East Bengal's AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 Rival Watch: April 4.25 SC

The Moshal Girls will play their final Group stage game on Saturday.

East Bengal FC will face a challenging task in their final match of the 2026-27 AFC Women’s Champions League when they face the high-flying April 4.25 SC side in their final group game.

The North Korean heavyweights are a club that has been flying high in their debut appearance in the AFC Women’s Champions League and have played some dominant football so far.

April 4.25 SC have been able to win both of their matches so far in their group, dominating both Hwancheon KSPO as well as Ho Chi Minh City’s WFC side. They’ve scored eight goals in the competition in the two matches and only conceded one, proving their talent to be able to produce enthralling attacking football.

The April 4.25 SC Women’s team have been successful in the North Korean women’s football scene over the years and are poised to prove themselves as major thorns for the East Bengal women in this upcoming clash. Let’s have a closer look at the club before the big game.

About the Team

The April 4.25 SC, which is also known as the April 25 Sports Club, is one of the most dominant football organisations to come out of North Korea. The club itself was established in March 1947, with the men’s football scene taking priority. The April 4.25 SC women’s team, like the men’s team, belongs to the Ministry of Defence in North Korea and every member of their team are officers of the North Korean Armed Forces.

The April 4.25 SC women’s team was created in the 1980s when the initial push for a FIFA Women’s World Cup was initially suggested. As a way of trying to uphold their stand in the women’s football scene, the North Korea Ministry of Defence formed the women’s team and they have been impressing in the local scene for many decades now.

Indeed, the April 4.25 SC women’s team have won the Women’s National Championship title many times over the last few decades. Their success in the 2025-26 season enabled them to qualify for the AFC Women’s Champions League for the first time ever, having seen the men’s team having finished as the runners-up of the AFC Cup in 2019.

The Coach

The head coach of the April 4.25 SC women’s team is former North Korea men’s international footballer Kim Kwang-min, who has almost two decades of coaching experience under his belt.

Kwang-min, who made well over 25 appearances for his national side at the international level, had a pretty good playing career before transitioning into a coaching role. Kwang-min enjoyed two successful stints as the coach of the North Korea women’s football team, helping the AFC Women’s Championship and two Asian Games gold medals in women’s football.

He took over the April 4.25 SC Women’s team earlier in 2026 and has churned them into a well-oiled machine who have dominated their opponents in the 2026-27 AFC Women’s Champions League so far. The 64-year-old coach likes to shape up his side in a 4-4-2 formation, giving them a lot of fluidity and license to create attacking moves by outwitting their opponents.

Kwang-min has encouraged his players to play incisive attacking football, as they tend to use their wide players to get the ball into the danger areas, with the midfielders also encouraged to get into goal-scoring positions in & around the penalty area as well.

He’ll hope his side can keep dominating games heading into the knockout rounds of the Women’s Champions League and head into the phase with a big win over the hosts.

Players to Watchout For

Choe Il-son

Choe Il-son has earned the reputation of one of the brightest young talents to come out of the North Korean women’s football scene in many years. She played a vital role in helping the North Korea U-20 women’s team win the 2024 AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup, scoring in the semi-finals against South Korea as well.

Later in 2024, the youngster also won the Golden Ball at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, helping her side win the tournament by scoring six goals. She’s already made multiple appearances for the North Korea women’s team and is proving to be a thorn for opposition defenders.

Il-son has one goal in the AFC Women’s Champions League so far and will look to be a nightmare for the East Bengal defenders. The 19-year-old will look to make good use of her pace and dribbling prowess to get into the danger areas, but will need to be efficient with her final passes and finishing to really trouble the Indian heavyweights.

Jon Ryong-jong

Another promising young player that has been impressing for the April 4.25 SC Women’s Team at the AFC Women’s Championship is their vibrant midfielder Jon Ryong-jong.

She was also a part of the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup squad, picking up many assists for her side and even being shortlisted for the FIFA Marta Award in 2025. A player who has played for the North Korea women’s football team, the 22-year-old will look to help her side dominate the clash against East Bengal.

Ryong-jong can be a highly energetic figure in the midfield, being able to win duels, regain possession and also drive her side into the danger areas with her ball-carrying qualities. She is particularly decisive with her goal-scoring and creative ability, which she’ll look to cause havoc in the East Bengal box and help her side get a big win.

What to Expect

Even though April 4.25 SC have already qualified for the knockout stages of the AFC Women’s Champions League, they are unlikely to take it any easier on the East Bengal women.

There might be a few rotations in their lineup, but Kim Kwang-min will work hard to ensure that his players don’t lose their match-winning momentum heading into the next stages of the competition. He’ll urge his players to keep playing incisive, dominating attacking football and also keep their sturdy defensive shape in tact to frustrate the East Bengal players.

April 4.25 SC will look to trouble the hosts by creating fast-paced attacking moves and keep winning key duels in the danger zones to make it hard for their opponents. Their players’ determination to dominate opponents in this competition is why they’re unlikely to slack off for this and take the battle to the Moshal Girls in what is a key game for the hosts.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.