Is East Bengal out of AFC Champions League 2? When will EBFC play next?

East Bengal lost its AFC Champions League Two match against Al Shorta on Tuesday, going down 2-3 at the Salt Lake Stadium on October 13. | Photo Credit: PTI

East Bengal scored two goals, off David Lalhlansanga Hmar, but fell 2-3 to Iraqi club Al Shorta SC at home in their AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 match here on Tuesday.

The Red-and-Gold Brigade opened the scoring in the eighth minute, but a second-half comeback by Shorta saw them finish on the losing side at the Salt Lake Stadium. The result keeps East Bengal winless in this edition of the tournament, with its previous match ending as a 2-2 draw with Al Hussein SC from Jordan.

Is East Bengal out of AFC Champions League 2?

No. The loss against Al Shorta was its first loss in the group stage and four more matchdays remain the round. At the end of the sixth round, the top two teams from East Bengal’s group will qualify for the round of 16.

East Bengal is drawn in Group D of Asia - West region, alongside Al Shorta (Iraq), Al Hussein (Jordan) and Al Seeb (Oman), and earned its spot in this round after thrashing Kuwaiti club Al Arabi 4-1 — a match where David had also found the net once.

When is East Bengal playing next?

East Bengal will next be in action on October 18 when it travels to Goa to play Churchill Brothers. It will be the Kolkata-based club’s first match in the Indian Super League (ISL) – a tournament where it will enter as the defending champion.

The Red-and-Gold Brigade won the Indian top flight after 22 years, winning the title on the final matchday, beating Inter Kashi 2-1 at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan. However, the team has undergone several changes since, including the head coach, with Oscar Bruzon making way for another ISL-winning coach, Antonio Lopez Habas, to take over.