule during the final months of the year.
If they finish among the top two in Group D, they will advance to the Round of 16, which is scheduled between February 9 and 18, 2027. The quarter-finals and semi-finals will follow in March and April, while the tournament's final is scheduled for May. For East Bengal, the immediate priority is clear: make the most of their return to continental football and put themselves in contention for the knockout stages.
The draw has handed them three challenging opponents, but it has also created an opportunity to announce themselves once again on the Asian stage. After a decade-long wait for a group-stage return, the Red and Golds now have six matches to prove that their latest domestic success can translate into continental progress.
AFC Champions League Two 2026-27: East Bengal's Group D
East Bengal FC — India
Al Hussein SC — Jordan
Al Shorta SC — Iraq
Al Seeb Club — Oman
Group Stage: September 15 to December 9, 2026
Round of 16: February 9-18, 2027
Quarter-finals: March 2-18, 2027
Semi-finals: April 6-14, 2027
Final: May 15, 2027
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