East Bengal help India climb three places in AFC Women's Club Competitions 2025-26 rankings

East Bengal finished third in their group in the AFC Women’s Champions League.

The new AFC Women’s Club Competition rankings has reflected brightly for the Indian women’s football fraternity midway through the 2025-26 season. That is because India have been named in the no. 8 position in the latest Women’s Club Competitions rankings, a major increase from the previous campaign.

This is indeed a boost for Indian women’s football as it puts them among the top 10 women’s club competitions in Asia. They are currently ranked above the likes of the Philippines, Uzbekistan, the UAE, and Thailand in the latest rankings.

India have been given a points total of 45.1, which is nearly a 15-point increase from their tally in the 2024-25 AFC Women’s Club Competitions rankings. India were ranked 11th in the 2024-25 Women’s Club Competition rankings, and they have moved up three places in the current tally.

The points tally for the AFC Women’s Club Competitions Rankings was updated based on performances from teams in the group stages of the 2025-26 AFC Women’s Champions League. Additionally, national team points will be calculated as per the FIFA Women’s World Rankings from 7 August 2025.

East Bengal plays a vital role in India’s Ranking boost

East Bengal have played a significant role in helping India climb in the AFC Women’s Club Competitions mid-season ranking. The Kolkata giants gave a spirited and inspired showing in the group stages of the AFC Women’s Champions League, as they defeated Iranian side Bam Khatoon in the first match of the stages.

Even though East Bengal lost their matches to FC Nasaf and hosts (as well as defending champions) Wuhan Jiangda, their impressive performances helped earn some crucial points for India in the 2025-26 AFC Women’s Club Competitions rankings.

It was their admirable performances in the preliminary stages of the 2025-26 AFC Women’s Champions League, where they topped their group by ousting Kitchee and Phnom Penh Crown, that helped India earn more points.

Why is this rise significant?

Of course, these aren’t the final points rankings that will be considered to decide how many slots a confederation gets for the 2025-26 AFC Women’s Champions League competitions.

That will be decided at the end of the season, with the top-7 member associations in the AFC Women’s Club Competitions rankings gaining a direct place in the AFC Women’s Champions League.

For the time being, Australia continues to dominate in the no.1 place in the AFC Women’s Club Competitions rankings. That has definitely been helped by Melbourne City dominating their group to win the group in the Women’s Champions League.

Even though the Chinese side Wuhan Jiangda are the defending champions of the AFC Women’s Champions League, China are still in third place in the Women’s Club Competitions rankings, with Japan taking up the second spot.

South Korea and Vietnam assume the fourth and fifth positions, respectively, in the 2025-26 mid-season AFC Women’s Club Competitions rankings, with the Korean side Suwon and the Vietnamese side Ho Chi Minh City WFC making it to the knockout stages of the Women’s Champions League.

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